Bible ABCs for Kids

UPDATE: Bible ABCs for Kids FREE has been released for Android and iPhone/iPad!

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-abcs-for-kids-free/id892976626?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.salvationsstory.bibleabcfree

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Hey hey!

I've been working on Bible ABCs for Kids for the last 3 months or so. It's all in Unity and 99% of it is programmed in Playmaker. I did get some help on the letter tracing technique. Anyways, Unity has been fantastic. I love the new animation/sprite tools of Unity 4.3. It's amazing that Unity can provide so many great tools, and I'm totally impressed with Playmaker. Prior to this I only had the programming knowledge to barely make a website in Flash.

Here's a video of Bible ABCs for Kids in action:

And here's a couple screenshots:



And if you guys want to try out the Beta with only the capital 'A' working, check out: EDIT: Updated beta with all the character art!Bible ABCs for Kids BETA

And you can always check out the website: http://www.BibleABCsforKids.com

Take care, and let me know what you think!
Joel

 

Looks pretty good...though not like the eastern Mediterranean coastal area. The two grey stones in your pictures, are they supposed to be the Ten Commandments? They look out of place with Adam. I'm not an expert on the Bible but people will notice that. If I were you, I'd visit a Christian Bookstore and get their opinion. There are quite a few.

I'm not sure if an alphabet teaching program is enough but there are a number of home schoolers that might like this. You should look at the home schooling requirements for, say, California, and proceed to develop a curriculum. There is nothing to prevent a home schooler from learning with such programs but I believe using the characters in a government classroom would be forbidden so maybe you what to set a configuration for interchanging characters although that's almost like writing the game twice.

 

Thanks, goat!

The stones will be buttons. The one on the left will bring you back to the Alphabet letter selection page, and the second one (yet to be implemented) will be a 'next letter' button to easily skip the current letter.

I'm hoping there's a large market for it out there. I feel the Christian market is heavily underserved when it comes to quality apps. Hopefully this'll get a foothold! From this I can go further into teaching kids how to read.

I'd also certainly be interested in adapting this game into other edutainment themes. Kids learning is always a good thing!

 

Just wanted to give an update! I think I'll be submitting to Apple next week. I'm pretty pumped about it, but also quite nervous. For the most part, it's running quite stable on my iPad mini (1st gen). Still trying to squish a few bugs. That being said...

Here's the latest demo of it! All the letters from A to Z!

Let me know what you guys like, what you'd like to see, and if you come across any horrible bugs!
Joel

 

Minus the issues I have with indoctrination before an age of reason and the morality of drenching children in the biblical tales using content so nicely tailored for that particular task... you did a good job. Take that how you will.

 

Very nice interface -
I like the enforcement by drawing through the letters.

One note - often I dragged the pointer star through the shape stars to the end - but it never 'completed'...I would have to nudge it little to get it to accept my letter. Might want to loosen up the 'completion' detection a bit (or give a little extra room at the end of the last star)

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I certainly appreciate the time you guys took to check out my game!

That's a good note on the completion percentage of a line. I should tweak it. I've noticed a few people play it, swipe the line, and wait for the transition to the next line (that's not coming). I do have a tutorial voice and guide that comes on if the star remains at >90% for 5 seconds saying "Almost there! Move the star to the end of the path!". But that's a bandaid solution. I think I should adjust the end points.

Thanks!
Joel

 

Uh, in contrast to being indoctrinated in mindless gun play and gore that's much more prevalent but approved because it makes no moral judgments? How liberating is that once you've been shot up like Bonnie Clyde? Don't blame the clear morals taught by such works with leadership's and individuals decision to ignore those morals.

 

Probably would be a good ideal as most people begin to pull away at the completion of a stroke.

Is the formation according to the way they teach to print now? Some of them are different from how I'd print but then I may have changed what I was taught or they may have changed the way they are formed since then, a very long time ago.

The game play, the art, and the music is good enough to want to see the next letter in my opinion so I can imagine a child wanting to learn to write would enjoy the game.

One thing I didn't like was the capital letters being separated from the lower case litters...I'd of gone through the alphabet A,a,B,b and so on but it's a better aid to learn the alphabet I suppose to go through upper case, lower case, upper case, lower case.

I think you should use impersonal nouns with the lower case letters as this is a teaching tool and should override your desire to use biblical characters to illustrate usage of letters. You can always use a queue or a random selection to vary with character or impersonal noun is chosen to represent a letter.

Also home schooling, and I've known quite a few, isn't always Christians. Some parents need to home school or home school because they feel school conditions are unacceptable so you should allow a 'theme' to be chosen to illustrate the letters but definitely keep the various themes civil.

A bit of a rewording but an application to meet their Department of Education needs first is most important. You can still include the Biblical characters as a choice and include as meta search tag too.

I would make 3 - 5 sets of themes and keep them civil enough so that the inclusion of one theme is not offensive to those that choose other themes in case they are curious which most people are. No sense inciting immature behavior as the politicians and others do.

You app will be successful if it teaches the alphabet and more than Christians need help with that.

 

Hah. That was a cute way to drag this into a discussion about violence in video games instead of counter-pointing me. Anyway, I don't want to drag this thread into that argument with you but you're welcome to PM me and we can have some proper civil discourse if you like.

 

Eh, asking "Almost there! Just move the star to the end!" might be a big ask for someone learning their ABC's heh. You might be better off just rubberbanding it after it gets to 90% and go to the next one if its idle too long

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

The formation of the letters is how they currently teach it! I know. Crazy, right? I've had a whole lot of friends who have said, "Wait... THAT'S how you draw an 'M'!?!" Bizarre, but we're learning something new everyday!

