According to FAS, American teens don't have the know-how to map a white blood cell system. Immune Attack gets them up to speed by providing them not only with text-dense screens about blood cells, but also with a full 3D game that incorporates elements of first-person shooters and Star Fox (only not in space). As a bonus, it also inspires computer studies students to make their own video games.

The objective in Immune Attack is to guide your nanomachine craft through a patient's bloodstream. You're sussing out a bacterial infection, which provides you plenty of nasty things to shoot at while navigating past healthy blood cells and other naturally-occurring grossness in the human body.

Dr. Melanie Ann Stegman — a member of FAS — will present her findings on the effectiveness the game has as a learning tool in a press conference tomorrow at the San Diego Convention Center. A press release sent out this morning quotes her as saying, "Basically, Immune Attack is cool. After playing the game, or even after just watching the trailer, high school programmers are extremely motivated to create video games of their own based on the premise of a cell-sized submarine called a Microbot."

All I can say is that if Immune Attack is a success, perhaps we're one step closer to this kind of edutainment.

You can get the details on that or download the game here.

The Wall Street Journal reports that DreamBox — along with other web-based learning game sites like SmartyCard, Brightstorm and Grockit — is closing the gap between between a child's expected math performance and actual math performance. It's also dragging the outdated edutainment games of yesteryear into the MySpace-oriented generation with it's big, bright fairies and ominous improper fractions.

The Journal writes:

The online educational industry has been getting a big boost from venture capital firms. Last year, about $1 billion was invested in learning technology companies, according to Ambient Insight, a market research firm focusing on education and technology. That's up from $850.6 million invested in 2007.

Jeez, soon kids won't even have to go to school anymore. And what gives with the 6-year-old not being assigned homework? If I had to go to school, why couldn't I have gone to a school like that?

Pursuing an Academic Edge at Home [Wall Street Journal]

Games are no stranger to schools, of course. Think back to the 80s when at least 30 minutes of every school day was given over to drowning your wagon in Oregon Trail in the name of History class, or letting your SimCity fall to ruin through crime and tornadoes on behalf of Social Studies. From the first school-sanctioned games like these to the full-blown edutainment of today, it's safe to say educators are aware of the learning potential in video games.

But taking a step further and actually developing a curriculum around the Nintendo DS takes innovation – and money. After all, there's only so far math drills can really take you whether you're on a PC or DS and money for education systems still doesn't grow on trees.

Leading the charge toward a Nintenducation in the UK is Scotland. Their Centre for Games and Learning (aka The Consolarium) is an extension of the Scottish Government Schools Directorate that presents teachers and education administrators with ideas for implementing all kinds of gaming consoles into schools.

Derek Robertson, National Adviser for Emerging Technologies and Learning and administrator of the Consolarium, says that the use of the DS in schools is now commonplace, compared to when he first introduced the consoles to schools in 2006. "Initially I purchased 30 [Nintendo DS consoles] and carried out my first Dr. Kawashima [aka Brain Age] trial. The extended trial saw us handing out over 450 consoles to support our project."

The Consolarium encourages schools to the use the DS for more than just math drills and brain training puzzles. "We suggest that schools follow [the Brain Age] methodology although they are free to trial other approaches," said Robertson. "Our main approach is not to prescribe a series of lesson plans but to suggest how the game, be it Nintendogs or Hotel Dusk, can be used as the contextual hub about which learning in a variety of curricular links can grow from."

Translation: students get to play Hotel Dusk. In class.

This application of the DS to schools marks a paradigm shift in the relationship between games and education. In the old days (by which I mean the 80s and early 90s), Oregon Trail and SimCity were phased out in favor of more learning-specific software like Math Blaster. There's nothing wrong with dressing up multiplication tables in interactive software, of course. But it did limit learning opportunities to whatever the game was programmed to do and it put teachers in a hands-off role.

With games like Nintendogs, teachers get to be creative, designing lesson plans around what happens in the game. For example, teachers in two Scottish schools used the virtual pet sim back in 2008 as a way to tempt kids into reading up on the first dog in space. Students also wrote stories about their Nintendog and competed with their classmates in the in-game competitions for real life prizes from the teacher. This year, another Scottish teacher has used the Nintendogs initiative to launch an art project where students tried to use what they saw in the game to influence the dogs that they drew or painted in real life.

