How educational games have evolved over time
How educational games have evolved over time
How educational games have evolved over time
By Caroline Delbert
May 24, 2023
Summary
Best Universities compiled a list of how different types of digital games meant for teaching students have evolved over time, ranging from DOS games like Oregon Trail to the latest version of the Scratch programming app for kids.
While educational games served as a compromise, the pandemic pushed most parents to concede screen time for online learning.
The world of educational video games has a rich, decades-long history.
These games directly tie with analog educational technologies like creative worksheets, classroom role-playing projects, and even educational vinyl albums from previous decades.
This ushered in a golden age of educational CD-ROM games in the 1990s, with iconic brands like Math Blaster and Reader Rabbit helping students prep for class time.
These games, starting with sites like gURL and extending through massive, multiplayer online games like Neopets and Club Penguin in the 2000s, offered at least partially safe spaces for kids to play games and improve skills like hand-eye coordination and typing.
Sesame Street, Jump Start, and other licensed children's properties led the way in educational games for little kids, while games like Minecraft have made their way to the extremely popular Nintendo Switch system.
Reference
Delbert, C. (2023, May 24). How educational games have evolved over time. Vancouver Is Awesome. https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/lifestyle/how-educational-games-have-evolved-over-time-7032142