Edutainment (also educational entertainment or entertainment-education) is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse. Edutainment typically seeks to instruct its audience by embedding lessons in some familiar form of entertainment such as video games or computer games.
Much has been written about (self-proclaimed) Edutainment games with little or no educational value that are just pure game (and usually not very good ones). Or alternatively, the ‘game’ part is really grim and hopeless, reinforcing the child’s perceptions that learning is boring. Edutainment Toy and Game makers Leapfrog and Vtech tried their best to keep the genre alive but it was Nintendo’s Brain Age for the Handheld ‘DS’ who brought Edutainment back into spotlight. The success of Brain Age inspired several spin-offs, but none with a budget big enough to make an impact.
This is about to change…
Ubisoft announced the “My Coach” series.
The games will allow players to improve themselves and learn in an interactive and stimulating way. The first two games in the line are “My Word Coach” and “My Life Coach.” “My Word Coach,” is being developed in collaboration with linguists and will help players improve their verbal communication and vocabulary in a fun way. “My Word Coach” can be played alone or with friends on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, to be released in Fall 2007. “My Life Coach” is being developed in collaboration with a behaviorist. “My Life Coach” is a personal coach that gives anybody concerned about their well being the willpower they need to change their habits the way they want in a motivating and fun way. “My Life Coach” will be available for the Nintendo DS in Holiday 2007.
Should be fun – we’ll keep you posted.
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