Escape-Kit.com met Mr. Paul L., pedo-psychologist, to talk about the new popularity of printing games and to gather his thoughts on the Escape Kits.
Escape kit: Where does the concept of printable games come from?
Paul L.: It is important to understand that before the era of industry, children often built their games with very simple materials, earth, stones, cardboard, paper, pieces of wood.
Everyone has memories of hopscotch or spears. The arrival of printing has radically changed things with the development of the children’s press, where printing games have become a selling point.
But, basically, the child is still involved in the construction of his game. Making the game was part of the player’s overall experience. I do my best to print well, follow the instructions and, in the end, as a reward, I play.
The quality of the execution determines the quality of the game. All the qualities as precision, applications… are required and intelligently stimulate the child.
Escape Kit : Has the success of the games to be printed remained constant over time?
PL: Unfortunately not. The arrival of video games and the development of the game industry has extinguished the demand for printing games.
For an industrial company, the earning potential is higher on a sophisticated electronic toy or video game than on printed cardboard. Children have lost a lot of agility and the ability to achieve multidimensionally.
Escape Kit : Can we talk about a comeback of the printed games ?
PL: Things are indeed changing rapidly. Parents, educators, teachers have seen how much building games, objects, can also build a child.
For example, in recent years, we have seen the return of the Legos under the Christmas tree. It may also be the result of ecological awareness. A sheet of cardboard or paper to be printed has less impact on the environment than an electronic toy made of plastic and powered by batteries…
Escape Kit : What do you think of the Escape Kits?
PL: I discovered this concept of the Escape Kit (House Escape Rooms)very recently and I am a big fan.
Not only does the game progress involve everything the child needs: intelligence, sharing, respect for a time of play… but the dimension of cutting, gluing, playing with papers in the puzzles restores the positive dimension of construction that we mentioned earlier.
It is an educational tool that should be offered in all schools and daycare centers everuwhere in the world and also used at home with the family.
