@thisguy#1 you can point one example of what educational games you and your group make???, or what is for you a great example of a educational game???...Because i am really(not sarcasm at all) curios of what make a good or a bad educational game.
Why the example they make are bad???, what is a good example of one Ed game build rigth???
etc...You can send them a mail and help them to make a good research of this theme for a next show, i hing they gonna be really gratefull for your help.
PD: i am a teacher in training so the theme of educational games are a thing that i want to research
@thisguy#1 So basically everything is perfect as it is, and we shouldn't do anything to try and improve it? Oh that is such a relief because for a second there I thought there might be some actual problems in the games industry. It's good to know that educational games are as good as they can ever be, that video game grant money always goes to the right people, and that public opinion never negatively affects the production of quality gaming products.
So on a serious note, I'm not sure why you're raging on EC for trying to "take away your grant money." From what I saw they were saying that they wanted to connect grant distributors with the people who could make solid, fun, educational games.... Which would be you! Provided, of course, that you actually make good games, which I'm not sure of since you never did give an example of your work.
Also, are you saying that we shouldn't be highlighting the good things that happen as a result of video gaming? Are you saying that we shouldn't be talking to law makers about how games teach people to read, speak English, and form strong helpful communities to raise money for cancer patients? I'm just not sure what there is to be upset about in this video?
Besides given the resume that the folks on this show are sporting, I would be hard pressed to find another group of individuals that I would want representing games in Washington more then the EC crew. Even if you don't agree with everything they discuss (and I actually don't always agree with them) they would still be head and shoulders above an EA executive or Microsoft big wig when it comes to informing congressmen and representatives about the nature and benefits of the gaming community.
Oh and by the way, I'm a dead space fan. Like the story, love the games, and I own the first and second one. The "your mom will hate it" commercial was stupid and pointless and actually made me a little ashamed to like the series. In my opinion it was more offensive than anything I found in the game itself.
Also it rings a little hallow to spend several paragraphs insulting EC's intelligence and moral integrity just to end with "love the show. Can't wait for next week." I call bullshit.
Jumping Jack Flash isn't about drugs, it's about being happy despite having a difficult life. "It's about having a hard time and getting out. Just a metaphor for getting out of all the acid things." (Mick Jagger in a 1995 Rolling Stone interview)
Conscious of the educational values that games can provide and amongst other things, the need to provide a positive example of altruism to the young and under-privileged in my own side of the pond (but yes I also donate to 'Mary's Meals' and 'Scope') I have at times selected random young people to donate a game to on the Steam system. I check to see what's in their profiles list and try to offer a variant on the games they have. There have been downsides to this but some of the things I found out are encouraging.
Some of those with a few high-end shooters in their small lists responded well to things like 'Garry's Mod', 'Machinarium' and 'World of Goo' and snooping later, their lists included creative efforts that had little to do with 'Murder sims' - like 'Kerbal Space Program' 'Minecraft (and Terreria)' and even 'Limbo', 'cut the cord' and 'and yet it moves'. One young spammy team killer that got a lot of my friends mad lost his anger and frustration and now shows a bit more respect and spends a lot of his time designing houses and people in (Ugh) 'Sims 3'. Sure... they like to l4d and cod but that's not their whole interface with gaming.
A lot of games can engage them and not all of them in healthy ways but kids learn with what they've got. If the prices are prohibitive and also used as status symbols by their media inputs, their scope of experiencing - even looking for - games that can stimulate their interests in positive ways MAY be beyond their discovery. Also if these guys respond well then they are little trouble and are not the 'squeaky wheels' that draw frowning attention from moralizing media.
There are many benefits from even the most banal COD scenarios - even down to distracting them from playing in traffic (lol) and I don't think for one minute burning the library at Alexandria helped anyone get smarter.
P.S. LeeLee, Daniel and James - been following your work for quite a while; I love your work guys - Greetings from Australia
I would like to offer the game we made as another example of a factual, educational and at the very least, somewhat effective educational tool to introduce a difficult topic, as well as to engage the entire class in a discussion.
We, two MSc graduates at a Danish game-oriented university, made a game about Human Trafficking, "Trafficking Exposed", for our thesis in collaboration with an MSSc graduate who was focusing her thesis on the topic of Human Trafficking at a different Danish university. We made a prototype and tested it on several high school classes with positive feedback from both the students and teachers alike. To our knowledge, at least one high school class has currently incorporated the game in their class as a means of introducing their students to the topic of Human Trafficking, as well as engaging the boys who hardly ever participate in discussions; because now they talk about a game and an experience they had, not just an article or a text book they were given.
Amidst all the recent video game news, let me remind you of the best game announced this year so far. DDR Classroom Edition represents some serious innovation in the use of video games as tools for education.
http://gameful.org/ - The Global Games eps were very powerful in "improving dialogue" but this for me seems to be a much more complex topic I mean I think you should of focused a little more on what the problem is exactly and why, I think some of the answer may show your response to be a little misguided if not majorly.
I loved Learning Company and other various edutainment games as an adolescent. I can't really say anything about the industry now because games are all casual.
