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Engineering Video Games

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We live in such a busy world, sometimes it’s hard to take time for ourselves. But, everyone needs downtime and that’s a fact. We need to take time to relieve the stress of everyday and recharge. Some people listen to music, watch movies and even play video games. Video games are a great way to spend your spare time because they can be lots of fun while stimulating your mind. As creatives and academics, it’s a good idea to find new ways to exercise our brains. Here is a list of video games that you have to check out!

1. Space Engineers (PC)

This game’s connection to engineering should be obvious given its name and all. The best part about Space Engineers is that you can still learn more about your interests while escaping from the everyday. Space Engineers gives players an immersive experience in the galaxy, in which you get to get to do things like build spaceships and space stations. Space Engineers is a survival-based game, which is very fast pace making for a competitive and exciting experience. This game is available on Steam for purchase and download. Make sure to check this one out next time your bored in front of your computer screen!

2. Don’t Starve (Multi-platform)

Don’t Starve is another nail-biting survival game, that is perfect for anyone who is in dire need of a wild adventure. In this multi-platform game, you are playing as Wilson, a scientist who finds himself in a dark world full of terrible twists and turns. Your goal is simple: survive and most important don’t starve! Throughout the day you can find food, collect materials and even craft different tools you can use during the night. The night is when various monsters and creatures appear all looking for something to eat. This game is great because it really builds your problem solving and strategy skills, along with the appropriate amount of whimsy.

3. Civilization (Multi-platform)

Civilization (Civ) is great for anyone interested in civil engineering, or anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to a rule an entire civilization. The graphics in this game do not disappoint, giving players a completely beautiful experience. Players pick a civilization to rule and lead their people through history, right into the future. The goal of this game is to have the best civilization possible, this involves making various decisions around things like military, architecture and agriculture. You can win the game in many ways including; diplomacy, exploration and economic growth. Civ is sure to be tons of fun while still teaching you something about how the world works.

4. Spacechem (Multi-platform)

Calling all chemical engineers and enthusiasts alike! Spacechem is a puzzle-based game that tasks players to take raw materials and build them into chemicals. Players take on the role of rector engineer that works for Spacehem, who must build various gadgets. This is sure to keep you engaged, with the different levels of difficulty. Spachem is great for anyone who wants to learn something new and has no problem thinking outside of the box. Your chemistry skills will come in handy but don’t worry, the game is full of helpful tips that will guide you along the way. This game’s difficulty is sure to keep anyone engaged, and will lead to a great deal of celebration upon solving each task.

5. Elite: Dangerous

In need of an escape from the normalities of every day? Well Elite: Dangerous is perfect for you! This game is an open-ended (sandbox like) game that takes players on a journey through space. You can fly anywhere in the galaxy, mine asteroids and upgrade your spaceship. Elite: Dangerous also gives players a detailed map of the milky way galaxy, that they are free to explore and interact with. If you are looking for a more interactive game, Elite: Dangerous has got you covered with the ability to play both single-player and multiplayer. So next time you look up to the stars and crave some intergalactic fun, log onto to Elite: Dangerous.

There you have it, your latest cure to boredom! These games are sure to get you hooked and keep you entertained. Who knew STEM could be this fun? 

Musical Engineers

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Engineering is full of creativity! Though sometimes it’s easy to forget that when you only focus on STEM. There are new advances in creative fields all the time because of the hard work of engineers. The tech company Teenage Engineering is a perfect example of where creativity and engineering collide.  

Teenage Engineering are famous for their unique and design-forward synthesizers.

For anyone that doesn’t know, synthesizers are an electronic musical instrument that takes audio signals and converts them into sound. Synthesizers are also known for being able to generate/copy virtually any sound. The term “synthesize” means to make something new, and in this case, that is often done by putting old pieces together. Not only is this a place for musicians to buy instruments, but they recently launched their own record company under the name Teenage Engineering Records. 

This record label has two rules for musicians who want to have their music released. 

