Gamepads and joysticks have the potential to improve spatial navigation in virtual globes, block diagrams and 2D maps. Digital school atlases, in particular, can become more engaging if support for gamepads and joysticks is added, as children and adolescents are very proficient at using these devices. The fusion of gaming devices and interactive school atlases offers interesting new use cases: teachers can control a digital wall map with a remote-control gamepad while lecturing from the front

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... the classroom, or students can explore maps on their personal computers using an enticing way to interact. This paper presents these use cases, the characteristics of the most common gaming devices, and discusses spatial navigation with gamepads and joysticks for globes, block diagrams and 2D maps. The ideas presented originated from the ongoing development of a new, interactive version of the Swiss World Atlas for schools.