You know all those "educational" games are all well and good except the math ones which just try to turn kids into inferior calculators but if you take a deeper look at the games we play you can see how sub conciously they can teach you. For example Fallout new vegas' main story line is a choice about republic, imperialist faschism, technocratic monocracy and anarchy even though this reveals itself after some thought on the matter and is not well executed (There is no reason to join legion infact the game punishes you for it). Bioshock games all have interesting messages which with enough wisdom can teach a person about many topics and not just by tangential learning but also by analysis of the subject. For example Bioshock infinite is basically application of multiverse theory and after i explained the relations of theoratical physics and the game,which was visual explanation of that mumbo jumbo that people like to throw but seeing it in action made them understand it, to a degree anyway and that way they got interested on the subject. 4X games and total war series teach the basic principles of management such as the weakest link and specialisation. World of warcraft raiding tought players the basics of team work... for those who wanted to learn anyway or atleast that was the case back at wotlk, tbc and vanilla.
I love you EC, but the Daily Show isn't news. It's topical satirical comedy that's lampooning the news room talking head format. Please please please stop promulgating the idea that it's a news source.
The Oregon Trail
Brain Age
Flash Focus
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Switchball (somewhat obscure, it's a game that showcased the abilities of the Ageia PhysX card)
Skyrates (browser-based sorta-MMO game, set in a TaleSpin-esque world where you fly from Skyland (sky-island) to Skyland trading goods, taking down pirates, and providing transportation for people and their belongings)
I know this response is a bit late, but I learned some of the critical thinking and problem solving skills I use today from games such as Zoombinis Logical Journey, the two Pajama Sam games, the Freddie Fish games, and Spy Fox in Dry Cereal. I loved those games when I was in early elementary school and I have very fond memories of them.
I was born with dyslexia and attempting to learn how to read and write was incredibly frustrating for me. I absolutely hated school due to my tremendous feelings of inferiority and inadequacy, my lack of friends and my already bad tempt didn't help. My mother tried everything she could to help me learn how to read, programs, teaching methods,rewarding me for studying, but nothing seemed to work. I was eventually put into special education by the school and became absolutely miserable. I thought I’d never learn how to read and I came to hate the idea of reading. I thought “What was the point? What’s so great about reading?” Then, as if to answer my question, my Dad out of the blue decided he wanted to try the new Nintendo console that came out and brought home a Nintendo 64 with two games, Pokemon Snap which came with the box, and a copy of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Pokemon Snap was fun and I have fond memories of traumatizing Pokemon by hurling apples at them, but Ocarina of time made me feel something I had never every felt before then. When I controlled Link and pushed him through his adventure I couldn't understand anything the characters were saying since I couldn't read, but at the same time I was absolutely captivated by what was happening. These characters and this world made me wonder “What’s going on? What do I have to do? Who are you people? Where am I? What is that?!?”
The last bit is especially related to when I ran into Gohma. I’ll never forget the feeling of confusion when I stepped into that empty room at the end of the dungeon. “Why is this room empty? Isn't there something I have to do here? What’s that noise? What’s that stuff coming from the ceilin-“ and then I looked up and saw that demonic, malevolent yellow eye staring right back at me, spinning like a slot machine before dropping down and screaming in my face. I’m pretty sure I dropped the controller and reset the game out of sheer terror upon seeing that. However despite my fear and confusion, I was drawn back to it, unable to understand and at the same time unable to let go.
Ocarina of Time was a fantastic experience and I got through most of it over the course of a few months despite not knowing how to read (I got stuck at the water temple but most literate people got stuck there so I think I did pretty well). However the game ignited the fire of curiosity inside of me and drove me to learn how to read despite my disadvantage. I wanted to learn what was going on in Ocarina of Time; I wanted to know its secrets, its adventure. And after learning how to read I discovered that books could provide a similar sense of adventure. That your imagination could take the place of computer generated graphics. Now I’m 19 years old, I’ve since played through Ocarina of Time many times, and I've graduated high school with honors. Now I seek to become a writer, seeking to create stories and maybe down the line help to create games that spark the same intense feeling of curiosity and wonder that helped me learn how to read.
Whenever anyone says games are bad or some nonsense like that, I actually can’t help but smile in amusement. Because for all the books, all the teachers, all the tests, pressure, talks, scolding, and all the new age teaching methods, it was still Ocarina of Time that got me interested in reading.
Posts
Why the example they make are bad???, what is a good example of one Ed game build rigth???
etc...You can send them a mail and help them to make a good research of this theme for a next show, i hing they gonna be really gratefull for your help.
PD: i am a teacher in training so the theme of educational games are a thing that i want to research
So on a serious note, I'm not sure why you're raging on EC for trying to "take away your grant money." From what I saw they were saying that they wanted to connect grant distributors with the people who could make solid, fun, educational games.... Which would be you! Provided, of course, that you actually make good games, which I'm not sure of since you never did give an example of your work.
Also, are you saying that we shouldn't be highlighting the good things that happen as a result of video gaming? Are you saying that we shouldn't be talking to law makers about how games teach people to read, speak English, and form strong helpful communities to raise money for cancer patients? I'm just not sure what there is to be upset about in this video?
