Noggin

I went to the Noggin app to enjoy the nostalgia of what it once was. Then I found there are some glitches and errors found in the game-Coding errors for item interactions, the unexpected unnecessary “house party” of NPCs(not for one, Grace, who I make my character fall in love with). Noggin may be fun to play but it needs to work on the glitches and coding errors better. How can I enjoy this virtual world if it won’t participate?

I downloaded this app for my 7 year old niece and she now LOVES Noggin! I showed her it on my phone while she was watching tv, so at first she was a little distracted, but once she paid attention, she shut the TV off, and within 5 minutes, exclaimed “I love this game!”. Played it for another 45 minutes or so - loved the ability to change clothes, explore the town, move around other characters, and affect the facial expressions/emoticon-driven movements. Said it was “amazing”, her “new favorite game, obviously”, and “I don’t know what it is about this game, but it’s awesome). Her only issues: initially a bit hard for her to figure out what to do (like, how to “go to bakery”, that the exclamation marks meant the characters could talk), and she said repeatedly that she wanted to change her character (or be a new one), and that she had “gone everywhere in this town already”. But all around 9/10!

I’ve been a fan of the Noggin brand since it was a tv channel, and hearing that it managed to escape the chains of Nickelodeon and become an independent game app for kids is an absolute miracle in its own right. This app is exactly what modern kids need. The atmosphere is pleasant and welcoming; quiet, yet colorful. The bakery minigame I tried out is engaging and emulates the hobby in a simple (but not overly so) way for kids to get an idea of what it’s like. Using a liquidation store as a hub for clothing is a clever touch too. Once this game gains a more expansive audience and the world becomes more lively, I can absolutely see this game being a hit for education. Noggin has taken on many forms over the years, and I wish this newest iteration the best of luck :)