I got an email from an online university site pointing out that they have a post on 20 educational games that were ahead of their time. It’s a good list and may get you thinking of how fun educational games can be. Obviously, it’s their list which may be missing games that you once loved when you were younger. My favourite from their list is none other than Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1985):
Game developer Gary Carlston, a founder of Broderbund, wanted to make geography fun for learners, so he spearheaded this early educational project. To say it was successful would be an understatement, as it spawned numerous sequels (players could track Carmen through the U.S., Europe, and even time) and a game show in the early 1990s. Play involved chasing down a master thief, the eponymous Carmen Sandiego, around the world and answering geography questions correctly in order to retrieve objects and foil her plans. Its success was not only in its popularity: it also proved that games were the ideal medium for making just about any educational topic, even those that didn’t usually get kids excited about, fun and engaging.