Edu-tastic

There are lots of game developers out there trying to design educational games for children.

I applaud them in their efforts, the results of which are often scorned by OG gamers. And, honestly, many times both education and gaming are diminished in the attempt to combine the two.

I'd like to see a company look toward making educational games for adults. Not "adult" games - rather, games aimed at what is commonly called "continuing education." Help us older folks get some learnin'.

Maybe a game that explores interesting facets of history. Both in broad sense and specifics. I really like minutiae, what some would label "trivia". I also like to read accounts of everyday living, not just the broad strokes that history classes seem to cover. It would be interesting to see a game that strives toward small, simple, compact explorations rather than broad, powerful ones.

Suggested reading is Thereby Hangs A Tale, a book where every word contains an awesome historical explanation, like a bowl of assorted chunks of fruit, where every bite contains different flavors to experience.

Somehow making a game that allows explorations of history like in James Burke's Connections series.

I have no idea what that might look like. Give me some time - and about five million dollars in grant money for research.

MIT has some examples of what I'm babbling about. Here's their more current site.