After being hooked onto Angry Birds, I now find myself fascinated by a collection of games hosted on a website called http://www.physicsgames.net. As you must have already guessed, this website showcases numerous physics-based online games developed in Flash. The games have been classified into 7 broad categories.
- Block Removal
- Construction
- Demolition
- Platform
- Projectile
- Stacking
- Other
Though these games aren’t complex science games, they still require a basic knowledge of concepts such as gravity and force. Each of these games is free and can be easily (and legally) embedded into any blog or website.
Why I Like This Site
The games on www.physicsgames.net can be used to teach the fundamental concepts of Physics in a fun and engaging way. It is also a wonderful resource for problem solving activities to be used in training sessions. Another very important factor is that these games do not require ‘Knowledge’ of the laws of physics. The games are well designed and most games make use of the ‘scaffolding’ technique. The skills required to play the games are built steadily from one level to the next, leading to a gradual progression of problem solving skills being required.
Games To Check Out
My personal favorite is a game called Cargo Bridge, where you are required to design a bridge that will allow you to safely move your cargo from one side to the other. You have a limited amount of money to build each bridge.
| Game | Category | Description | |
| 1 | Pumpkin Remover | Block Removal Games | Get rid of the rotten pumpkins while keeping the good ones on the screen. |
| 2 | Cargo Bridge | Construction Games | Design a bridge that will allow you to safely move your cargo from one side to the other. |
| 3 | Fantastic Contraption | Construction Games | Create crazy contraptions with wheels and rods to guide the pink object to the pink area. |
| 4 | Demolition City | Demolition Games | Place dynamite on the concrete pieces to reduce each building to a pile of rubble. |
| 5 | Home Sheep Home | Platform Games | Switch between three different sized sheep and interact with the physics-based environment as you try to guide them to the signpost. |
| 6 | Contrast Cannon | Projectile Games | The screen is divided into two sections; black and white. Each section has numbered targets, which you must hit with balls that have the same number. |
| 7 | Perfect Balance | Stacking Games | A physics-based stacking game. Balance shapes in 80 increasingly difficult levels. |
| 8 | Physics Invader | Other Games | Space Invaders clone with real physics! Shoot down alien ships and push their wreckage off of the stage. |
Go ahead; check out the games on this website. They may seem childish but have tremendous potential in terms of ideas for some mind-blowing simulation projects.
