7 Fun Games That Are Also Educational
We’re smack in the middle of summer, so any talk of education might seem downright unpatriotic. Still, the dark secret of many great games is that they can teach you stuff without your even realizing it. These winners are as enjoyable as they are edifying.
1. Minecraft
It’s a happy thing that one of the biggest breakout hits of the past few years is secretly teaching our children everything from geometry to resource management to teamwork. Admittedly, it may also be teaching them that diamonds can be turned into excellent swords and that riding a pig is socially acceptable behavior. Good, bad — either way, it’s hard to play Minecraft and not learn anything.
2. LittleBigPlanet 2
Sony struck educational gold with the LittleBigPlanet series. On its surface it’s just a platform game where you can fool about with some level components; underneath it’s an engine for creating your own games, complete with a rich graphical programming language that’s flexible enough to make anything from racers to shooters. Keep your eye out for the game’s third installment, due this November.
3. Bookworm
The more esoteric your verbiage, the more prodigious your remuneration. Bookworm is so educational it even comes with a built-in dictionary. Any game where you’re assembling letters into words can’t fail to be at least somewhat educational — and Bookworm is just as much fun for adults as it is for kids.
4. Scribblenauts Unlimited
Another great game for inspiring an interest in vocabulary, the Scribblenauts series sets players to solving problems with nothing more than their imagination, their words, and a game engine that brings them to life. Chasm getting in your way? No problem: Summon a nuclear dragon and fly over it. Or a ladder to climb over it. Or Mario to help you jump it — yes, the newest version includes cameos from famous Nintendo characters.
5. Civilization 5
Our last Civ 5 game finished with the Native Americans crushing the rebellious Celts with a fleet of missile destroyers shortly before successfully colonizing Alpha Centauri and winning the game. So, no, it’s not exactly a wealth of historical insight. But it does give its players a reasonably good understanding of the factors that drove the development of modern societies from hunter-gather civilizations all the way to the Internet (and beyond).
6. Oregon Trail
No discussion of educational games would be complete without mentioning Oregon Trail, responsible for introducing a whole generation of today’s adults to American history, strategic planning, and dysentery as they load up their wagons and attempt to trek all the way from Missouri to Oregon. Originally written way back in 1971 on a computer the size of a fridge, these days the game is best played on 3DS, iOS, or Android.
7. SimCity
A storied franchise that’s enthralled millions of gamers, SimCity’s meaty themes — budget management, urban planning, economics, and environmentalism — mean it’s packed with robust learning opportunities. The latest version (confusingly just called SimCity) looks great and has imaginative online features but wasn’t well-liked by fans. SimCity 4, however, is available on Steam (and often discounted, too).
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