http://www.lxbgame.com/
The League of Extraordinary Bloggers is an app / online game produced by the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series. It is aimed at 8-12 year olds, though I think younger students can enjoy and benefit from it as well if they are assisted by an adult. The game is reminiscent of Carmen Sandiego, in that the player is a secret agent traveling to various countries on the hunt for a criminal mastermind. In order to catch him, the player must complete challenges in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. They are guided by local agents who help them solve puzzles and teach them about the culture of the country. For example, in China, one challenge involves learning to count to 10 in Chinese, while other puzzles involve looking at a map of China and finding various cities or landmarks. The player needs to visit all four countries to successfully catch the crimimal mastermind. A student might take about 30 minutes in each country. This website is good for elementary and middle school teachers to get students interested in learning about Asia. Because it is gamified, students will enjoy spending time on the website completing the challenges. The content does not go very in depth, which is why it is more suited for younger students, but it is highly interactive and fun. I think this website can be used to introduce further study of these countries, and teachers can build upon it if they wish to go deeper. There are also "blog posts" by each of the fictional local agents. Students might continue such blog posts by researching more information about the country they are "visiting." I also like that this website can easily be used by upper elementary and middle school students independently, and can even be downloaded onto devices as an app.
.