News Room Contributor Posts: 4826 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | Top 25 Games For Learning While You Play
College@home has created a list of games that can help generate an interest in learning in kids, covering a range of topics including history, science and community skills.
Games are "a great way to get children engaged in learning while still allowing them to have fun in their classes," according to the article, which says that not every game listed is appropriate for in-class use, but all have the potential to spark an interest in discovering more about its subject.
Civilization III, for instance, is at the top of the list as one of the most instructional non-educational games available, with information about various forms of governments, geography and history of past civilizations, famous leaders and more. Age of Empires III gets similar credit for introducing students to the development of the modern world and teaching them to strategize the development and expansion of their society.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is cited for its value in learning about science, with physics-based demands in track design required to keep the coasters moving and on the track, while Return of the Incredible Machine Contraptions is "a great learning tool" because it involves the application of various principles of physics in complex problem solving and technical design.
Even MMOGs are represented the list, with Dark Age of Camelot described as giving students the opportunity to "see how mythology fits into the history of the British Isles, learn how legends evolve and grow over time, and get a sense of the warfare that took place during turbulent times in England." Younger students are warned away from the game, however, due to its violent content.
Other popular games that made the list include Dance Dance Revolution, Age of Mythology, The Sims 2 and the forthcoming Spore, which the report says "has the potential to be an incredibly powerful tool in the classroom for teaching students about evolution and the behavior of organisms." Games which surprisingly didn't make the list include Painkiller (religious studies), Grand Theft Auto (driver's education) and Quake III: Arena (what to do if you're sucked through an extra-dimensional portal and forced to engage in eternal combat for the amusement of an unseen and all-powerful entity).
The full list of "25 Best Sims and Games For The Classroom" is available here.
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BANNED Posts: 302 Joined: 6 May 2008 | I loled at your funny GTA joke |
Copy Clerk Posts: 89 Joined: 4 Oct 2007 | How can they include the unreleased Spore and not the recent Wii Fit, given that they have a fitness section? I wouldn't really include AOE3, since their summary applies to basically every historical RTS game ever made. Civ4 certainly didn't have a light Civilopaedia, so it seems weird they would pick the old Civ3. Also ridiculous they would pick AoM instead of Heroes of Might and Magic for the mythology section. I like the idea behind this list, but it strikes me as another "write down whatever comes off the top of my head" rather than a properly researched article. |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 547 Joined: 2 Mar 2008 | Xwii360:
I loled at your funny GTA joke
I preferred the Quake III joke. |
Paperboy Posts: 21 Joined: 28 May 2008 | This kind of defeats the purpose of games as they're meant to entertain or amuse and school.. well ask any kid if he enjoys school, or she. |
Copy Clerk Posts: 89 Joined: 4 Oct 2007 | Squishface Mcgloop:
This kind of defeats the purpose of games as they're meant to entertain or amuse and school.. well ask any kid if he enjoys school, or she.
Uhh... is this a joke? Can't tell on teh interwebs. |
Press Junketeer Posts: 457 Joined: 22 Apr 2008 | I always loved playing civilization (still do actually, but part 4 is kind of.. mediocre) also peaked my interest in certain civilizations and their history. Even grabbed me a few history books because of that game.
Learning while enjoying yourself with a game, and peaking your interest into real world situations/locations etc. These are the best games for a parent to give to their children, if only they knew..
Funny last paragraph btw :D |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2912 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 | Well... you say I'll be endumacated if I play those games? Aw shucks, I best gets meh Bettsy and go on and get those gosh darn vidja games... |
Top 25 Games For Learning While You Play
College@home has created a list of games that can help generate an interest in learning in kids, covering a range of topics including history, science and community skills.
Games are "a great way to get children engaged in learning while still allowing them to have fun in their classes," according to the article, which says that not every game listed is appropriate for in-class use, but all have the potential to spark an interest in discovering more about its subject.
Civilization III, for instance, is at the top of the list as one of the most instructional non-educational games available, with information about various forms of governments, geography and history of past civilizations, famous leaders and more. Age of Empires III gets similar credit for introducing students to the development of the modern world and teaching them to strategize the development and expansion of their society.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is cited for its value in learning about science, with physics-based demands in track design required to keep the coasters moving and on the track, while Return of the Incredible Machine Contraptions is "a great learning tool" because it involves the application of various principles of physics in complex problem solving and technical design.
Even MMOGs are represented the list, with Dark Age of Camelot described as giving students the opportunity to "see how mythology fits into the history of the British Isles, learn how legends evolve and grow over time, and get a sense of the warfare that took place during turbulent times in England." Younger students are warned away from the game, however, due to its violent content.
Other popular games that made the list include Dance Dance Revolution, Age of Mythology, The Sims 2 and the forthcoming Spore, which the report says "has the potential to be an incredibly powerful tool in the classroom for teaching students about evolution and the behavior of organisms." Games which surprisingly didn't make the list include Painkiller (religious studies), Grand Theft Auto (driver's education) and Quake III: Arena (what to do if you're sucked through an extra-dimensional portal and forced to engage in eternal combat for the amusement of an unseen and all-powerful entity).
The full list of "25 Best Sims and Games For The Classroom" is available here.
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