BBC Focus Magazine

[Colm]

they were entertaining but I don't think I really learned anything from them.

I would say that most educational games that are out up until now are a bit half-hearted, being that they are made by private companies more interested in convicning parents that computer games are OK than actually being educational.

If they were actually officially developed for educational purposes, they would have to be taken really seriously, and engineered by educational authorities to provide proper education while being entertaining. I imagine a Sim City type clone where you have to build a Roman city (or Rome)

While I've learned a bit about history from the "Total War" games, and have been interested in it, it has been nothing more than bits and pieces like the romans used aquaducts or improved their armies through the marian reforms, or trebuchets were artillery weapons from the medieval times, or a little bit about the crusades... Nowhere near the standard I'd need for school though... Even the little historical facts that pop up I would either skim through or skip altogether, either way forgetting it no later than I would forget it if I read it in school.


However other than history and maybe geography, I can't really think how it would work...

Reminds me of something similar though, I have to laugh at that ad for Eircom broadband (Irish phone/internet company) where the parent is resisting and the kid says smugly, "OK, you tell me what year the battle of Clontarf..." or whatever it is, implying that he needs internet access to learn... The correct response from the parent should be, "Read your feicin history book!"

Most of what can be learned from technology can be learned just as easily from the books!

[Ush]

I see that a regular contributer to Focus Magazine has made the same points we made in this thread. I also found this:

If diversity of mental abilities, as of most other human characteristics, is a basic fact of nature, as the evidence indicates, and if the ideal of universal education is to be successfully pursued, it seems a reasonable conclusion that schools and society must provide a range and diversity of educational methods, programs, and goals, and of occupational opportunities, just as wide as the range of human abilities. Accordingly, the ideal of equality of educational opportunity should not be interpreted as uniformity of faculties, instructional techniques, and educational aims for all children. Diversity rather than uniformity of approaches and aims would seem to be the key to making education rewarding for children of different patterns of ability. The reality of individual differences thus need not mean education rewards for some children and frustration and defeat for others.

From: Arthur Jensen's, How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement

It's a highly technical article so I just browsed it, too technical for me to fully grasp, but the above is the gist of it.

[Croatguy]

The most educational game ever has to be Sid Meier's Civilization series. Not only does it cover history, but also politics, economics, art, and science. I have learned more playing this game then any textbook or documentary ever could when I was at high school. Never has a game mixed education and entertainment in such a brilliant way and whenever I have kids, this is the game I will be telling them to play.

[Shadowwolf]

A fine game to be sure but I myself found that the educational content was much like what Mr Colm pointed out in that other game, bits and bobs that are barely able to supplement the subject. You spend most of your time devising the fastest way up the tech tree to wage war, and let us not forget tis the only game I've encountered so far where dragoons can defeat tanks in the right circumstances.

[Liam Sheppard]

rome total war taught me quite a bit about rome.... but the hours i played it would have been best spent reading a book on rome

[Croatguy]

A fine game to be sure but I myself found that the educational content was much like what Mr Colm pointed out in that other game, bits and bobs that are barely able to supplement the subject. You spend most of your time devising the fastest way up the tech tree to wage war, and let us not forget tis the only game I've encountered so far where dragoons can defeat tanks in the right circumstances

What? You never tried to win diplomatically or peacefully

I agree that the content is sparse, but at least it covers the basics about various governments, religions, world wonders, economies, great people in history and how mankind advanced stage by stage through science and culture. No boring school book could ever have as much influence. Its the kind of game that gives you the motivation to learn more, especially about your favorite civilization and techs.

rome total war taught me quite a bit about rome.... but the hours i played it would have been best spent reading a book on rome

Who would really choose the latter?

[Shadowwolf]

What? You never tried to win diplomatically or peacefully

Hmmm, I don't think I've ever heard those words before.