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"Go On - Teach Me..."

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Sat 08/03/03 at 12:12
Regular
Posts: 787
When did the people at the top of the video game business wake up and think 'Education Games are the way forward'?

Surely making Education games was the biggest mistake in the industry; who in their right mind looking for some kind of 'escape' (or plain and simple fun), would go out and purchase a game teaching you how to count up to 100 or what the two times table is.

My idea of fun is not watching a fat part-time plumber or a spiky, blue hedgehog telling me how to read and write, whilst standing in front of a computer generated chalkboard. I think most people will agree with me. But how could anyone possibly think that this little 'prank' would make any kind of money? If they're just looking to buy a cup of coffee or a chocolate bar, they'd probably scrape together enough money to buy either of these delicacies, but these games companies have high hopes for games, normally. What could have been millions of pounds if you could control the 'teacher' and maybe jump on a few things head was replaced by a small amount.

But, strangely, this is actually fairly justified.

Think of the birth of video gaming; no one really knew what was going on and for many it was quite scary. All the kids wanted them, but how do parents know that this isn't bad? Well, they don't. At that time who knows what could have happened? Brain damage? Loss of eyesight? That's exactly the point, it was a mystery. Not only this, though, what about the influence of games? Remember the whole Mortal Kombat thing? Violence in games? For some parents this would be something to wonder about.

But then, why not make education games? If this little console could help your child learn, using colourful characters to make them more enthusiastic, then why shouldn't they play normal games on it?

You see, video games have always needed acceptance and this could have opened the door.

But then they disappeared. Why? Most probably what I said before, sales. If you're going to spend money on making a game and then mass-producing it, it has to sell, simple as that. While I'm sure many people will have bought them for their child and some of you might have got them from your unsuspecting Aunt.

But luckily(?), they're still around. If you look a tiny bit you can Barney PC CD ROMS, helping children to learn the basics of learning.

But really, Education games could have helped video games more than we know; while Sony and it's advertising ploys really opened up the door, but did these titles just shut up the daily mail and made them think about something else other than Mortal Kombat and how they're 'destroying' your children? Well, even if they did clean up the fuming mouths of many journalists, that's enough for me!

So, teach me? No thanks, they maybe helped video games, but I'm not that desperate!

Thanks for reading

RiCkOsS
Sat 08/03/03 at 12:12
Regular
Posts: 10,437
When did the people at the top of the video game business wake up and think 'Education Games are the way forward'?

Surely making Education games was the biggest mistake in the industry; who in their right mind looking for some kind of 'escape' (or plain and simple fun), would go out and purchase a game teaching you how to count up to 100 or what the two times table is.

My idea of fun is not watching a fat part-time plumber or a spiky, blue hedgehog telling me how to read and write, whilst standing in front of a computer generated chalkboard. I think most people will agree with me. But how could anyone possibly think that this little 'prank' would make any kind of money? If they're just looking to buy a cup of coffee or a chocolate bar, they'd probably scrape together enough money to buy either of these delicacies, but these games companies have high hopes for games, normally. What could have been millions of pounds if you could control the 'teacher' and maybe jump on a few things head was replaced by a small amount.

But, strangely, this is actually fairly justified.

Think of the birth of video gaming; no one really knew what was going on and for many it was quite scary. All the kids wanted them, but how do parents know that this isn't bad? Well, they don't. At that time who knows what could have happened? Brain damage? Loss of eyesight? That's exactly the point, it was a mystery. Not only this, though, what about the influence of games? Remember the whole Mortal Kombat thing? Violence in games? For some parents this would be something to wonder about.

But then, why not make education games? If this little console could help your child learn, using colourful characters to make them more enthusiastic, then why shouldn't they play normal games on it?

You see, video games have always needed acceptance and this could have opened the door.

But then they disappeared. Why? Most probably what I said before, sales. If you're going to spend money on making a game and then mass-producing it, it has to sell, simple as that. While I'm sure many people will have bought them for their child and some of you might have got them from your unsuspecting Aunt.

But luckily(?), they're still around. If you look a tiny bit you can Barney PC CD ROMS, helping children to learn the basics of learning.

But really, Education games could have helped video games more than we know; while Sony and it's advertising ploys really opened up the door, but did these titles just shut up the daily mail and made them think about something else other than Mortal Kombat and how they're 'destroying' your children? Well, even if they did clean up the fuming mouths of many journalists, that's enough for me!

So, teach me? No thanks, they maybe helped video games, but I'm not that desperate!

Thanks for reading

RiCkOsS
Sat 08/03/03 at 12:19
Regular
"I ush!"
Posts: 922
I think this was back in the days when companies hadn't realised the spending power of children. Back then they saw adults as the ones who control the purse strings, so in order to get them to shell out their hard earned moola they had to give them something.

These days kids control the market holding a £5,000,000 share. That's why now everything is geared towards kids, whether it be games, music or alcho-pops.

that's my two cents, anyhoo
Sat 08/03/03 at 13:00
"period drama"
Posts: 19,792
I've got a game called Barney Carnage, which has Barney in it.
Although you do have to kill him. A lot.
With machine guns and lightning bolts and knives and nukes.
Not REALLY educational, but hey.

It's probably aorund somewhere, I'll search a link out.
Sat 08/03/03 at 13:03
"period drama"
Posts: 19,792
http://www.igregs.com/downloads/

http://members.tripod.com/~thingwhatkicks/games/

There we go. I'm not sure if they'll woek on a PC, the game was for a Mac originally. The 2nd link has more chance of working, I reckon.
Sat 08/03/03 at 13:13
Regular
"Brrrrr."
Posts: 1,864
Well, two terrible things rolled into one - the Mac AND barney...

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