Such material is especially prevalent among teachers the world over, and Paul Edelman has created a successful site for sharing it all. TeachersPayTeachers is the former NYC public school teacher’s site, and it was recently profiled in a New York Times article, which is where I found out about it.

Intrigued with Mr. Edelman’s successful site, I gathered several cut and paste items and assembled them into a document entitled “95 Graphs Grids and Games.”

The doc is divided into four sections. Section One is devoted to graphs and graph paper, and offers 30 selections that can be printed or shown on an interactive whiteboard. Section Two features number grids, including multiplication tables up to 15×15 and several number lines. Section Three centers on language arts, and features alphabet grids and writing lines. If you need some lined paper you can simply print out one of four full page selections and let kids write away.

Finally, Section Four is for games, and I included several that teachers can print out or use in other applications. Traditional checkerboards and/or chess boards are included, along with simpler fare like Tic-Tac-Toe templates. Three Soduko templates are included: those for traditional Soduko, Hyper Soduko, and Six Way Soduko. The three modifiable Soduko templates can be edited in Word.

Finally, two samples of the medieval board game Nine Men’s Morris are included, a small playing board and a full page version. Nine Men’s Morris was a popular board game in the Middle Ages, and rivals checkers in its simplicity, style, and strategy. Unfortunately, Nine Men’s Morris faded in popularity while Checkers remained widely played. There are several variants for Nine Men’s Morris, including Eleven and Twelve Men’s Morris, Six Men’s Morris, Three Men’s Morris, and Achi, which is an African variant. I offer board layouts for each. Finally, I included a code-substitution game of my own design that students can use to create their own secret  codes.

Offered as a free preview for 95 Graphs Grids and Games: one of my favorite full page graphs, “Graph Paper 16.” So, even if you aren’t interested in shelling out $3.00 for the whole 72 page document, you can grab a great graphing paper template gratis.

Finding a fun way to teach children the skills they need to know has always been a problem for educators who have constantly attempted to keep the attention of a class full of 30 4^th graders.  The concept of educational computer games was a revolutionary method in which to teach important math and reading skills while still making the process fun for students.  Additionally, allowing the game to be played on a computer rather than a board game was added incentive since at the time of many games’ inception, computers were still a brand new technological feat.  The Learning Company was the main manufacturer of children’s educational games, and therefore the majority of the early games were designed through this company.

Munchers

One of the first educational computer games, Munchers had both Word Munchers and Number Munchers which worked on different educational aspects.  Created in the early 1980s, the game flourished as the player controlled a muncher character which sought to “eat” all the boxes which contained certain information according to the criteria set.  This was especially educational in Number Munchers, in which most of the criteria revolved around harder math sets.  As computers progressed, more games were created such as Super Munchers and Fraction Munchers which were meant to keep appealing to students of all grade-levels.

Midnight Rescue!

One of the later games within the Shady Glen series, Midnight Rescue helped to develop children’s reading and problem solving skills while allowing them to follow a story line.  In this game, the Master of Mischief wants to make the Shady Glen School disappear through invisible paint, and it is up to you as the Super Solver to determine which robot has the invisible paint.  You as the player only have 9 minutes to stop the Master of Mischief, but you get to uncover clues and eventually stop the character from painting the school.  Additionally, different classical pieces such as In the Hall of the Mountain King and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice are played throughout the game, giving students a taste of classical music.

Outnumbered!

Another in the “Shady Glen” series, this game serves to teach children mathematical computation and problem solving, as the character must navigate through the Shady Glen Television Station in order to find the Master of Mischief.  Once again, the player has 9 minutes in which to find the Master of Mischief, as clues are given after every problem that is correctly solved.  Additionally, more classical music by Rachmaninoff and Mozart are played throughout the game to continue introducing children to the classics.

Spellbound

This was a unique game in the Shady Glen series since it allowed students to participate in a Spelling Bee of sorts, even allowing the player to input their own words into the flash cards.  This was especially helpful when students were preparing for spelling tests, since this offered them a fun chance to study.  The player competes once more against the Master of Mischief and has the opportunity to move up in levels from the Classroom to the National level.