Besides given the resume that the folks on this show are sporting, I would be hard pressed to find another group of individuals that I would want representing games in Washington more then the EC crew. Even if you don't agree with everything they discuss (and I actually don't always agree with them) they would still be head and shoulders above an EA executive or Microsoft big wig when it comes to informing congressmen and representatives about the nature and benefits of the gaming community.
Oh and by the way, I'm a dead space fan. Like the story, love the games, and I own the first and second one. The "your mom will hate it" commercial was stupid and pointless and actually made me a little ashamed to like the series. In my opinion it was more offensive than anything I found in the game itself.
Also it rings a little hallow to spend several paragraphs insulting EC's intelligence and moral integrity just to end with "love the show. Can't wait for next week." I call bullshit.
Jumping Jack Flash isn't about drugs, it's about being happy despite having a difficult life. "It's about having a hard time and getting out. Just a metaphor for getting out of all the acid things." (Mick Jagger in a 1995 Rolling Stone interview)
Some of those with a few high-end shooters in their small lists responded well to things like 'Garry's Mod', 'Machinarium' and 'World of Goo' and snooping later, their lists included creative efforts that had little to do with 'Murder sims' - like 'Kerbal Space Program' 'Minecraft (and Terreria)' and even 'Limbo', 'cut the cord' and 'and yet it moves'. One young spammy team killer that got a lot of my friends mad lost his anger and frustration and now shows a bit more respect and spends a lot of his time designing houses and people in (Ugh) 'Sims 3'. Sure... they like to l4d and cod but that's not their whole interface with gaming.
A lot of games can engage them and not all of them in healthy ways but kids learn with what they've got. If the prices are prohibitive and also used as status symbols by their media inputs, their scope of experiencing - even looking for - games that can stimulate their interests in positive ways MAY be beyond their discovery. Also if these guys respond well then they are little trouble and are not the 'squeaky wheels' that draw frowning attention from moralizing media.
There are many benefits from even the most banal COD scenarios - even down to distracting them from playing in traffic (lol) and I don't think for one minute burning the library at Alexandria helped anyone get smarter.
P.S. LeeLee, Daniel and James - been following your work for quite a while; I love your work guys - Greetings from Australia
We, two MSc graduates at a Danish game-oriented university, made a game about Human Trafficking, "Trafficking Exposed", for our thesis in collaboration with an MSSc graduate who was focusing her thesis on the topic of Human Trafficking at a different Danish university. We made a prototype and tested it on several high school classes with positive feedback from both the students and teachers alike. To our knowledge, at least one high school class has currently incorporated the game in their class as a means of introducing their students to the topic of Human Trafficking, as well as engaging the boys who hardly ever participate in discussions; because now they talk about a game and an experience they had, not just an article or a text book they were given.
The game can be found at www.talktrafficking.org
Brain Age
Flash Focus
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Switchball (somewhat obscure, it's a game that showcased the abilities of the Ageia PhysX card)
Skyrates (browser-based sorta-MMO game, set in a TaleSpin-esque world where you fly from Skyland (sky-island) to Skyland trading goods, taking down pirates, and providing transportation for people and their belongings)
Pokemon Snap was fun and I have fond memories of traumatizing Pokemon by hurling apples at them, but Ocarina of time made me feel something I had never every felt before then. When I controlled Link and pushed him through his adventure I couldn't understand anything the characters were saying since I couldn't read, but at the same time I was absolutely captivated by what was happening. These characters and this world made me wonder “What’s going on? What do I have to do? Who are you people? Where am I? What is that?!?”
The last bit is especially related to when I ran into Gohma. I’ll never forget the feeling of confusion when I stepped into that empty room at the end of the dungeon. “Why is this room empty? Isn't there something I have to do here? What’s that noise? What’s that stuff coming from the ceilin-“ and then I looked up and saw that demonic, malevolent yellow eye staring right back at me, spinning like a slot machine before dropping down and screaming in my face. I’m pretty sure I dropped the controller and reset the game out of sheer terror upon seeing that. However despite my fear and confusion, I was drawn back to it, unable to understand and at the same time unable to let go.
Ocarina of Time was a fantastic experience and I got through most of it over the course of a few months despite not knowing how to read (I got stuck at the water temple but most literate people got stuck there so I think I did pretty well). However the game ignited the fire of curiosity inside of me and drove me to learn how to read despite my disadvantage. I wanted to learn what was going on in Ocarina of Time; I wanted to know its secrets, its adventure. And after learning how to read I discovered that books could provide a similar sense of adventure. That your imagination could take the place of computer generated graphics. Now I’m 19 years old, I’ve since played through Ocarina of Time many times, and I've graduated high school with honors. Now I seek to become a writer, seeking to create stories and maybe down the line help to create games that spark the same intense feeling of curiosity and wonder that helped me learn how to read.
Whenever anyone says games are bad or some nonsense like that, I actually can’t help but smile in amusement. Because for all the books, all the teachers, all the tests, pressure, talks, scolding, and all the new age teaching methods, it was still Ocarina of Time that got me interested in reading.