System and method for knowledge transfer with a game

Abstract

An educational picture game is played through responses to questions provided at points in the picture game and enhances factual assimilation and retention for the user. The user selects or generates responses to progress through the game and correct responses lead to the emergence of a picture or image, i.e. providing a visual, motivating indicator of progress towards completion. Various indications can be provided to inform the user about the correctness of responses and their extent of progress towards completing the learning activity. The indications may be completion of parts of an image, audio or visual cues, suggested reference materials or other information that tends to boost learning and assist the user in assimilating and applying facts in different knowledge domains. The user may receive a reward for providing correct responses or successfully completing the picture.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for transferring knowledge to or testing knowledge of a user with a picture game, the method comprising:
 providing a user interface showing a plurality of locations that correspond to an image;   presenting a query and a plurality of response choices associated with at least one of the locations, one of the responses being a more correct response to the query than the other responses in the plurality;   receiving a response selection from the user; and   providing to the user an outcome of the response in the form of either progress towards completion of the image, or completion of the game or a lack of progress by not adding to the completion of the image.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an architecture of the game represents a picture-completion game. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the knowledge constitutes a topic or subject or other body of related factual items. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising providing suggestive information to the user related to subject matter of the query or game location or the user's response. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the suggestive information is reference material or other resources related to the subject matter of the query. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the suggestive information is related to another location previously encountered or not yet encountered. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the picture or image is three dimensional or changes over time or both. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising representing the user as being located at a location within the image via an icon, shade of color, avatar or other visual indicator who experiences his or her location in the image using a computer interface such as virtual reality, augmented reality, brain-machine interface or other experiential technologies including wireless. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the emerging picture or image provides suggestive information pertaining to the subject matter of the query or the game location or the user's response or otherwise facilitates completion of the game. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the emerging picture maps onto a knowledge domain, topic or schedule in such fashion as to aid the users learning or progress. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sequence of queries or locations presented is predetermined or random or governed by other rules including user actions. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the user can select locations within the image and the user responses can modify the presentation of the image at one or more locations. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein one or more locations are suggested to the user or the user can revisit locations previously queried and receive a repeat query or a new query and thereby influence the picture at that location and progress in the game. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein providing the game architecture further comprises setting a game difficulty level. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein providing a game architecture further comprises: providing a game architecture template free of queries and responses associated with the locations; and permitting entry of queries and responses associated with the locations. 
     
     
         16 . A system for transferring knowledge to or testing knowledge of a user with a game through a computer user interface, the system comprising:
 a storage media for storing a game having a plurality of locations within an image;   a data structure in the storage media for storing a query and associated responses;   a processor for presenting the query and associated responses to the computer user interface in accordance with a representative location within the game;   the processor being further operable to represent a user at at least one location and accept user input through the computer user interface to indicate a response selection and select another representative location in accordance with the response selection and the game mechanism; and   the processor being further operable to display an emerging image to indicate progress towards completion of the game.   
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the game is a picture completion game. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 16 , further comprising suggestive information stored on the storage media related to the subject matter of the query or game location, the processor being operable to provide the suggestive information to the user after selection of another representative location. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the suggestive information is reference material related to the subject matter of the query or to the subject matter of the query at another location including a previously encountered location. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the processor is further operable to present a dynamic representation of the game to the computer user interface corresponding to the game architecture.