Source: Washington Jewish Week
A new branch of G-dcast, G-dcast Entertainment, has just released a new "edutainment" game for Apple Mobile devices – Leviticus! While playing the fast-moving brightly illustrated game, the players learn much of the intricate Biblical Jewish law system for offering sacrifices in the Temple. "Leviticus!" was made with young adults in mind and the plan is to market the new game to college-age students through Hillel and Moishe Houses.
The gameplay style is simple and easy to learn but quick pattern recognition and reflexes are needed to do well. Animals or other prescribed sacrifices rise in the air and the player uses their finger as a knife to sacrifice the animal or break open the bags and jars. As the player progresses, he or she learns things like not to sacrifice sick animals, that two doves equals one cow, that flour and oil have to be sacrificed together and other key bits from the Torah's rules and regulations.
Making the Torah interesting for school-age children has been the goal of San Francisco-based production company G-dcast since the non-profit first formed in 2008. Using fun, animated videos to talk about individual Torah portions, the producers seek to enlighten Jewish students even while entertaining them. Currently G-dcast's library includes over 75 videos and has been viewed more than a million times online. That success is what spurred the creation of G-dcast Entertainment. Aided by grant money, the new branch of the company will focus on games and interactive entertainment.
Leviticus! Is currently available at the Apple App Store.
See another article on Leviticus! in Tablet Magazine.