The competition had nothing to do with me or Skulduggery — it was all to do with an educational video game designed to teach you maths and have, you know, actual fun while you do it. Incorporating historically accurate aspects of Native American tribal life and culture, the game was called Spirit Lake, and the competition was to find someone to become a character in it, using your name and likeness. Here's what I said about it at the time:
"And if this works like they hope it will, this could be the beginning of something huge. This could revolutionise teaching, and learning— not just in America but across the world— and it could be just the thing that's needed to help struggling students make that singular, all-important leap. This could change people's lives."
The competition was a great success. I got in some hilarious responses, and also some heartfelt ones, and while it was not easy to pick a winner, a winner I did pick.
And now I'm going to do it all over again.
These same awesome people — people who include the mother and sister of my personal (Twitter) friend, UFC champion Ronda Rousey* — have another game in development, called Forgotten Trail.
SO — if you like the idea of having a video game version of yourself teaching kids maths across America, give me your reasons why. In no more than thirty words, explain why you should win, and send your entries to skulteams@hotmail.com. You can enter as many times as you like, you can be any age, from any country, and the winner will be announced at the end of July.
Good luck!
* Yes, Ronda does count as a friend**.
** By friend I don't, of course, mean someone I've ever actually met, but that's not what's important here***.
*** What's important is that we're PALS. Some might say buddies. Kindred spirits, perhaps. I might even go so far as to say I've taught her everything she knows****.
**** I haven't ACTUALLY taught her everything she knows, but she knows that I would have, if ever I knew something that she didn't already know. Such as writing*****.
***** Although seeing as how Ronda's autobiography has made it to the New York Times bestseller list — a list I have yet to ACTUALLY grace — this probably isn't the best use of my, or her, time. But even so, I am sure there are PLENTY of things I could teach her. Though probably nothing useful or, you know, not-imaginary, like unicorn-taming, or yodelling******.
***** I'll shut up now.
Posts
4,893 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 4001 – 4200 of 4893 Newer› Newest»(Jai' why are you panicking?
Each to their own, but I think you'd look pwetty in a dress ^.^)
Actually Jai that's a common mistake people make, my full name is actually not Johnathan but is simply John.
(Because my brain just went OMFG WE'RE NEARLY IN YEAR ELEVEN OMG THE WORK WE'RE DOING IS ACTUALLY RELEVANT WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING NOT REVISING AND BARELY PAYING ATTENTION?!?!?!
My arms are too flabby for dresses unless they have shoulder straps. But then my stomach annoys me.)
(@John Jonathan is better for scolding people with. Now sleep.)
(Don't panic!
I did okay I. Year eleven and I'm an airhead
And I'm sure you'd be pretty ^^ I'm sure your arms aren't flabby
But whatever your comfortable with ^,^)
Well yeah but it isn't my name so if you use it I'll simply assume you're talking to someone else.
*Smiles and promptly passes out*
(*nods slowly* Yeah.. it's okay, my brains gone back to its state of 'eh c'est la vie'
They are. It's horrendous xD
*nods* I like my white dress with waistcoat.)
(*rolls eyes*
*drags him to a bed and dumps him on it*
Sleep well.)
(Msd.)
(Awwww that sounds awesome!)
(I'm going now
Walking around lake in llansamlet)
Liliana: *she grins* Perfect. *she places one hand on the alcohol, and extends the other to Onwa*
Bethany: ... Then why do they exist?
I obeyed Jai and got up, hence disappearing. :P
HI! :) Here for rest of day.
@Jai: Dw. You don't need to revise in year ten.
OMG MY PHONE KEEPS SPAZZING HELP
Onwa: *takes her hand, grinning*
For faster travel
((Oh hi Jai.))
(Hello? )
Hi. :)
(How art thou star? ^,^)
(Sorry if I disappear, may talk to jack over the phone)
@Inky: :) Fine, thanks.
Rather unmotivated. O_O
That's okay. :)
(I am somewhat amazing.
