Educational Videogames are not fun! – at least that’s what your kids will tell you. If you are honest, you must agree. The situation might have improved slightly, thanks to Nintendo’s Brain age and Brain Academy (and all the rip-offs that were to follow). Recently Ubi Soft even announced plans to publish educational games for the Wii. The classic “Edutainment” companies like Leapfrog and V-tech are still around and continue to offer the most sophisticated learning experience, but these games come at the expense of “fun”. What’s so difficult about making a game that is fun and educational, you may ask?
In our opinion, the first step should be to put “fun” first. Notice that the word “Edu-tainment” focuses on “Education” first… Let’s change this to “Enter-ucation”. Second, let’s put the learning part into context – Sponge Bob jumping over numbers is not going to cut it here. A great example is Microsofts/BlueVang “Zoo Tycoon 2”. Kids can learn about animals while building a Zoo – also the game is not perfect, but it is definitely a step in the right direction! On the other hand it’s a shame to see games like Activision’s Seaworld “Shamu Deep Sea Adventure” which has an Orca feeding on Grill (Orcas are toothed whales, only Baleen whales feed on Grill) which shows how ignorant many of today’s developers and publishers still are.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) “Food-Force” game still remains one of the best examples of how to provide educational information in form of an action packed entertainment experience. Food Force was developed for only $250,000, compared to Microsofts Gears of War for $10 Million – given this is not a fair comparison, but just imagine the impact a small budget Food Force game has – and what impact it could have with a couple more $$$.
BBC’s “Climate Challenge” is the latest educational game to make international headlines. This game may not be action packed, or feature great graphics, but it’s very unique “card-game” style offers a compelling learning and playing experience. Climate Challenge is designed for teens and adults.
Check it out!
By Thomas and Cola