Reader Rabbit

In an attempt to promote a higher reading level amongst younger students, Reader Rabbit was instated in order to provide these students with an incentive to read.  This game caters to younger children, from infancy to second grade, and teaches them basic reading and spelling skills.  Appealing to many young children at the time because of the helpful rabbit, this game helped produce a mass of sequels to it which allowed kids to take Reader Rabbit on different adventures to boost their reading skills.

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This post was contributed by Jill Gordon, who writes about the online colleges. She welcomes your feedback at Jill.Gordon25 at yahoo.com

Like many kids of the 60s and 70s, I had a slot car track, powered by electricity, that allowed me and my friends to race tiny cars. The biggest problem was in keeping the cars on the tracks as they zoomed around the curves. There was something spectacular, though, about watching a tiny car fly off the track and across the room. It definitely taught us that control was more important than speed.

Mark Yost has an article in this morning’s Wall Street Journal (he also wrote about electric football in 2008) about the United Slot Racers Association’s Scale Division National Championships. Yes, there is a formal organization devoted to racing slot cars, on custom tracks up to 165 feet long. Control is still an issue; even on these gargantuan tracks, racers must take care to slow down on curves. Cost is considerably higher, too, as the joysticks used are customized for trigger pull and allow the tiny cars (1/24 scale to the real Indy racers) to actually brake around curves. The cars themselves can cost $600 or more.

Although there is considerable math and engineering in this upper echelon of a once popular hobby, providing a potential entryway to relay some pedagogical concepts to kids if they could only be interested, few pay the hobby much attention since its heyday 40 years ago.

“I think that kids who are into math and science or who like to build things in the garage might like our sport, because there’s a lot to calculate with gear ratios and things like that,” said [one of the racers]. “But it’s clear that most of the kids today prefer video games.”

Indeed, most aficionados are 50 or older. Only one teen competitor was mentioned, and he came in second in the competition. He was introduced to the sport by his father. The players lamented that videogames now are dominant in such competitive forays. One said: “Xbox is our enemy.” The older folks suggested that when they pass on, competitive slot car racing will, too.

References:
Yost, M. (2009, June 4). Gentlemen, slot your engines. The Wall Street Journal, D6.

The Eighties were an exciting time for video games, as graphics and computing power increased to the point where games started to become visually appealing and interactive. Educational games from that decade in particular taught teachers, parents, students, and designers things that are still influencing titles today.

Thanks to the wonders of the web, the original versions of these games are often available online, and there are discs and ports to other platforms floating around as well. Playing the original versions, while nostalgic, also helps remind us what made these games important. Some things they taught us were good (learning can be fun when presented properly). Some things, not so good (skill and drill only gets you so far, even in a game). Read on for a trip down memory lane, a discussion of each game’s significance, and some locations to try out versions for free.

1. The Oregon Trail

Released: The Oregon Trail came out in 1985 for the Apple II from Brøderbund. Earlier versions were produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC).

Significance: Showed us resource management could be a fun and thoughtful element within an educational video game, with a strong dollop of historical context to boot.

Commentary: First developed in the 1970s by student teacher Don Rawitsch, the game probably stretched the boundaries of good taste in some ways, perhaps making it all the more intriguing to school children. Some of the elements bordered on the scatological (“You have dysentery!”). The hunting mini-game was popular with boys, introducing video game shoot-em-ups on school computers; those were more innocent times. But teachers in the 1980s were happy to put all those Apple II and IIe computers to good use engaging students. Even better, kids actually picked up a pedagogical point or two.

A good review, and a link to the original disc image and an Apple IIe emulator are available over at classicgaming.gamespy.com. A web version requiring merely a browser plugin is available at virtualapple.org. An online version called Westward Trail is available here.

2. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Released: The original Carmen Sandiego title also came out in 1985 for the Apple II from Brøderbund; 1985 was a good year for the company.

Significance: Showed us a boring school topic (geography) could be presented in an interesting way within the videogame medium.

