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Games today are judge by more than just their outer-appearences, all un-pixelated, smooth-looking graphics. There are many of us today who will sensibley judge it by the all-more-important aspects, such-as its Gameplay and the Innovation and Ideas used in the plot or story-line.
But there is one other way to judge a game by also....
And that is by looking at it's 'apparent' Target Audience or Target Age-Range for sale.
In other words; 'whether it's aimed at kids or adults'
Games that appear as all 'cute 'n' cuddly' with bright colours and lots of polygons are known as more 'kiddy' and 'less-grown-up' games, which can mainly be found on Nintendo and SEGA consoles.
And then there are the more 'adult' games... With their photo-realistic appearence while providing a REAL sense of atmosphere in the air as you play- just like Resident Evil. This may not be the best way to categorise games, I know, but it's what a large number of gamers today do, and always will do.
Now, as our experience has shown us; this will only lead to mistakes. The ones you instantly put-down can often have more to them than what meets the eye, and those seemingly 'great' games don't ALWAYS turn-out to be what they may seem.
And I know this from experience in the past.
That's enough on that matter.
I've been thinking about why some games are classed in one way or another, and why others are classed differently to them. And to be honest, I don't see why any game suitable for an adult cannot have a good-effect on children of a young nature, perhaps even 4 or 5 year olds who have just started school.
And why?? Because of the Educational Value offered inside every single game.
Yep, every single game created, you heard me right.
Dating back from the early days of Pong and Space Invaders, to the Marios and Final Fantasys of today. Whether it be an RPG or a straight-forward 2D Platformer, there's always something to be learnt.
And the majority of it is all about using your Mental Skills by solving puzzles.
Puzzles can always be found in RPG's like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy, while there's also an intreuging storyline that'll keep you playing that Adventure untill that very last Puzzle has been solved and completed.
Then there are the Platformers, like all those classic Sonic and Mario games. While there may be a lack of any real puzzling challenges in most Platformers (with the exception of Conker's Bad Fur Day), there are still those little Mini Games that'll teach you a thing or two about Timing and Prescision - just like in the Pinball Machine in Sonic Adventure. And Platformers are always the best games to start playing in-order to ease yourself into the 'Wonders' the other genres of the Gaming World have to offer you.
First Person Shooters have fast become the most-played genre of game on all PC formats, and PC's never used to be anything more than 'boring old Office Machines' all-of 12-15 years ago! But thanks to the likes of Doom and more-recently Halo and the rest, the PC is flying up-high with the Internet and On-line Gaming having taken it's toll there too. It may not be something little Daniel's mum would want him to know, but after playing through an FPS for a fair bit of time he'd soon realise you can kill something instantly with a Head-Shot. And again, with the throwing of Grenades and planting of Bombs, a little bit about Terception and Timing could be learnt here.
Point 'n' Click Adventures like Sam 'n' Max, Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island and even Toonstruck are undoubtabley some of the most educational games you will have played in your time. The only thing that may beat these to that record are those games with Arthur the cartoon aardvark, but there's no Fun or Adventure there. Put some Butter on the floor and Jock will slip as you now have access to a new area for exploration in Toonstruck. And what about putting some Spag-Bowl on a Mummy's head to create a Winner in a local Beauty Contest with Laverne in DotT?
You can really learn a lot from these games, and I certainly did as a youngster, at a time when these were the best games a PC had to offer!
Oh.... and let's not forget all those Real Time Strategies!
Being a 17 year-old I am now legally able to Drive (after taking some Lessons on Driving and passing a Test). I may not have even started yet, but from all these great racers i've been playing-through and enjoyed i'm sure i've learnt a lot already. If I get myself a Steering Wheel Controller instead of the standard Pads then I may be that one-step-closer to passing on my first attempt. While doing something from Real Life in the form of a game may not work in many other ways driving seems to be better than ever in the computerised worlds of the likes of Burnout and co. And with some horrifyingly-realistic crashes played back to you over and over i've seen how bad it really could be to drive wrecklessly - so I won't be doing that then!
Another lesson learned, and I haven't even sent-away for my Provisional Liscense yet!
As you can see from the examples I have given-you here, all-types of popular games can be very educational indeed. Resident Evil may scare the pants off us Older Gamers it can still teach even the youngest of gamers a good thing or two about Killing Zombies and Solving Puzzles mentally before they run-off to hide under-the-covers where they believe they are... 'safe'.
So never write-off any game as 'kiddy' just because of how it looks.
Any game is suitable for even the youngest or OLDEST of gamers as it can teach you something if the intent-to-play is there. The only people who will not find all games suitable to themselves are those who know everything - even more-so than Steven Hawking! But of course we all know... that's impossible!
