Many adults today can remember playing The Oregon Trail on Apple computers when they were in school.Īnother extremely popular educational computer game was Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? developed by Broderbund Software in 1983. As late as 2009, an updated version was released for the iPhone. Subsequent editions were released in 1980, 1985, 1992, and 1997. The first Apple version was released in 1978, and proved to be extremely popular. By 1974, the game was accessible by students across Minnesota. One of the teachers had the idea to create a video game based on a history class that he was currently teaching. This game was originally developed in 1971 by three student teachers in Minnesota. One of the first and most widely known computer game for kids was The Oregon Trail. For this reason, many school systems in the United Stakes and the United Kingdom have begun to include computer games as part of the educational curriculum. However, there have been emerging studies that actually show the opposite. Computer and video games are often portrayed in the media as mindless entertainment that often does more harm than good. After working on and improving these skills in the context of a computer game, the skills can often be transferred over and used to solve problems in real life.Ĭomputer games used for education are a hot topic among many educators. Some computer games force children to plan ahead and can be effective at developing their strategic thinking skills. Often, they must learn how to solve puzzles, learn facts, or learn new skills before they can advance to the next level of the game. They can manipulate objects and variables in an effort to solve a goal. Kids computer games often allow the child to interact with the characters in the game. This means that kids can learn while they are having fun. They are designed to teach or reinforce concepts and ideas in the context of a computer game. These video games are often referred to as “educational games” or “edutainment”.

Educators have taken advantage of this fact to create computer games specifically designed for children. Unsurprisingly, computer games are especially popular among children. People of all ages enjoy playing games on the computer as a form of entertainment.

Computer games have been extremely popular over the last several decades.

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