Commentary: According to Wikipedia, Gary Carlston, who helped found Brøderbund, was personally committed to making geography fun and spearheaded efforts to develop the game. Indeed, almanacs were never so cool as students followed the trail of a master thief across the world. Subsequent titles focused on the United States, Europe, and even the space-time continuum. The Carmen Sandiego games were lauded for their educational content, and found their way into classrooms everywhere. For a while, The Learning Company kept up a free online version based on the TV series. Alas, those wishing to play down memory lane for free will have to check the abandoned software sites. As of this writing, the 1991 DOS version is available for download here.

3. SimCity

Released: One of the two first games released by Maxis, in 1989.

Significance: Showed us that games without a clear way to win can still be fun, educational, and time consuming.

Commentary: The first smash hit from legendary game designer Will Wright, and one of the first for the Maxis software company, SimCity was destined for greatness. Legend has it the project was turned down by all the big gaming companies, including Brøderbund, when Wright pitched it on account of the game’s objectives were ill defined. How they must rue the day now, as the Sim line of titles has sold in the multi-million copy range for years. The game spearheaded a wide variety of complex computer social simulations featuring variable manipulations for education, business, and entertainment.

Users have long been able to play Classic SimCity online. Earlier this year, the original code was released as open source so it could be loaded on the XO, better known as the “$100 Laptop,” as part of the One Laptop Per Child initiative. The open source version uses the name Micropolis, Wright’s original name for the program.

4. Reader Rabbit

Released: The first title in the Reader Rabbit series was released by The Learning Company in 1989.

Significance: Showed us that computer games could be effectively used in early education introducing toddlers to language arts.

Commentary: Reader Rabbit is a household name in educational software, and the series remains active. Reader Rabbit became one of the early educational gaming series that capitalized on name brand awareness. Many innovators in the edutainment genre followed the Reader Rabbit formula of placing educational content for young players in a fun and interactive environment. Among the more notable: titles in the JumpStart series.

The first edition of Reader Rabbit featured word games designed to introduce letters and sounds to children. Subsequent titles rapidly increased in complexity. It’s hard to find the original online, but for those interested in sampling the look and feel of the series, Riverdeep offers a trial download of the Learning to Read with Phonics version here.

5. Math Blaster

Released: The first title in the Math Blaster series was released by Davidson in 1987.

Significance: Demonstrated how basic math worksheets could be fun when delivered within a videogaming environment.

Commentary: Math Blaster is yet another household name in edutainment with versions still being released under the brand. Brian Crecente over at Kotaku noted a version for the Nintendo DS is to be ported over later this year. One item of interest is the notion of interspersing math problems within a pure gaming environment. I remember playing a version requiring the proper answering of basic equations in order to load up on ammo for the space “blasting” game. This particular type of edutainment has been criticized as the “chocolate covered broccoli” approach to educational gaming, notably by Justin Peters in Slate among others. In other words, it couches the boring, educationally valuable stuff (math worksheets, in this case) within a fun gaming environment. In that regard, many serious game designers today often try other approaches, such as integrating pedagogy directly in the game play. Finding a free online copy to play is tough, but a 2 hour free trial of a recent version is available from DemoNews.com.

6. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
Released: Software Toolworks released the first version of Mavis Beacon in 1987.

Significance: Showed us computer skills could be effectively drilled through playful software.

Commentary: I was in an electronics store in College Station in the late ’80s, near the software section. A couple of elementary teachers walked in, and one of them saw the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing box on the shelf.

“Look! It’s Mavis Beacon,” she said, a note of wonder in her voice.

The other one said, “Mavis! What are you doing now!?”

They stood and stared for a while, gushing in their praise for Ms. Beacon. After they left, I wandered over and inspected the box. On impulse, I bought it and brought it home. Someday I’ll have to write about the house I lived in while attending Texas A&M. Up to eight guys lived there at any given time; most were engineering or ag science students. We had a BBS set up on a separate phone line, and spent a lot of time on TAMU mainframes. It was a terrific introduction to educational computing, and PCs were still young back then. To show you what nerds my roommates and I were, all of us took turns on Mavis Beacon to see who could type the fastest, a competition that lasted all semester.