So games ARE for everyone! Just grow-up, play Pikmin for 5 minutes and see what you learn... :)
But there is one other way to judge a game by also....
And that is by looking at it's 'apparent' Target Audience or Target Age-Range for sale.
In other words; 'whether it's aimed at kids or adults'
Games that appear as all 'cute 'n' cuddly' with bright colours and lots of polygons are known as more 'kiddy' and 'less-grown-up' games, which can mainly be found on Nintendo and SEGA consoles.
And then there are the more 'adult' games... With their photo-realistic appearence while providing a REAL sense of atmosphere in the air as you play- just like Resident Evil. This may not be the best way to categorise games, I know, but it's what a large number of gamers today do, and always will do.
Now, as our experience has shown us; this will only lead to mistakes. The ones you instantly put-down can often have more to them than what meets the eye, and those seemingly 'great' games don't ALWAYS turn-out to be what they may seem.
And I know this from experience in the past.
That's enough on that matter.
I've been thinking about why some games are classed in one way or another, and why others are classed differently to them. And to be honest, I don't see why any game suitable for an adult cannot have a good-effect on children of a young nature, perhaps even 4 or 5 year olds who have just started school.
And why?? Because of the Educational Value offered inside every single game.
Yep, every single game created, you heard me right.
Dating back from the early days of Pong and Space Invaders, to the Marios and Final Fantasys of today. Whether it be an RPG or a straight-forward 2D Platformer, there's always something to be learnt.
And the majority of it is all about using your Mental Skills by solving puzzles.
Puzzles can always be found in RPG's like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy, while there's also an intreuging storyline that'll keep you playing that Adventure untill that very last Puzzle has been solved and completed.
Then there are the Platformers, like all those classic Sonic and Mario games. While there may be a lack of any real puzzling challenges in most Platformers (with the exception of Conker's Bad Fur Day), there are still those little Mini Games that'll teach you a thing or two about Timing and Prescision - just like in the Pinball Machine in Sonic Adventure. And Platformers are always the best games to start playing in-order to ease yourself into the 'Wonders' the other genres of the Gaming World have to offer you.
First Person Shooters have fast become the most-played genre of game on all PC formats, and PC's never used to be anything more than 'boring old Office Machines' all-of 12-15 years ago! But thanks to the likes of Doom and more-recently Halo and the rest, the PC is flying up-high with the Internet and On-line Gaming having taken it's toll there too. It may not be something little Daniel's mum would want him to know, but after playing through an FPS for a fair bit of time he'd soon realise you can kill something instantly with a Head-Shot. And again, with the throwing of Grenades and planting of Bombs, a little bit about Terception and Timing could be learnt here.
Point 'n' Click Adventures like Sam 'n' Max, Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island and even Toonstruck are undoubtabley some of the most educational games you will have played in your time. The only thing that may beat these to that record are those games with Arthur the cartoon aardvark, but there's no Fun or Adventure there. Put some Butter on the floor and Jock will slip as you now have access to a new area for exploration in Toonstruck. And what about putting some Spag-Bowl on a Mummy's head to create a Winner in a local Beauty Contest with Laverne in DotT?
You can really learn a lot from these games, and I certainly did as a youngster, at a time when these were the best games a PC had to offer!
Oh.... and let's not forget all those Real Time Strategies!
Being a 17 year-old I am now legally able to Drive (after taking some Lessons on Driving and passing a Test). I may not have even started yet, but from all these great racers i've been playing-through and enjoyed i'm sure i've learnt a lot already. If I get myself a Steering Wheel Controller instead of the standard Pads then I may be that one-step-closer to passing on my first attempt. While doing something from Real Life in the form of a game may not work in many other ways driving seems to be better than ever in the computerised worlds of the likes of Burnout and co. And with some horrifyingly-realistic crashes played back to you over and over i've seen how bad it really could be to drive wrecklessly - so I won't be doing that then!
Another lesson learned, and I haven't even sent-away for my Provisional Liscense yet!
As you can see from the examples I have given-you here, all-types of popular games can be very educational indeed. Resident Evil may scare the pants off us Older Gamers it can still teach even the youngest of gamers a good thing or two about Killing Zombies and Solving Puzzles mentally before they run-off to hide under-the-covers where they believe they are... 'safe'.
So never write-off any game as 'kiddy' just because of how it looks.
Any game is suitable for even the youngest or OLDEST of gamers as it can teach you something if the intent-to-play is there. The only people who will not find all games suitable to themselves are those who know everything - even more-so than Steven Hawking! But of course we all know... that's impossible!