I've managed to become a prefect.
Despite not applying.
And despite saying in the interview that I didn't want to be one.
And despite calling them glorified doorstops.)
@Jai: Your school has prefects??? This isn't just something that exists in old-fashioned boarding school and wizard schools???????
And, of course you're amazing. :) I told you so.
Oh wait Hogwarts IS an old-fashoned boarding school . . .
nm.
A prefect?! They actually are real?!
Congrats Jai!
@Zaf: EXACTLY MY REACTION!!!
(xD yes. We're glorified door stops. And apparently I'm one despite not trying to be one and in fact trying not to be one.)
We need to have a party, Star! To celebrate Jai becoming a prefect! I dunno if you have houses but...
(*raises an eyebrow* a party? Shouldn't the party be for your graduation?)
I graduate in 2016
(Oh. *facepalm* For Johns graduation. Or for Gemma getting a job?)
(@Star that reminds me-
THEY MIGHT BE FORCING US INTO FURTHER MATHS D': )
@Jai: Well . . .
@Zaf: My school has houses, but only since last year.
We were better without them, imo. We have house assemblies now instead of year assemblies, and that means everyone in all differet year groups get the same assemblies, which is rubbish because you can't specify your assemblies for your audience. Also, we have six houses and only five days of the week, so that causes issues too.
And I mean, we now have house ties, which are pretty, but they decided to make them clip-on ties so now we look like ridiculous idiots who can't tie ties.
And they gave us a new logo (or rather, got rid of our logo and gave us new stylised writing) and it makes us look like a supermarket.
We can have a party for all 3!
Jai- Prefect is an honor! *huggles*
@Jai: I like further maths.
. . .
Wait what? How? Why? What?
You know what, anyone who was seriously intent on stalking me would alreayd be able to work out my school, so yeah, I go to South Hunsley School and Sixth Form College (yaaay long title. We'll soon have a primary school too, so you can stay in my school from when you're four to when you're eighteen. Joy) in Melton.
Yay.
Woah houses are real too?!
Oh my god.
Do you have a house cup and house points?
*may or may not be fangirling*
(*Huggles zaffy back* Yeeeeeah. Okay. Sure. An honour. An honour I didn't particularly want xD
@Star because we've nearly done everything in GCSE maths apparently and miss stuttard is evil!!!
And I ended up doing maths in art -_- I'm getting as bad as you xD)
(We used to have houses with points and a cup, then we got a new head who got rid off all that.)
Oh my god I would so want to do that. It'd be FUN!
(xD)
@Zaf: I'm not sure we have a house cup, but yeah, we have house points. I'm not sure what the winning house gets at the end of the year.
But seeing as how we're in year eleven and hence as cynical as fuck, when we walk into classes and the teacher is like "Okay guys, you're all gonna make a poster on your table and the best one gets a prize," we're like "What's the prize?" and the teacher's like "House points?" and we're like "How about a proper prize?"
Actually, that doesn't happen much anymore. Most of them have worked out that they can only motivate us by offering us food. :P We will compete the the bitter end for Haribo.
@Jai: Well . . . my maths teacher revised every GCSE maths topic in year eleven, and we did a past paper for homework every week for several months.
If your maths teacher cares about you, that's what she'll do, because those techniques caused me to get A*s in maths for the first time ever and my maths exams are the ones I'm most confident on.
*to the
WHOA. THAT'S COOL
*may or may not he reacting like Zaf*
YEEIIP LAST DAY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL O.O
@Dugglyn: :) Good luck.
OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S GONNA BE PRIMARY KIDS AT MY SCHOOL
(the primary's gonna be somewhere else actually, in a village next door, but they haven't built that yet so next year it's gonna be on site . . . !)
(@Star yeah I'd LIKE to revise. Miss stuttard is evil though and wants us to have an extra exam.)
Good luck, Duggy! After today you are a freshman in high school and trust me, it'll be amazing!
