Educational video game
Educational video games, are a genre of video game where the player is expected to learn something specific being taught by the game like mathematics, typing on a keyboard, or various other subjects. Educational games have largely replaced older learning aides like flash cards and add the typical elements of video games to education like attractive art, music, and a user interface. Although often overlooked as a video game genre, the very first video games to be made, as early as the 1950s, were educational training simulators, however, they didn't become winnable "games" until the 1960s.
Because the term "educational" focuses on the intent of the game rather than a specific play mechanic, educational games run the gamut for mechanics. If you can think of a play mechanic, someone has probably written an education game for it. Likewise, pretty much every scholastic subject you can think of has an education game which focuses on it.
Personal
Although my first video game system, an Atari 2600, had very few educational games, I was also very interested in playing computer games, which had a huge assortment of educational games. I played my first educational games on the Commodore 64 in the late 1980s in elementary school, and I played many more through the early 1990s. As I entered my teens, I began to avoid them, and, despite the best attempts of adults, I rarely found them enjoyable. I remember my mother commenting on a fictional educational game, Mathman from Square One Television, and asking why they didn't makes games made like this, and responding something to the effect of, "because kids won't play them." However, as an adult, especially since I've fathered children, I've begun to appreciate educational games more. However, one thing that has always irked me about educational games is that they're usually pretty awful. The first couple play-throughs might be interesting, but they almost always quickly become a marathon of repetition.
Games
These are the educational video games that are important to me. For the complete list, see the category.
| Title | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Expeditions | 1984-??-?? | Commodore 64 port. |
| The Oregon Trail (1985) | 1985-??-?? | Apple II port. |
| The Oregon Trail (1992) | 1992-??-?? | MS-DOS port. |
| Reader Rabbit | 1987-??-?? | MS-DOS port. |
| Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher | 2013-08-20 | |
| Super Solvers: OutNumbered! | 1990-??-?? | MS-DOS port. |
| Super Solvers: Treasure Mountain! | 1990-??-?? | MS-DOS port. |
| Tri-Math | 1984-??-?? | Commodore 64 port. |
| Where in the U.S.A. Is Carmen Sandiego? | 1986-??-?? | MS-DOS port. |
| Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? | 1990-??-?? | MS-DOS port, enhanced version. |
| Writer Rabbit | 1986-??-?? | MS-DOS port. |
| The Yukon Trail | 1994-??-?? | Windows 3 port. |
Links