Alas, little did the elementary teachers from so long ago know, nor I, nor my roommates, but Mavis Beacon was a marketing nom de guerre. It turns out the picture of the smiling Mavis was that of a model, and like Betty Crocker she was a persona created to sell products. Regardless, the product was a good one, and it has helped countless people improve their typing down through the years. Version 17 of the venerable program is available for trial download here.

7. Lemonade Stand
Released: Created by Bobb Jamison from the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) in 1973; coded for the Apple II by Charlie Kellner in 1979. Copies were included with Apple computers sold throughout the Eighties.

Significance: Showed us that potentially complex and hard to understand concepts like economic theory could be simply and effectively illustrated in a video game.

Commentary: MECC was one of the great success stories of early educational computing, and Lemonade Stand is perhaps their most famous program after The Oregon Trail. A holdover from the 1970s, a version of Lemonade Stand was included with Apple II machines into the Eighties. Countless school children fired it up and were introduced to economic theory through playing the game. A web version (one among many) is available here.

The game was a “practical simulation,” combining economic theory with simple concepts kids understand (i.e., a lemonade stand). It showed that with judicious decisions, positive outcomes were possible even with variables outside the player’s control (like the weather). The concept has not died, and there are later versions like Lemonade Empire, Hot Dog Stand, and others which follow the same concept.

8. Number Munchers
Released: The DOS version was released in 1988 by MECC.

Significance: Showed basic skill and drill for math could be much more fun on a video screen than on paper.

Commentary: NumberMunchers was the first title in MECC’s muncher series, followed by WordMunchers and others. Vaguely resembling PacMan, players rushed to find correct numbers to the problem onscreen before getting “eaten” by troggles, a process which forced quick mental calculations. It continues to prove exceptionally popular, both among those remembering it from their school days to new adherents recently discovering the game. Online versions abound, but the most important one is over at numbermunchers.org. The actual game can be freely downloaded from PC Magazine here.

9. Zork
Released: 1980, Infocom’s first game.

Significance: Showed that interactive fiction was a compelling medium.

Commentary: To anyone who played it, the opening lines from Zork are immortal: “You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here.”
Was it educational? Indirectly. The game certainly made players read and think, exercises which parents and teachers have harangued youngsters about for years. I played an early version of this game thanks to a fun loving uncle who had access to his office’s mainframe after hours. I think the game was an eye-opener as to what could be done with narrative text and programming. It inspired legions of imitators, but was quickly made obsolete by such graphical games as Wizardry and Ultima I. Infocom’s fate was tied to the ascension of graphical computing as well, as it was bought out by Activision and faded from prominence before the end of the decade. There are still versions of all games in the Zork series floating around online, and its predecessor Adventure. Java versions of Infocom titles as of this writing are available here.

10. Windows Solitaire
Released: Developed in 1989 by Microsoft intern Wes Cherry. Included in Windows 3.0 and every Windows version since 1990.

Significance: Eased the transition to a mouse-based GUI for millions of computer users. Showed us games can have an enormous impact on business computing skills.

Commentary: Before 1990, early versions of Microsoft Windows were nothing more than fancy menu systems, presenting a list of programs to choose when starting the computer. I recall reading PC Magazine when Windows 3.0 was introduced, telling us that finally here was a version of Windows worth getting, so I did. Like many others firing up Windows 3.0 the first time, I noticed the Games folder, and quickly tried out Windows Solitaire. The brilliance behind placing this game within Windows was the fact most DOS users grew up on keyboard commands and shortcuts. Despite the proliferation of menu systems, most computers booted to the C prompt, requiring a typed command to start programs. Windows 3.0 not only used the mouse, it required the mouse for navigation. After a few rounds with Windows Solitaire, even the most diehard keyboard shortcut user who had used the same key combinations since the days of WordStar, became proficient with clicking, dragging and dropping with a mouse. In some ways, Windows Solitaire became the most successful educational video game of all time.