*is a senior now*
I feel old :P in drama camp we get to MC the caberet and get a solo
Then in the play and musical we do senior recgonition
Oh god....
And then the senior slide show in the spring chorus concert
@Jai: pfffffffffffft what set you in?
Wait no
how many sets are there in your school?
We have six in A half and five in B half.
Because like
if you're in set one
it's probably worth it, especially as you can pass further maths without even learning anything extra from GCSE maths.
If you're in set three or lower out of six sets, it's not, imo.
(@Star nerd set. *top set*)
@Jai: OMG HI-FIVE.
Yeah. Might be worth it, then. Um . . . good luck?
(@Star I think there's 5 halfs per year?)
**per half of the year)
(*high fives star!*)
ALRIGHT I need to do history now . . . history exam tomorrow. And them chemistry the day after, adn I need to revise for that now because like yeah.
. . . Or maybe not, if I'm home before lunch tomorrow . . .
But yeah.
(*watching a DIY mask thing*
Sandpaper it!
Me: nail file it.
Use clear spray on paint
Me: Eh. Clear nail varnish.)
@Jai: XD
Nail kits are the best, aren't they?
@Star: your nail scissors XD
(@Star yep!)
@Darcie: What about them? What have I done now?
Hi! :)
(Hey DM!)
@Star: for your art exam :)
Hi
@Darcie: Yup!
Everyone else was like painting and I was said there dipping pencils into roller glue and then utilising nail scissors for ten hours. XD
Roller glue seems to be a large part of your life Star XD
OMG that reminds me I need to buy some more . . .
Hmm . . .
Remind me on Wednesday before our exam?
Yep!
Roller glue = life.
(When I was younger, my school had houses and house points. It was a fairly traditional school. At the end of the year, whichever house won was able to place orders at a local takeaway - which we were not allowed to go to - on the last day of the year for lunch. Several teachers would walk to the takeaway, after the orders were placed the day before, to collect the food and bring it up for us.)
(*cuddles Sophi and Imogen*)
I'll be on the other bus so I won't be able to remind you
@Sophia: That sounds great! :)
(Prizes involving food are the best. :P)
I'm not sure what happens when you win . . . I can't remember what happened last year. Maybe I'll get my siblings to tell me.
Although you earn prizes for individual house points. I mean like - when you get a certain number, you get a lunch pass or a pencil, and if you get more you get a pencil case or whatever.
Msot people in my year group just donate money to charity when they get a prize now because the think the prizes are bad enough not to be worth it. :P
(I never got past the pen and pencil.)
Imogen . . . ?
@Darcie: Ah.
@Sophia: that sounds much better than the house cup that we can get.
@Star: we need to have this
@Darcie: Oh, we DO have a house cup?
Is it, like, an actual cup, or is it just metaphorical?
@Darcie: Ikr.
(@Star Mhmm.)
@Jai: . . . ?
My sister's name is Imogen.
@star: it's in riding hall. Do you not remember Pegasus winning it on sports day?
@Darcie: Is it?
Can we like, see it?
And, I remember them winning something, but I can't remember what they won.
(@Star xD I swear I'm not hugging your sister.)
(Jaimie has a teddy bear and she asked me to name it. I decided on Imogen.
Star - Indeed. It was a fairly good system.)
Liliana: *they vanish in a flash of black, reappearing beside a spring with the alcohol* Mmm... Lets contaminate it.
Bethany: ... Scary.
@Star: it's in a glass case at the front. If you come to lunch tomorrow I'll show you
@Jai: Bit freaky if you were. O_O
@Sophia: :) Imogen is a beautiful name.
It was my favourite name at around about the same time my sister was born, actually, and I have a memory that that was why she was called Imogen but it could have been the other way around . . . ? When I was younger I was sure that I HAD been responsible for the naming of my sister but now I can only remember remembering that . . .
I had a doll called Imogen though . . . like, at the time my sister was being born . . . so yeah . . .
