Do Kids Even Have Proper Edutainment Games Anymore?

I planned on opening this article with some statistics from the National Literacy Institute, but rattling off stats won’t mean anything. Just know this: illiteracy is becoming a major issue in the United States — among adults and kids alike. Many folks spend a lot of energy talking about “tablet children,” which is a problem, certainly. In addition to parents letting technology raise their kids, however, I believe we also suffer from a lack of meaningful options.

Granted, this is going to be a “BACK IN MY DAY, WE HAD–” kind of joint. But, seriously, when you think about what kids are doing or playing on their tablets, where are their “educational” choices? It damn sure ain’t Fortnite — unless “enhancing hand-eye coordination” is a priority. Roblox is, uh… you know. Now, Minecraft is where it’s at for modern-day educational value for children. They have an entire website dedicated to how Minecraft can enrich a child’s development during their formative years!

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I can’t help but feel that kids today are missing out, though. Where’s their Reader Rabbit? Their Living Books library? Is there even a Humongous Entertainment equivalent now? Putt-Putt. Spy Fox. My personal favorite: Pajama Sam. Growing up, I had a whole roster of edutainment all-stars that genuinely helped me when I needed it the most. It’s one thing when you’re going to school and feel the pressure of needing to succeed and get good grades. It’s something entirely different when a video game secretly teaches you at your own pace and in the comfort of your home.

then, there was ‘oregon trail’ — the edutainment final boss for any kid

Oregon Trail was the real monster under the bed back in the day. It was originally designed by teachers, actually! It was problem-solving hell. The objective is simple enough (if you somehow don’t recognize an edutainment pioneer): get yourself and your group from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon. But, the developers decided, “Hmm… what if we made kids suffer on the way to their destination?”

You had to buy and manage your supplies and food rations. But, you couldn’t buy too much food or it’d spoil, wasting money better spent elsewhere. Obviously, if you don’t buy enough, people start starving. Getting sick. Dying horribly of the dreaded dysentery. Then, you had to worry about unpredictable weather conditions — which could slow you down. But, wait, kids, there’s more! How about your wagon randomly breaking down? Or bandits showing up? Or losing half of your group and supplies because you thought it’d be a good idea to ford that river?

Oregon Trail taught you how to manage your time and resources properly. If you want kids to understand the consequences of their ill-fated decisions, find one of the millions of Oregon Trail variants and watch as they eventually become seasoned settlers. Kids growing up now need an Oregon Trail more than they know.