A Mobile Game that Brings Skyscrapers to Kid Level

CityLab reviews the "Skyscraper" mobile app game, from Tinybop, Inc.

1 minute read

July 30, 2016, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Empire State Building Base

pisaphotography / Shutterstock

"Perhaps city dwellers could use some fresh perspective on their concrete canyons," writes Laura Bliss. By concrete crayons, Bliss refers to skyscrapers—symbols of many contradicting meanings according to the popular imagination.

Enter "Skyscrapers," reports Bliss, "an educational app designed for children, is a cutesy, digital tonic for high-rise malaise."

Bliss describes the gameplay of the app:

In a few light swipes and taps, users “create” a made-up skyscraper by adding floors and choosing the color of the facade. On the app’s sidebar, select a tiny I-beam button to play a game where adding boulders, elephants, and sailboats sinks your building deep and lopsided into its foundation. An elevator icon takes you to an interactive view of interior life—families in their kitchens, watching television, tiptoe-ing through bedrooms. 

The app is designed specifically for kids, and Bliss gives it a positive review, declaring it worth 15 minutes of adult attention as well.

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