  1. It has to be a good song (who would’ve thought?)
  2. The song must use at least one Teenage Engineering instrument

The first release for this new record company came from a Swedish artist named Buster. The song was called “You’re in Love With Your Hair”, this artist is a newcomer in the music industry. One of Teenage Engineers Record’s goals is to shine a light on emerging talent. It will be exciting to see the new unique music that will be released because of labels like Teenage Engineers Records. 

The amount of opportunities for tech-savvy enthusiasts and musicians alike is growing, with additions like Teenage Engineering Records to the industry. Next time you think of engineering maybe it will be while listening to Buster’s new song on Spotify- give it a listen! 

5 Games to Flex your Engineering Brain

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1. Mouse Trap

To win this game you take turns to build the trap and then try to spring it on your opponent’s mouse without yours getting caught! Problem solving and innovation is the key to being an engineer, and this will test your strengths in both!

2. Jenga

Jenga is a game of careful movements and calculations. Every civil engineer knows that to build the tallest structures, you need the strongest foundation. Test your tower by pulling blocks out until it can no longer stand and then build it back up to topple again!

3. Sudoku

Practice your math and logic skills with a game of Sudoku. Each line needs to contain the numbers 1-9, both vertically and horizontally, and no number can be repeated in a line. Math and engineering are partners in crime, and this is one game that will strengthen our skills in both.

4. Tetris

Tetris began as a classic video game but over time has been adapted into a board version! Fitting together different shaped boxes helps with concentration and organization, which mechanical engineers especially appreciate.

5. Operation

For all the biomedical engineers out there, Operation is the game for you! Practice your steady hand-eye coordination (and client relations!) by pulling out different pieces from your patient. Electrical engineers will also love this game, as the game contains a circuit to make the buzzing noise.

5 Engineering Picture Books – That Place Young Girls at the Center of STEM

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A great way to get girls excited about STEM is through storytelling. In the past few years, there has been an upsurge in amazing picture books that star female protagonists who delve into the world of Science and discovery. Traditionally books about robots, space, machinery, and science experiments have always focused on boys and science as a male subject. This is why seeing female faces at the center of these books has such an important and positive impact- it sends the message that STEM is for everyone. Check out the list below for 5 picture books that showcase science-loving girls and women who love to wonder, push boundaries, try, fail, and try again, all in the name of science.

Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Recommended Age: 4 – 9

Young Ada has a boundless imagination and has always been hopelessly curious. Why are there pointy things stuck to a rose? Why are there hairs growing inside your nose? When her house fills with a horrific, toe-curling smell, Ada knows it’s up to her to find the source. Not afraid of failure, she embarks on a fact-finding mission and conducts scientific experiments, all in the name of discovery. But, this time, her experiments lead to even more stink and get her into trouble! Beaty, who also wrote the book Rosie Revere, Engineer, reinforces the importance of curiosity, perseverance and celebrates life long learning.  http://abramsbooks.com/adatwist/

 

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires 

Recommended Age: 4 – 9 (but even adults can benefit from this book!)

This is a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. “She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. The girl doesn’t just “make” her magnificent thing — she “tinkers and hammers and measures,” she “smoothes and wrenches and fiddles,” she “twists and tweaks and fastens.” These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. https://amzn.to/2Ol0imv

 

11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill

Recommended Age: 4 – 8

Is it possible to eat snowballs doused in ketchup—and nothing else—all winter? Can a washing machine wash dishes? By reading the step-by-step instructions, kids can discover the answers to such all-important questions along with the book’s curious narrator.

