Age of Learning Announces Adventure Academy, a Massive Multiplayer Online Game

When most hear about massive multiplayer games for K-8 learners, one might jump to popular examples from Fortnite to Club Penguin. Age of Learning, however, believes there’s an appetite for an educational alternative. On April 9, the company announced the launch of Adventure Academy, which will go live on May 1st. 

Adventure Academy Launches on May 1

Each player assumes a character in Adventure Academy and can roam its virtual world, which will continue to expand. Players will have the opportunity to access learning activities in hundreds of topics, unlock new zones, and interact with others players. 

The game was developed by a team of “experts with hundreds of years of combined classroom and curriculum development experience,” according to a press release. 

The team includes Kevin Beardslee, one of the creators of World of Warcraft, along with Alex Galvagni, who served as the General Manager of video game studio Turbine (which is now called WB Games Boston). The studio was responsible for titles like Lord of the Rings Online, and Batman: Arkham Underworld. 

The game will be available for computer, tablet, or mobile device on the Apple App Store and Google Play. An annual subscription will cost “less than $5 per month,” according to the release, or $9.99 on a month-to-month basis. 

“Our sole focus at Age of Learning is to help children build a strong foundation for academic success,” said Doug Dohring, founder and CEO of Age of Learning, according to the release. “Our outstanding team has executed on this mission for many years, developing highly engaging and effective educational programs that early learners enjoy, and families and teachers trust. Adventure Academyallows us to now meet parents’ demands to bring learning to life for older students during the critical elementary and middle school years.”

Why Age of Learning Built a Massive Multiplayer Educational Game

With Adventure Academy, Age of Learning seeks to address some of the widest gaps in education attainment among elementary- and middle school-age learners. It heavily features areas identified by the National Assessment of Educational Progress as high-need and seeks to increase proficiency in 3rd- and 6th-grade level reading, math, and science. Over time, Age of Learning plans to add more and more educational content. 

“Too many of our students struggle in elementary school and beyond because of gaps in their understanding of key academic knowledge and skills,” said Kimberly Oliver Burnim, a National Teacher of the Year and Age of Learning Curriculum Board Member, in a statement. “There’s never been an educational program like Adventure Academy, which can engage elementary and middle school students so fully and help them grasp challenging concepts so effectively. It’s a revolutionary resource for families.”

“It’s amazing to hear my son talk about what he learned in the game and connect it to everyday experiences,” said Sally Bjorklund, whose son was one of the early adopters of Adventure Academy. “We recently visited a science museum and one of his favorite exhibits was a pulley system that looked identical to the one in Adventure Academy. He was so excited to show us how it worked! Having this tool has been invaluable for our family.”

Age of Learning saw huge success with their early literacy software ABCMouse, which has been used by over 20 million young learners to date and has been the subject of numerous academic studies. 

Media courtesy of Age of Learning.

Photo by Marc Szeglat on Unsplash