I'm glad the gameplay/art/music was solid enough to keep you going! My biggest thing is for kids to not get bored. If I can keep adults entertained with an ABCs app, I must be doing something right!

My choice to cycle through the upper and lower cases was mainly from an art resources concern. I didn't want the child to do 'A' is for 'Adam' twice in a row. And I certainly didn't want to double the art needed for this app! Also, learning the alphabet is huge, and I didn't want to confuse any kids with AaBbCc....

Using impersonal nouns for lower case makes sense. Though I think I'll be saving that for Bible Grammar for Kids. Just waaaay too much art involved. I admit, it did feel odd to spell 'god' with a lower 'g'.

Home schooling is certainly an audience for this, but I'm more focused on Sunday School and Christian moms. Hopefully they're using this app prior to Kindergarten.

More themes seems like a natural followup now that I have the foundation. I'll see where I want to go with this, but I'm thinking I'll be approaching educational companies who are looking for an app, but personally I really want to serve the Christian audience.

 

He was nicer than you deserved. What you did was incredibly poor form. While I may agree with, I have the good sense to not use a game forum, wherein people ask for help, as a place to make a political statement.

 

You fail again. Dragging is a belittling term meant to distract others from the fact you attacked using this game to teach children based on religion.

Ignoring the obvious that you did attack this game based on religion and the motive of people that would use this game to teach their children isn't clever. To contrast it with the violence that is American culture both as entertainment and far too much in real live was the correct way to show the problem these children face isn't religion or learning their ABCs it is violence, selfishness, and disrespectful behavior towards them by those that think they are 'superior' whether they profess to be religious or not.

There are libraries full of laws and entire professions founded to handle the sad results of such behavior.

 

(this is now addressed to everyone *except* the author I guess)

Keep on reading what you want to read. I made game criticism part of each of my replies that were in reply to the original author.

Go get victimized somewhere else.

I haven't said a word about violence in video games anywhere on these forums and you seem to keep using that as your argumentative pivot and you're horribly mistaken for doing so.

If someone were to post a blatantly violent video game that showed the beating and assault of children and I found that morally apprehensive (and I do) then I would make the same comments - even if it came in the form of an ABC Learning Book that was somehow marketed to children below an age where they were mentally capable of comprehending what they were absorbing.

I asked you to PM me to continue this if you wished, and here you are. I'm done.

 

You made some worthwhile commentary that was on-topic. Then you ruined it with your little "indoctrinating kids" rant. I can't believe you just equated a kids' Bible tutorial to beating and assaulting children. What the heck is wrong with you? Take that crap someplace else.

 

Indoctrinating kids with Bible stories? You're a funny person. Parents are allowed to teach their kids what they wish. If they want to teach the Bible, you are in no position to tell them otherwise.

To the Original Poster:
Looks like a pretty cool game. I like the overall visual style. Good Job!

 

Did he equate them? I read the post a few times over and see a hypothetical but no equating.

 

Said mindless gore makes it clear it's fiction - religion, specifically Christianity says it's all true and you'll be tortured for eternity if you don't obey. How is this moral?

 

Well do you know that or is that one interpretation you make that convenient to your argument Christianity is evil and abusive?

Idi Amin Christian? Adolf Hitler? Joan of Arc? Ayatollah Khomeini? Genghis Khan? Past Emperors of China, Japan, India, or so many other places that blow the lid off the attempt to blame Christians for the world's troubles it's very telling what type of 'mass media' you consume and how out of touch with the truth you are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uganda_(1971–79)

I'd say it's your interpretation of Christianity that's evil and abusive. Had you power you might be dangerous to Christians.

The interpretation I've always heard of Christianity is to help and not hurt others in this life. Really, it's that simple.

Besides, who knows what type of life god(s) really live. Certainly not I.

Or to put it another way: I might vote for the OP regardless of religion or lack of it for political office I would not vote for you, 'duke'

 

Goat, you are absolutely right. +1 to your post.

 

The Bible is very clear on many things that leave no room for interpretation. The kind of "soft" Christianity (or any religion really) that picks and chooses what to follow from their chosen text are either dishonest or wilfully ignorant.

 

All religions make that claim, topkek.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

 

Cute app!

 

Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled

Ezekial 23: 19-21

 

More people have been killed in the name of making the world a better place than from any other cause. Lots of people want to make the world a better place: the kind of better place that they can control.

 

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to make an update and say that Bible ABCs for Kids has been RELEASED! Thank you Unity for making such an awesome tool, and thanks to the community for the response and encouragement! I hope you guys enjoy this game!

Download here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-abcs-for-kids/id817067908?mt=8

 

Hey hey! A free version of Bible ABCs for Kids has just been released! Feel free to check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Download Bible ABCs for Kids FREE:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-abcs-for-kids-free/id892976626?mt=8

 

I LOVE THE IDEA Gods Word PLUS ABC's

 

The combination of learning ABC and the bible is awesome
I really enjoyed checking it, great work!

 

UPDATE: Bible ABCs for Kids FREE has been released for Android and iPhone/iPad!

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-abcs-for-kids-free/id892976626?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.salvationsstory.bibleabcfree

 

The guy in the icon is totally Ray Comfort.

 

I was legitimately looking for a flattering/good caricature of Ray to compare... I couldn't find one.

 

Hahahahahahahaha! Oh man, that's amazing!!!!