@Sophia: *nods*
@Darcie: Are you at lunch tomorrow?
@Star: yup
(Imogen is indeed a nice name.)
@Darcie: Is anyone else?
@Star: Cat is
@Sophia: Yup.
Everyone called Imogen always seems to be evil though.
Whereas Holly tends to be the name of the second main character. C:
(*nods, smiling*
*is apparently eating in my room today..
Does mum think I'm actually doing important work??*)
Onwa: *grins, taking some of the vodka, removing the lid*
Very.
@Darcie: Ah.
I might stay then.
(*there don't tend to be Jaimie's in books*
*or Jaime's or Jamie's or Jaimee's or Jaimey's*)
@Jai: . . . Jaimey is a name????
Wait
JAIMEE is a name???
Wtf.
(@Star *facepalm*)
@Jai: ??
(@star nothing xD)
(I have never read a book with someone called Sophia in it.)
Liliana: *she does likewise, tipping the alcohol into the spring*
Bethany: ... And fast.
(@Soph I will write a book with someone called Sophia in it!)
Onwa: *tips the vodka in, grinning*
Very.
@Sophia: Hmm. I'm not sure if I have. I've read an awful lot of books. I mean . . . I maybe have a couple hundred in my bedroom at least.
*I mean, I maybe have a couple hundred in my bedroom, and I've read a lot more books than are in this room. A lot lot more.
EH
(Keiron will probably never be used in a book apart from if I wrote an autobiography, mostly because it is spelled wrong.
i before e except after c ... my name is grammatically incorrect :P)
@Keiron: Yep. I know a few Kierons. :P
(hehe I'm special though... probably one of a kind... :P I know a Kieran Jack Smith which I thought was weird as I'm Keiron Jack Cairns :/)
(...I'm not hungry but my stomach is making weird noises..)
(Maybe I'm ill! Maybe I won't have school tomorrow :D)
@Keiron: There's some Keirons on Google. XD
@Jai: Oh . . . mien makes weird noises sometimes. Particularly after I've eaten. :P
. . . You want to be ill . . . ? But . . . you can't enjoy your time off school because you're ILL.
(@Star I'd rather be throwing my guts up that having tomorrow as normal.)
(I show up for Keiron first the rest seem to be spelled a different way if you click on it .)
@Jai: Oh . . . kay?
@Keiron: You're a financial planner?
:P
(I've worked out that your search selections seem to be specialised slighlty depending on your search history.)
Nope there's tons of Keirons on my search history.
Liliana: This will be fun.
Bethany: ... Why is no one afraid?
Omg there's a rugby player called Keiron. He has a wiki page. O_O
(@Star because tomorrow for me is 2hr graphics exam, 1hr geography exam, 1hr geography coursework, 1hr biology exam.)
Onwa: Indeed.
*tips another bottle in, taking a sly swig*
They're used to it
(nope I'm an interior architect going onto a normal architect.)
(I played rugby... till I had a stud embedded into my toe nail making it grow inwards and when off they didn't let me play again.)
@Jai: See . . . if we were ill we'd probably have to go in anyway if we had an exam, so illness is Not Good.
If you're ill, you probs have to do it at a later date. Do you want that?
(And, wow. Most exams I've had on one day is three. Two is a lot. Normally it's one.)
@Keiron: :(
(@Star Mmm.
HOW AM I MEANT TO REMEMBER SAPROPHYTICALLY?!)
@Jai: What??
(@STAR IT'S HOW FUNGI FEED!!!)
(us Keiron's are an endangered species... :P )
@Jai: ? I did not learn this.
@Keiron: Like gingers. C:
(@Star *facepalm*)
(well I am scottish so it is more possible :P I know plenty of them... )
@Jai: No seriously
The past month or so I have memorised anything of note for GCSE biology adn we did not learn about how fungi feed.
What spec is this?? What???
I mean I SERIOUSLY learn the entire revision guide.
