Build-A-Bird
Encyclopedia
Build-A-Bird was educational software for the Unisys ICON
II public school computer. It may have appeared on the ICON I or Unisys ICON III.
. Gameplay revolved around creating a bird by choosing from a selection of different body parts such as stork-like legs, short legs adapted to alighting on various natural surfaces, or predatory talons. Beak type and wing type were also among the changeable body part selections in Build-A-Bird. Upon selecting your preferred, various body part types the game would provide one or several real life birds that fit your selections. What happened next in the game involved educational material about your bird's range and habitat. The visual representations of the birds, their body parts and the bird habitats were in colour and vivid for the time but lacked animation.
Unisys ICON
The ICON was a computer built specifically for use in schools, to fill a standard created by the Ontario Ministry of Education. They were widely used, mostly in high schools in the mid- to late 1980s, but disappeared after that time with the widespread introduction of PCs and Apple Macintoshes...
II public school computer. It may have appeared on the ICON I or Unisys ICON III.
Overview
Build-A-Bird was designed and developed by Ergonomics Lab, University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. Gameplay revolved around creating a bird by choosing from a selection of different body parts such as stork-like legs, short legs adapted to alighting on various natural surfaces, or predatory talons. Beak type and wing type were also among the changeable body part selections in Build-A-Bird. Upon selecting your preferred, various body part types the game would provide one or several real life birds that fit your selections. What happened next in the game involved educational material about your bird's range and habitat. The visual representations of the birds, their body parts and the bird habitats were in colour and vivid for the time but lacked animation.