Makers of Makey Makey Will Release GameBender, a Console That Teaches Coding, in Fall 2019

Lots of librarians will tell you that Makey Makey kits are hugely popular with both kids and adults, and now the team behind the popular “Invention Kit” is moving into games with the GameBender, the first console that also teaches coding.

The GameBender console will launch this Fall (for $399), and you can view the full announcement in a new profile on School Library Journal:

Kids can now instantaneously reinvent the digital world. GameBender , the education startup from the creators of Makey Makey, today introduced a radical new gaming system that helps kids learn to code while playing and “bending” code. GameBender unleashes wild creativity during gameplay, and creates a path into coding that looks more like a party or an art class, less like homework.

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GameBender has grant funding from the National Science Foundation and a partnership with Scratch, a community of 40 million users providing access to more than one million coded projects like games, apps and DIY TV.

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Designed in bright red with a playful bananas theme, GameBender’s new system includes a state-of-the art game controller, matching console, advanced augmented reality camera, 3D glasses and easy-to-use code flash cards that help kids write their first code stacks, also known as “glitches.”

I’m sure that librarians who schedule a lot of STEM-based programs will be very interested in the GameBender console, and you can learn more about it at GameBender.com.