Here are 12 “hypotheses,” as well as lists of “what you need,” “what to do,” and “what happened” that are sure to make young readers laugh out loud as they learn how to conduct science experiments (really!). https://amzn.to/2OpbyhI

 

Mae Among the Stars by Stasia Burrington

Recommended Age: 4 – 8

When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by
billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering. She wanted to be an astronaut. Her mom told her, “If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.” Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents’ encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space. This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination. https://amzn.to/2P4PPZd

 

The Dinosaur Expert / by Margaret McNamara

Recommended Age: 4 – 8

Mr. Tiffin and his students are back in another picture book, and this time the focus is on dinosaur-loving Kimmy. During a field trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to share what she knows about the Stegosaurus and the Archaeopteryx and even the ginormous Titanosaurus. That changes when one of her classmates questions whether girls can be paleontologists. Kimmy starts to feel shy. What if they can’t? What if no one wants to hear what she has to say? It will take some help from Mr. Tiffin–and from a famous scientist–for Kimmy to find her voice again.
Join Mr. Tiffin’s class as they learn about dinosaurs big and small, feathered and scaly, winged and ocean-dwelling. And root for Kimmy, the dinosaur expert . . . who might just learn something about herself. https://amzn.to/2O0uK64

Top 6 Engineering Television Series

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1. Westworld

Rated: 18+

Westworld is a series remake of an old film by the same title. It’s set in the future, where humans have perfected androids, called Hosts, that look and feel like humans, who reside in a theme park entirely designed by the engineers. However, the Hosts may not be as perfectly programmed as some have thought, and start to remember things that they were never meant to know. This show is high concept and rated 18+, so this is definitely for more mature audiences. However it is brilliant in every way, and not only makes you think about the future of engineering, but also what it means to be human.

 

2. Genius

Rated: 14+

Season 1 of this anthology period drama begins with Albert Einstein in his early years and follows him all the way through to his discovery of the theory of relativity. This is an informative and emotional look at the human behind the genius and uses the science to build a story of a man revered by the world. While season 2 is now focusing on artist Pablo Picasso, this is still a worthwhile binge-watch for engineers alike.

 

3. Mr Robot

Rated: 18+

Chilling and mysterious, Mr Robot is probably the most accurate fictional show on this list. The show’s first season follows Elliot, played by Rami Malek, a socially awkward and paranoid computer programmer who hacks the people he loves to dispose of the toxic people in their life. When E-Corp, the company that Elliot provides computer security forgets hacked, he finds a message in the code meant for only him. From there he embarks on a mission to find out who these people are, and how to get involved in potentially the biggest cyber-attack the world will ever know. This show is complicated and thrilling with twists that will blow your mind. The code shown on screen is all feasible code that actually works when put into practice, and the show has been praised for being hyper-real when it comes to the language and tactics used by the programmers and computer engineers.

 

4. Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

Rated: PG

This docudrama miniseries from the BBC is famous for showing dramatized versions of the construction of various well-known structures around the world. It features the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal, the Bellrock Lighthouse and other massive feats of engineering greatness. This is a fun way to learn some history and inspire yourself for your future of designing the next seven wonders of the industrial world.

 

5. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Rated: G

This documentary series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson is a modern follow-up to the 1980’s series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, originally on PBS and hosted by Carl Sagan. This show aims to bring STEM back to broadcast television and covers scientific concepts from space travel to advanced astrophysics in an easily digestible way. While this follow-up series has concluded, it was announced last January that they will continue with Comos: Possible Worlds in 2019.

 

6. Prison Break

Rated: 14+

Prison Break is a series about a man who gets wrongfully imprisoned and his structural engineer brother Michael who helps him escape. Action-packed, smart and exciting, this show proves that engineering isn’t just about sitting at a desk all day. Putting his engineering skills into practice, Michael successfully helps his brother escape prison, and they both have to deal with the aftermath in subsequent seasons.

Honorable Mention:

The 100

Rated: 14+

This show is not part of the original list because it is more concerned with drama than engineering, however, one character of this show is notable. Her name is Raven Reyes, a 20-something mechanic turned engineer, and the only one left in the universe. She is a strong and resourceful woman of colour who manages to work with her disability that she receives while trying to save her friends. She is a genius, often the only person up to the job regarding any mechanics, programming or explosives, and is instrumental to every character’s survival. Way to go Raven!