(@Star spec?)
@Jai: Specification.
(Calm down star.
I do edexcel?
Plantae - Autotrophic
Animalia - Hetrotrophic
Fungi - Saprophytric)
@Jai: . . .
wtf are plantae and animalia
wtf is this
wtf
O_o
(@Star the.. kingdoms? Plantae Animalia Fungi, Protoctista and Prokaryotes.)
Imagine Dragons. :o
@Jai: . . .
right.
we did not learn this.
(@Star oh.
Well.
Uhhh.
Plantae - Multicellular, Autotrophic, Chlorophyll, Cell walls.
Animalia - Multicellular, Heterotrophic, No chlorophyll, no cell walls.
Fungi - Multi & unicellular, Saprophytically, Cell walls, not chlorophyll.
Protoctista - Unicellular, Have nuclei
Prokaryotes - Unicellular, No nuclei.
Where you taught the vertebrate/invertebrate classes?)
@Jai: . . .
wtf.
We weren't taught any of this.
There was pretty much one page somewhere that was like "Humans classify animals. They do it according to DNA similarities and similarities in physical characteristics. Classification is useful because it can show the evolutionary relationships between species" and that was like it. XD
*ORGANISISMS!
Not animals. -_-
*ORGANISMS
(@Star so you weren't taught about oviporous/viviporous or poikiliotherm/homeotherm mammal/fish/reptile/amphibian/bird annelids/arachnids/crustatians/molluscs/insects ?)
(Or ring species or hybridization?)
What an intense conversation this is, highly fascinating.
@Jai: Definitely not.
(@Star Wow.. O_O
I mean..
Like..
WOW.)
(That makes Mr question why I WAS xD)
Are you sure you were both doing the same subject material?
@Itsuitsu: She's with Edexcel. I was with OCR.
@Jai: :P
Oh I see, well that makes sense I suppose. Don't mind me!
We did -
B1. You and Your Genes. Genes and chromosomes and Punnet squares and sex organs and yeah. Also twins and so on. And genetic disorders. And clones and stem cells.
B2. Keeping Healthy. Microoragnisms. White blood cells. Vaccines. Drugs. Then the heart, so the circulatory system and heart rate. And then homeostasis and stuff.
B3. Life on Earth. Adaptation and variation. Natural selection. Biodiversity. Classification. Food chains. Energy in ecocysmtes. Carbon cycle. Nitrogen cycle (I love the nitrogen cycle). And then sustainability.
B4. The Processes of Life. Different types of cells. Then enzymes, glorious enzymes. Respiration. Photosynthesis. Ways how to investigate photosynthesis (like transects. Bleh). Then diffusion, osmosis & active transport.
B5. Growth and Development. DNA. Making proteins. Different types of cell devision. Stem cells in plants and animals. Phototropism.
B6. Brain and Mind. The nervous system. Neurons. Synapses. Reflexes. Brain development & learning. Studying the brain.
B7. Further Biology. More circulatory system. Tissue fluid. Skeletons and antagonistic pairs. Exercise adn fitness and then injuries. Homeostasis (again). Diabetes. Industrail use of microbes. Genetic modification. Biological technologies (basically, memorise a load of examples without knowing how they work. How pointless. I hate B7). Ecoystems. Humans impacts on ecosystems. Managing ecosystems. Yaaay.
My dad needed to know how Skype worked for work, so I found my account and worked out my password and logged it and we worked out how to call each other.
And like
he just messaged me on Skype
now
to tell me what TV show was on
even though
like
he's right downstairs. XD
Technological advancements - humanity's way of becoming lazy.
(..*just nods*)
@Jai: Hi.
*nods along with Miss Tempest*
well hello there :)
Oh dear, I fear I must depart. That was awfully brief. Hello and goodbye, Fera my friend. I bid farewell to all.
(*the urge to re-read books is becoming stronger than my urge to revise..*)
jai: hey ^_^
itsuitsu: goodbye, friend ^_^
I walk onto the deck to relax in a lounge chair: I set it up sit down, it starts raining.
