Review: Tektoma
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One of my favorite things about reviewing Tektoma was that I was able to turn this review over almost entirely to Brianna. What is Tektoma, you wonder? I’d never heard of it either. Tektoma is an online, self-paced video-game-building tutorial. It walks students, step-by-step through creating their own video games.
I was very surprised at how anxious Brianna was to try it out. She hogged my laptop for several hours working on her first game (which was only supposed to take an hour or so, but that’s okay. She was having fun and I was actually forced to do some housework.)
There were a couple of times that I had to step in to help and we even had to call Dad in for one part that was kind of confusing, but, for the most part, she was able to follow the tutorials and work on her own. (She’s 14; I’d guess that younger kids would need a parent’s help unless they’re really computer savvy.)
Although she was a little bit disappointed in the final result — she was expecting World of Warcraft (which, for the record, we have never played, but it seems everyone knows what it is) and she got something more along the lines of a 64-bit Nintendo — she still really enjoyed the process and declared that she wants to design and create video games. I thought that was pretty cool since she’s never expressed any interest in career choice before. Sure, being a video game designer is a long shot, but somebody’s got to do it, right?
From Tektoma’s website, they offer:
- Engaging video tutorials for ages 7-17
- Tutorials of varying skill levels and topics
- Learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home
- Natural progression helps develop technical skills
- Customize your learning experience
- Low monthly membership fee gives access to all our resources
- New curriculums available monthly
For $14.95 per month or $140 per year, you get access to Tektoma’s complete tutorial library, their member’s only forum, and their file sharing where you can play games created by other users. Tektoma runs only on PCs running Windows XP or Vista. A Mac version is coming soon. It requires a broadband Internet connection and you must download free GameMaker software to create the games.
Tektoma offers a free 14-day trial, so, if it sounds like something that might bring out the computer geek in your kids, be sure to give it a try.
I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.