So games ARE for everyone! Just grow-up, play Pikmin for 5 minutes and see what you learn... :)
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Games today are judge by more than just their outer-appearences, all un-pixelated, smooth-looking graphics. There are many of us today who will sensibley judge it by the all-more-important aspects, such-as its Gameplay and the Innovation and Ideas used in the plot or story-line.
But there is one other way to judge a game by also....
And that is by looking at it's 'apparent' Target Audience or Target Age-Range for sale.
In other words; 'whether it's aimed at kids or adults'
Games that appear as all 'cute 'n' cuddly' with bright colours and lots of polygons are known as more 'kiddy' and 'less-grown-up' games, which can mainly be found on Nintendo and SEGA consoles.
And then there are the more 'adult' games... With their photo-realistic appearence while providing a REAL sense of atmosphere in the air as you play- just like Resident Evil. This may not be the best way to categorise games, I know, but it's what a large number of gamers today do, and always will do.
Now, as our experience has shown us; this will only lead to mistakes. The ones you instantly put-down can often have more to them than what meets the eye, and those seemingly 'great' games don't ALWAYS turn-out to be what they may seem.
And I know this from experience in the past.
That's enough on that matter.
I've been thinking about why some games are classed in one way or another, and why others are classed differently to them. And to be honest, I don't see why any game suitable for an adult cannot have a good-effect on children of a young nature, perhaps even 4 or 5 year olds who have just started school.
And why?? Because of the Educational Value offered inside every single game.
Yep, every single game created, you heard me right.
Dating back from the early days of Pong and Space Invaders, to the Marios and Final Fantasys of today. Whether it be an RPG or a straight-forward 2D Platformer, there's always something to be learnt.
And the majority of it is all about using your Mental Skills by solving puzzles.
Puzzles can always be found in RPG's like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy, while there's also an intreuging storyline that'll keep you playing that Adventure untill that very last Puzzle has been solved and completed.
Then there are the Platformers, like all those classic Sonic and Mario games. While there may be a lack of any real puzzling challenges in most Platformers (with the exception of Conker's Bad Fur Day), there are still those little Mini Games that'll teach you a thing or two about Timing and Prescision - just like in the Pinball Machine in Sonic Adventure. And Platformers are always the best games to start playing in-order to ease yourself into the 'Wonders' the other genres of the Gaming World have to offer you.
First Person Shooters have fast become the most-played genre of game on all PC formats, and PC's never used to be anything more than 'boring old Office Machines' all-of 12-15 years ago! But thanks to the likes of Doom and more-recently Halo and the rest, the PC is flying up-high with the Internet and On-line Gaming having taken it's toll there too. It may not be something little Daniel's mum would want him to know, but after playing through an FPS for a fair bit of time he'd soon realise you can kill something instantly with a Head-Shot. And again, with the throwing of Grenades and planting of Bombs, a little bit about Terception and Timing could be learnt here.
Point 'n' Click Adventures like Sam 'n' Max, Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island and even Toonstruck are undoubtabley some of the most educational games you will have played in your time. The only thing that may beat these to that record are those games with Arthur the cartoon aardvark, but there's no Fun or Adventure there. Put some Butter on the floor and Jock will slip as you now have access to a new area for exploration in Toonstruck. And what about putting some Spag-Bowl on a Mummy's head to create a Winner in a local Beauty Contest with Laverne in DotT?
You can really learn a lot from these games, and I certainly did as a youngster, at a time when these were the best games a PC had to offer!
Oh.... and let's not forget all those Real Time Strategies!
Being a 17 year-old I am now legally able to Drive (after taking some Lessons on Driving and passing a Test). I may not have even started yet, but from all these great racers i've been playing-through and enjoyed i'm sure i've learnt a lot already. If I get myself a Steering Wheel Controller instead of the standard Pads then I may be that one-step-closer to passing on my first attempt. While doing something from Real Life in the form of a game may not work in many other ways driving seems to be better than ever in the computerised worlds of the likes of Burnout and co. And with some horrifyingly-realistic crashes played back to you over and over i've seen how bad it really could be to drive wrecklessly - so I won't be doing that then!
Another lesson learned, and I haven't even sent-away for my Provisional Liscense yet!
As you can see from the examples I have given-you here, all-types of popular games can be very educational indeed. Resident Evil may scare the pants off us Older Gamers it can still teach even the youngest of gamers a good thing or two about Killing Zombies and Solving Puzzles mentally before they run-off to hide under-the-covers where they believe they are... 'safe'.
So never write-off any game as 'kiddy' just because of how it looks.
Any game is suitable for even the youngest or OLDEST of gamers as it can teach you something if the intent-to-play is there. The only people who will not find all games suitable to themselves are those who know everything - even more-so than Steven Hawking! But of course we all know... that's impossible!
