Having Fun While Learning to Type

One of the pivotal points in my career came when I attended the 2006 Game Developers Conference and happened to attend a presentation given by Ian Bogost. I had long been interested in developing games, but I also struggled with the idea that video games might be harmful to society. Mr. Bogost's ideas pointed me in a different direction though. Games can teach.

I attended the Serious Games Summit in Washington, D.C. the following fall and became enamored with the thought of using game technology to benefit society. Games, as it turns out, are the perfect training and teaching tools. However, games must be fun if they are to teach.

Every element of gameplay in the KeyBlaze typing game, Word Blizzard, is focused on improving an aspect of typing—while you’re having fun. In Word Blizzard, the emphasis was placed on speed, but things like eye tracking and rhythm were also considered. And fun. We chose real-life words because they matter, but we also included obscure words to challenge the mind and improve finger-key recognition. Then we added more fun.

There will be more games coming to KeyBlaze typing tutor in the future, so I hope you give us your feedback on how our games are helping your typing improve.