Cut the Rope
Contributed by: Nannette Vliet, Temple University
Description: Cut the Rope is an application that challenges the user to cut ropes (via a finger swipe), collect stars, and avoid obstacles to deliver candy to a very cute, yet ever-hungry, little monster (called Om Nom). The candy hangs from a rope or web of ropes. When the rope is cut the candy falls. The movement of the candy is further manipulated by the obstacles it encounters in the fall (bubbles, rockets, air cushions, spikes). The goal is to collect stars as the candy moves through the game screen and ultimately get the candy to Om Nom. A score is given when Om Nom gets the candy and is based on the number of stars collected and the amount of time it took the user to get the candy to Om Nom.
Intervention Application:
| Cognitive Functioning | Physical Functioning | Psychological Functioning |
| ◘ sustained attention◘ cause and effect
◘ problem solving ◘ decision making/strategy ◘ planning, logic,& reasoning ◘ sequencing |
◘ hand-eye coordination◘ fine motor control
◘ speed/reaction time
|
◘ expression of emotions in response to success (competence) or failure (frustration) |
The game is full of physic sensitive properties effecting the movement of the candy (e.g., speed, timing, frequency) and challenges the user to utilize problem solving, logic, and sequencing skills to get the desired results (e.g., cutting the rope faster, cutting the rope at a different time, cutting the ropes in a particular sequence, popping the bubble when it is higher on the screen so that is falls faster, etc).
This application is very user friendly and includes simple written directions at the beginning of the game (e.g., “slide your finger to cut the rope”, “Deliver candy to Om Nom”) and provides helpful hints when new objects are introduced (e.g., “Tap the air cushion to blow the objects”).
The user has a choice in which level of difficulty to attempt…with each increase in level comes an increase in difficulty. The trial version (Cute the Rope Lite) includes 2 boxes each containing 9 levels…the full version contains 10 boxes with 25 levels in each box (250 levels in all). At the time of this writing, the full version was available for .99 cents. The app also comes in different themed versions.
Temple University: iPads in Therapeutic Recreation 