So games ARE for everyone! Just grow-up, play Pikmin for 5 minutes and see what you learn... :)
But there is one other way to judge a game by also....
And that is by looking at it's 'apparent' Target Audience or Target Age-Range for sale.
In other words; 'whether it's aimed at kids or adults'
Games that appear as all 'cute 'n' cuddly' with bright colours and lots of polygons are known as more 'kiddy' and 'less-grown-up' games, which can mainly be found on Nintendo and SEGA consoles.
And then there are the more 'adult' games... With their photo-realistic appearence while providing a REAL sense of atmosphere in the air as you play- just like Resident Evil. This may not be the best way to categorise games, I know, but it's what a large number of gamers today do, and always will do.
Now, as our experience has shown us; this will only lead to mistakes. The ones you instantly put-down can often have more to them than what meets the eye, and those seemingly 'great' games don't ALWAYS turn-out to be what they may seem.
And I know this from experience in the past.
That's enough on that matter.
I've been thinking about why some games are classed in one way or another, and why others are classed differently to them. And to be honest, I don't see why any game suitable for an adult cannot have a good-effect on children of a young nature, perhaps even 4 or 5 year olds who have just started school.
And why?? Because of the Educational Value offered inside every single game.
Yep, every single game created, you heard me right.
Dating back from the early days of Pong and Space Invaders, to the Marios and Final Fantasys of today. Whether it be an RPG or a straight-forward 2D Platformer, there's always something to be learnt.
And the majority of it is all about using your Mental Skills by solving puzzles.
Puzzles can always be found in RPG's like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy, while there's also an intreuging storyline that'll keep you playing that Adventure untill that very last Puzzle has been solved and completed.
Then there are the Platformers, like all those classic Sonic and Mario games. While there may be a lack of any real puzzling challenges in most Platformers (with the exception of Conker's Bad Fur Day), there are still those little Mini Games that'll teach you a thing or two about Timing and Prescision - just like in the Pinball Machine in Sonic Adventure. And Platformers are always the best games to start playing in-order to ease yourself into the 'Wonders' the other genres of the Gaming World have to offer you.
First Person Shooters have fast become the most-played genre of game on all PC formats, and PC's never used to be anything more than 'boring old Office Machines' all-of 12-15 years ago! But thanks to the likes of Doom and more-recently Halo and the rest, the PC is flying up-high with the Internet and On-line Gaming having taken it's toll there too. It may not be something little Daniel's mum would want him to know, but after playing through an FPS for a fair bit of time he'd soon realise you can kill something instantly with a Head-Shot. And again, with the throwing of Grenades and planting of Bombs, a little bit about Terception and Timing could be learnt here.
Point 'n' Click Adventures like Sam 'n' Max, Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island and even Toonstruck are undoubtabley some of the most educational games you will have played in your time. The only thing that may beat these to that record are those games with Arthur the cartoon aardvark, but there's no Fun or Adventure there. Put some Butter on the floor and Jock will slip as you now have access to a new area for exploration in Toonstruck. And what about putting some Spag-Bowl on a Mummy's head to create a Winner in a local Beauty Contest with Laverne in DotT?
You can really learn a lot from these games, and I certainly did as a youngster, at a time when these were the best games a PC had to offer!
Oh.... and let's not forget all those Real Time Strategies!
Being a 17 year-old I am now legally able to Drive (after taking some Lessons on Driving and passing a Test). I may not have even started yet, but from all these great racers i've been playing-through and enjoyed i'm sure i've learnt a lot already. If I get myself a Steering Wheel Controller instead of the standard Pads then I may be that one-step-closer to passing on my first attempt. While doing something from Real Life in the form of a game may not work in many other ways driving seems to be better than ever in the computerised worlds of the likes of Burnout and co. And with some horrifyingly-realistic crashes played back to you over and over i've seen how bad it really could be to drive wrecklessly - so I won't be doing that then!
Another lesson learned, and I haven't even sent-away for my Provisional Liscense yet!
As you can see from the examples I have given-you here, all-types of popular games can be very educational indeed. Resident Evil may scare the pants off us Older Gamers it can still teach even the youngest of gamers a good thing or two about Killing Zombies and Solving Puzzles mentally before they run-off to hide under-the-covers where they believe they are... 'safe'.
So never write-off any game as 'kiddy' just because of how it looks.
Any game is suitable for even the youngest or OLDEST of gamers as it can teach you something if the intent-to-play is there. The only people who will not find all games suitable to themselves are those who know everything - even more-so than Steven Hawking! But of course we all know... that's impossible!
So games ARE for everyone! Just grow-up, play Pikmin for 5 minutes and see what you learn... :)