How many educational video games are there

For a significant portion of my life, I have worked at a number of summer camps and educational programs for children and big surprise a lot of the kids I worked with love video games. I also meet a lot of their parents, and many are reasonably concerned with the increased usage of screens. A good compromise for many parents might seem to be found in video games that use the format to educate.

There are even games that encourage more concrete educational development. Not all of these games are appropriate for all ages, but it stands to show that there truly is something of educational merit for everyone. The trick is to figure out what that is. For younger children, there is one skill in particular that video games can help with: reading. The games were specifically designed for teaching 8th-grade children , making it a great educational pick.

As the name suggests, the games take players back to the early s, when the Oregon Trail was in use. The player takes the role of a wagon leader, who must safely guide their party from Independence, Missouri, to Willamette Valley while avoiding numerous hazards and keeping their party safe from hunger and diseases.

Endless Ocean is a great choice for anyone wanting to learn about marine biology. The game offers minimal limitations to the player, letting them explore the ocean around them at their own pace. While down in the sea, players will encounter a huge variety of sea life that will be accurately named and categorized once players discover them. A sequel, titled Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep, was released in and is also worth checking out.

National Geographic Challenge teaches geography to players in a classic gameshow format. Players are predominantly provided with general questions, pictures, or video clips that will test their geographical knowledge. National Geographic Challenge has a handful of different game modes, including a campaign-like explorer mode that will take the player around the world, asking them questions about a variety of subjects involving numerous different countries.

It's worth pointing out straight away that Civilization 6 leans far more towards entertainment than education. However, this has its benefits, as it teaches players in a way that never feels like heavy-handed education, making it a great game to trick children into learning.

Civilization 6 takes players to the Ancient Era of BC and tasks them with building an entire civilization through the ages until AD at the latest. In this time, players will build cities, research topics, build wonders , and more. The research subjects, wonders, world leaders, and city names are historically accurate and will consequently teach players a ton of history on each playthrough. Big Brain Academy was originally released in Japan back in , before releasing in the rest of the world the following year.

The Nintendo DS game is centered around the concept of measuring the player's brain mass. Big Brain Academy gives players a set of questions to ask and problems to solve, such as color coordination, shape matching, image identifying, and more, before scoring their performance. Games have the freedom to explore epic fantasy worlds, but some RPGs opt to incorporate historically accurate details into their campaigns.

A gamer since the age of 3, Jack is knowledgeable about virtually every genre of video game under the sun. He has a soft spot for platformers and collectathons though, and still hasn't given up hope of them making a serious resurgence! My year-old self spent many an afternoon trying to get my digital wagon 2, miles west to safety.

Before you start the trip, you pick a job each has its own unique benefits , name your companions and purchase supplies. Recent updates to the game let you trade, upgrade your wagon and buy food and medicine to increase your group's chances of survival. Along the trip, your group encounters illness, obstructive rivers, highway bandits, food constraints and other complications of the time.

Though the situations are a bit dramatic, players learn fast about pre-planning and making choices with the long term in mind. I played and described above the 5th edition of the game , which you can order on Amazon. Fans of Words with Friends and Scrabble the app or the board game may be drawn to Wordscapes, which allows kids to learn new words and practice logic skills. You get unlimited tries to solve crossword-style puzzles using only a handful of letters with few free hints.

The app challenges you on some levels by prohibiting three-letter words and offering daily puzzles that challenge you to guess all the words in a certain order. Wordscapes has a built-in dictionary that makes it easy for kids to add to their vocabularies. You can play on Android and iOS. What your kids will learn: Logic, spatial orientation skills, design and problem solving. This spunky little game follows the adventures of Sackboy and his friends.

The first two games are mostly platform-jumping and avoiding obstacles to make it to the next level. Players can also create their own levels, customize characters or build complex contraptions in a level. Finally, players have the option to share their creations in the PlayStation Network.

The first game, Little Big Planet, was released in and the creators have released several other entries since then. Little Big Planet 3 is the newest installment , which introduced three new characters: Toggle, Swoop and Oddsock. Run app on Android and iOS. What your kids will learn: Logic, problem-solving, physics, math, science and spatial skills. Even though this mind-bending puzzle game has been out since , it still feels fresh and inventive.

Portal is along the lines of Little Big Planet, but it's a bit more mature. The first Portal got a Teen rating for the inclusion of some bloodstains, but Portal 2 is rated E. The games might be a bit scary or difficult for players under 9 , Common Sense Media suggests. Portal places players in a secret research facility who is led through a series of dangerous tests by a humorously narcissistic AI called GLaDOS.

The puzzles are solved by creating an entry portal in a wall, creating an exit portal somewhere else and walking through.

Players advance by learning how to manipulate physics and spatial constraints. Just try not to fall forever. What your kids will learn : Physics, the solar system, mathematics and basic aerospace engineering. Your kids don't have to play in a cardboard box in the yard if they want to be an astronaut. This rocket simulation game focuses on a space program for an alien race called the Kerbals. When you start a game, you'll be tasked with building a rocket that either works or doesn't work, based on " realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.

The game got a lot of attention from NASA and the B Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to planetary science and planetary defense. The game has three modes -- Science, Career and Sandbox.