Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity, and Communication

Fire and Flora fosters critical thinking by rewarding thoughtful play. In order to be successful, players must understand the relationships among game elements (Plants, Resources, Events, etc.), and understand the consequences of various possible choices. Parents and teachers can further encourage critical thinking through post-game discussion, using leading questions to challenge players to connect in-game patterns, processes, and strategies with the surrounding real-world landscapes.

Being a theme-driven game, Fire and Flora is a model of the processes and behavior of real-world ecological systems. Players are free to experiment with different strategies, and through this experimentation, they will learn about the game and about the environment. At the same time, as surprise is a fairly effective strategy, the game naturally rewards creative experiment through the simple pleasure of outwitting friends and opponents.

During the game, players may engage in a variety of different interactions, including discussion of rules and options, negotiation of trades, and friendly conspiracy. All of these interactions, both cooperative and competitive, require both critical thinking and good communication.