@Zaf: -_- Hate moments like that.
(I am back from circuits *collapses* I actually broke a sweat)
hey clo :)
(Aaaaaaaaaand I give up on revising. No way in hell am I memorizing case studies for geography. My brain will remember it in the exam. Probably.
@Chloe do you think we can continue or..? I mean, hectate released Felix and healed ???? so as long as we do nothing to Sil..?)
(H how art thou?)
(Okay ^.^ you start Jai ^.^)
????: *groans, still unconscious*
*you should probably carry her away from Sil & Hecate while she's unconscious*
I am fine clo, how are you? ^_^
Felix: right,.. I dint think she likes Sil... Probably not you too *picks her up and carries her, shouting out* thank you guys
(Exhausted -_-)
????: *shifts in Felix's arms, whimpering*
*blinks slightly*
Felix: shhhhh, how are you?
????: *shakes head, pressing against hi- oh f.. she may be getting attached to Felix..*
(Awwwwww XD)
Felix: *carries her towards the house* you gave me a fright
clo: hehe, i am too ^_^ I've had school today, apparently in C3 we've got some coursework in maths XD
(That's not Awwwww that's bad! He's taken and sees her as a pet thing.)
????: *tilts head, perking up the tiniest bit*
(Awwww
I just did intensive exercise)
Hello people!
clo: yeah i am like one of the reasons i picked maths is because i don't like coursework :D ^_^ What did you do? ^_^
hey violet :)
Hey Fera. How be you? (Msd)
(Hey vi! How art thou?
Circuit training)
Felix: never do that again!
Hi XD I'm good Chloe. How be you?
(hey vi)
????: *squirms further into his arms, hanging her head slightly*
clo: I see :) hehe, my hay fever is giving me quite a bit of training to be honest, at least pain and patience wise ^_^ :P
Hi Jai
(im exhausted
I see fera XD)
Felix: *sighs* At least youre back
????: *cuddles against him, looking up at him*
I have had far too much sugar today. My friend has as. Well. We spent practically all of our biology class just eating candy and laughing hysterically at each other. Twas great fun :)
clo: yeah, it sometimes makes me wanna crawl my eyes out XD :P but then i remember that i don't have any extra perceptory vision, so i'd just be blind :P
Felix: *looks down at her* you fgeel okay?
violet: you should listen in biology :) :P
@Andviolet: :) That sounds amazing.
eh,but was a review class, we had already learned it all. And in that haze, me and my friend actually answered a bunch of questions right. So all good.
(I am back.)
Liliana: Mmm... I saw that. *she grins, having a little drink of her own from a second bottle, before tipping the rest into the water supply*
Bethany: But it's scary...
(nawww
hope it clears up soon)
????: *nods*
(*cuddles Sophi*)
Onwa: Saw what?
*has another tiny swig*
I know.
clo: hope so too, because it is plenty annoying and a very bad feeling ^_^ My mom got me hay fever eye drops though, and they make the eye itching, swelling and reddening go away at least, which is one of the worst symptoms for me ^_^ but she only got it today, I had it until i walked home :D
violet: great, must;ve been fun :)
Meh, I have exams tomorrow, and they're scary :( and apparently I'm supposed to spend an hour or two studying Spanish verb tenses tonight. Yeah right XD
violet: lol, only 1 or 2? :P what exams? :)
(*cuddles Jaimie back*)
Liliana: You having a little drink.
Bethany: ... I don't think I'll ever get used to it... And Claire's car looks evil...
Fera: it most definitely was. And then since we were my teacher's last class today, she just let us take nearly all of her leftover candy, which was a lot
Felix: can I put you down?
(nawww that's too bad)
Fera: 2, and Spanish and Biology
Onwa: *raises an eyebrow*
What little drink?
*laughs, grinning*
*squeezes her hand gently*
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