Windows Solitaire is still available for free in Vista. The Media Center Solitaire Power Toy for XP is available from Microsoft here.

Honorable Mention: M.U.L.E.
Released: 1983 from Ozark Softscape via Electronic Arts, originally for Atari products.

Significance: Showed developers how to do multi-player action. Inspired many future programmers.

Commentary: Lazarus Long was a character developed by science fiction author Robert Heinlein as a time travelling fellow who could not, would not die. In Time Enough for Love, readers found Long on a frontier planet, where old fashioned technology was used until colonists could become self sufficient. The book provided an interesting dichotomy between space ships bringing in supplies and colonists using farm animals to settle the new world. Among the many derivative works from Heinlein’s writings (the Starship Troopers board game and movie, for instance), came M.U.L.E., an early multi-player video game. M.U.L.E. stands for Multiple Use Labor Element, and is named after the animals used in Heinlein’s book. The game focuses on supply and demand economics, and allows players to take turns exploiting resources on a recently colonized planet (the planet’s name is Irata in the game, or Atari spelled backwards).

One of the nice things about writing a blog is feedback from readers, and with any top ten list somebody may feel an important item is left out. Keri Mogret commented to suggest M.U.L.E. should be included as an influential educational game from the 1980s, and I heartily agree, resulting in the addition here of M.U.L.E. to the original top ten.

This particular game was something I’d heard about and later read about, but never had the pleasure of playing. (Yes, I read all of Heinlein’s books, but never played the games. Sorry. I did see the Starship Troopers board game at a relative’s house, ca. 1980, and looked at it but didn’t play.)

Via emulators, M.U.L.E. can be downloaded nowadays from several sources. Here’s one good site, and here’s a great fan site. Subtrade is reportedly the best clone of M.U.L.E., and by some accounts is actually better than the original game.

Honorable Mention: Rocky’s Boots
Released: 1982 by The Learning Company for various platforms; authored by Warren Robinett and Leslie Grimm.

Significance: Showed us a graphical game engine was viable for educational gaming.

Commentary: Rocky’s Boots and its sequel, Robot Odyssey (based on the same gaming engine) were puzzle games requiring players to think their way through solutions. The object of the game involved kicking different shapes off a conveyer belt for points. The concept of using computer graphics in a game designed to make children think was somewhat revolutionary at the time, and Rocky’s Boots won several awards. Here’s a quote from an abstract for a paper in 1984:

Rocky’s Boots (RB), an educational game developed for use with Apple computers, is widely considered to be one of the most imaginative and engaging pieces of educational software currently available. RB presents an introduction to the logical concepts of AND, OR, and NOT. Players incorporate these concepts into arguments which are modeled as “machines.”

Coauthor Warren Robinett keeps a page devoted to the game here, including a disc image that can be played with an Apple II emulator.

Stern Pinball in Melrose Park, IL is the company. Owner Gary Stern’s father started the business in 1947.

From its beginning in the 1930s, pinball scored with Americans and kept manufacturers busy supplying games to arcades, bowling alleys and bars. Depending on a player’s skill, which came into play with the invention of the machine’s flipper in 1947, a nickel or dime could buy seconds or hours of entertainment.

 

Today, Stern manufactures thousands of pinball machines a year, producing three or four different models featuring TV or movie characters, such as The Simpsons, Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. The company spends up to a year and $1 million designing a game.

Pinball remains very much an RL, 3D venture, despite the addition of electronics and flashing lights. Machines can contain over 3500 parts and half a mile of wiring. Computer coding is involved, too; Attoun interviewed Lonnie Ropp, a programmer with Stern.

Vintage machines are in demand as well, as baby boomers scoop up remembrances of their youth. This has caused popular models to rise in value. A machine called Medieval Madness has doubled from its $4000 introductory price ten years ago.

The changes in culture and attitudes toward gaming continue to intrigue. Video gaming has all but killed the humble pinball machine, just as other digital gaming devices (slot machines and video poker, for instance) have overrun their mechanical grandparents.

