How to Play Typing Galaxy
In times past, learning to type meant tedious repetition of letters and lengthy exercises meant to give typists the ability to type by feel instead of sight. While these exercises worked, they made typing seem like a chore instead of something fun.
With the advent of computer games, typing instruction entered a whole new age. Instead of typing the same letter combinations and words over and over, typing programs allowed a nearly infinite variety of letter and word combination exercises.
Typing Galaxy is an innovative and exciting typing instruction that is a blast to play. It is a side-scrolling shooter in which the player controls a spaceship with a laser cannon mounted on the front. Whenever enemies appear, the cannon begins firing automatically. The player has the task of moving the ship up and down to both shoot enemies and dodge them and their cannon fire.
The keys required to move the ship up and down are the "home keys", with the left hand home keys moving the ship up, and right hand home keys moving the ship down. The letters required to move the ship are shown onscreen, and they change every few seconds. The changing movement keys keep a player focused on the screen, allowing them to learn to touch solely by feel.
Adding to the game fun are missiles which drift through space and can be collected by the spaceship. They inflict more damage than the laser and are activated by the space key. These missiles are helpful against the more powerful enemies, who both fire their own lasers and can take several ordinary laser shots to destroy.
These gameplay elements making practicing the home keys a ton of fun. Galaxy is one of those well-designed typing games that makes aspiring typists actually want to practice. By focusing on the home keys, Galaxy provides the fundamental positioning and feel of the home keys. This is essential for learning all other keys, as they are taught based on the fingers extending outward from the home keys.
Galaxy makes a perfect choice in school typing instruction, as the simple gameplay and the delight a student feels when improving make for speedy learning and the association of typing with something fun.
Even for those who already know how to type, Galaxy is a fun game that will only improve existing skills. Teach or learn typing with this introductory game that teaches typing basics, as well as hand-eye coordination.
