Free Rice

“Want to study for the GRE and feed the hungry at the same time? Thanks to the United Nations’ new website Free Rice, you can.The website is part of the organization’s World Food Program and asks participants to play a simple vocabulary definition game. For every word correctly defined, 20 grains of rice are donated to theWFP by one of the website’s advertising sponsors. The sponsor’s ads are displayed at the bottom of the page and alternate with each new word. That’s it- no sign ups, no strings, just free vocabulary practice and a warm-fuzzy feeling of goodness all in one website.Since the site’s Oct. 7 launch, nearly 8 billion grains of rice have been donated. According to a Truman State University article those connected to Free Rice attribute much of its growth to social networking websites (over 100 Facebook groups have been created in honor of the website) and other word of mouth facets that is the blogosphere. The Free Rice vocabulary game has a difficuly levels ranging from one to 50 that adjust automatically to a player’s answers.”

DEVELOPER/DESIGNER: John Breen

YEAR: 2007

INFO: Online, free

PLAY: http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1533

(Source: utownblog.wordpress.com)