Can pinball machines teach today’s youth anything? Eye-hand coordination comes to mind. Perhaps pinball is more intense, in some ways, with its flippers and physical presence, than a console’s joysticks. Also, a commenter on American Profile’s site notes that pinball taught them anger management through the “tilt” mechanism, where players automatically lose the game (and their money) if they’re too rough with the machine.

References:
Attoun, M. (2008, March 2). Preserving pinball. American Profile, pp. 12, 14. [Online]. Available: http://www.americanprofile.com/article/25738.html

Unfortunately, the game is not supported on Verizon phones (Verizon doesn’t support the J2ME programming language for phones that the games use). But, those with other carriers should be fine. Just use your cell phone to surf to the site and download the game. I can see this as useful for young math students to help them stay in practice. Most every kid seems to carry a cell phone these days, and parents should feel they are at least getting some mental math workouts with this game rather than the mindless twitching found in many commercial games.

Anderson also offers a free backgammon game at the site. Although his work is gratis to anyone interested, he does solicit donations if you enjoy the games. Currently he cross-promotes EDU Blaster with knowitall.org. In the works is a cell phone book implementation, featuring the classics at first and perhaps original fiction in the future.

So give PHDGaming a visit, and download Steven’s games to your phone. His site is well worth investigating.

Much video gaming research we’ve looked at recently has at least given lip service to the differences in gaming habits of boys and girls; such easily coded research will no doubt continue to be published. Social scientists will continue to be interested in investigating race as well as gender, and the relationships both groupings have with media and consumers of media.

Now, The Escapist magazine has an interesting article detailing the history of race in video games. And by race, we don’t mean elf, dwarf, orc, or human; we mean what non-gamers think of when discussing race. Andy Chalk writes a brief history of gaming’s darker side, with a look back at patently offensive games brimming with racial epithets and put-downs. He examines the following games: Prey, Daikatana, Shadow Warrior, and the infamous 1982 title for Atari, Custer’s Revenge.

Chalk ends by pointing out the positive ways many current titles have dealt with race, mostly by presenting minorities in positive roles. The titles he brings up include F.E.A.R., Half Life 2, Deus Ex, and Grand Theft Auto (though some might argue that although the GTA series do show minorities in leading roles, the violent nature of the games do not lend themselves to positive portrayals).

Chalk’s article may be good for academics looking for a primer on race history in video games, as well as a good reference to both good and bad racial presentations within popular games. Foul language alert for those more sensitive to swear words. Chalk also has a brief history of game ratings here.

References
Chalk, A. (2007, August 16). A short history of race in games. The Escapist. [Online.] Available: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/
1353-A-Short-History-of-Race-in-Games

Why did I have to bore myself senseless reading accounts of the political instability of early twentieth century Europe and trying to understand Albert Camus’s existentialist philosophies when I could have been sitting down to a feverish study session of early LucasArts adventure games.

Luke Plunkett over at Kotaku says, “Expect enrolments to be somewhat popular.”

My take: this is merely a continuation of the trend in taking various aspects of video games seriously as academic endeavors. In the D/FW area, when SMU offered a master’s degree in video game development, it was big news. The imprimatur of a major university bestowed upon a graduate degree involving video games? It just goes to show that most all things eventually are deemed worthy of study in academia. Even video games.

References

Ingham, T. (July 26, 2007). Government to introduce ‘video games GCSE’. [Online]. Available: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/27874/
Government-to-introduce-video-games-GCSE

You dropped a 15-kopek coin into the slot and were transported to a world of adventure: win a sea or air battle, take part in a race, shoot at targets, or have a hockey game with friends.

Now comes a story of a New Jersey man whose hobby collecting vintage video games has expanded from the world of traditional newsletters to a vibrant website. Joe Santulli runs www.DigitPress.com for video game collectors. The site bills itself as “The Video Game Database.” The site is linked to Santulli’s RL store, Digital Press Video Games which specializes in vintage and no longer published titles. Santulli’s private collection is viewable here: www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery/digitalpress

Researchers looking into vintage video games should find both the MSTU museum and the DigitPress resources valuable tools.