Although the success of these programs is hard to measure (aside from teacher, parent and student testimony), something clearly seems to be working for Nintenducation. Robertson said Scottish schools are starting to shell out for their own consoles because they've seen results from the Consolarium's initiative. One school even received a donation offer within the last two months for 2500 DS consoles.

Meanwhile, in England, the Consolarium's ideas are starting to catch on. Dawn Hollybone is a teacher at Oakdale Junior School in London where students aged 7-11 are getting their hands on both Brain Age and Professor Layton to further their education.

"We use the consoles for 20 minutes a day," she said. "Each year group has a session timetable per day and then I ask that they use it at least three times a week. The use of these is planned into each individual lesson, [so if it's] part of a maths session, then it may be used as a mental starter to warm up… or as part of a Literacy lesson, the class may use the reading aloud programme or syllable counter."

Additionally, Hollybone also uses PictoChat as a way to bulk up writing exercises by having students write to one another and collaborate on projects.

"In this way they are not merely 'just' playing the games they are used as a way into a lesson or as a plenary," Hollybone said.

It all looks incredibly awesome (or maybe we're blinded by jealousy); but there are some concerns that critics have raised over DS usage in schools. There's the obvious "games don't teach kids" arguments we're used to hearing from the Oregon Trail days; but there's also a valid concern about the cost of putting a DS in the hands of every school child. Not all school systems are as small Scotland's or Japan's – and here in the US, the cost of public education through taxes barely covers school lunches, never mind a $100+ console plus $30 games.

"I suppose costs are a barrier but if that's all we have to worry about, then great," said Robertson. He said he's more concerned about getting the message out to critics of the methodology itself that games are good learning tools, not some subversive pop culture enemy. "There is still a worry over the media's general propensity to perpetuate the moral panic argument or for the impact to be lost in an intellectual debate, but I feel as though we have managed to change attitudes… and are helping to change attitudes beyond our [borders]."

Japan seems to have their back at least — in Kyoto Prefecture (Nintendo's home base), Nintenducation is still going strong in Yawata City after being introduced about three years ago. Last month in neighboring Osaka Prefecture, there were reports that the Osaka Board of Education approved a measure that would allow 10 middle and elementary schools in the area to incorporate the DS into the classroom experience.

So what can we expect for the US schools? Nintendo couldn't be reached for comment on this feature, but we did get in touch a middle school history teach and a DS-fluent parent to get their take.

Caitlin Ferguson is a 9th Grade Geography teacher at Port of Los Angeles High School in California. She herself doesn't own a DS, but having seen it in the hands of some of her friends, she's vaguely aware of its educational potential. But in a school system where High School students already have regular access to computers, she thinks a Nintendo DS might be overkill.

"They're lackadaisical as it is," she said. "If they're getting the work done… I could see using it as an enrichment tool, rather than a curriculum tool." An example of that would be letting students play Brain Age only after they'd completed their regular math assignment – instead of before.

Ferguson did acknowledge that teachers could take Nintenducation a step further if the school passed out DS consoles to students. For example, she suggested that a Life Skills class could assign students an exercise where they compare Cooking Mama recipes with real-life cooking recipes and pick out all the differences.

Ultimately, though, Ferguson's concern about putting the DS in schools is that it will be a barrier between teacher and student. "There's so much interaction [that happens] between teacher and student," she said. "It can't be replaced by a DS. Neither can the work."

Ferguson's concerns about the line between work and play are echoed by parent Julia Temple. Her son is in 3rd grade at St. Paul's Episcopal School in California and for the money she pays, she doesn't want him playing games instead of traditional learning.

"I wouldn't be happy if they gave [students] DSs at school," Temple said. "I could see that maybe it would engage children… it could make for a positive experience." But to her, the DS is a toy used for having fun, not for learning; she thinks the time a student spends gaming would be better spent with a book.

Temple said she was alright with students learning on computers, though, because she sees them as a part of everyday life that students have to learn eventually. "The DS is very limited," she said. "You can do more on a computer."

But, like the critics, Temple's biggest concern is cost: "Ultimately, I don't think they should have DSs in school because we have so many other things we could be spending money on."

We may not see Nintenducation in the US anytime soon because of the economy. But if Japan and the United Kingdom show consistent promise with their DS programs, it may be only a matter of money and not of principle that keeps the consoles out of school. Like they say, knowledge is power - and like Nintendo used to tell us back in the 80s: "Now you're playing with power."

I'm no patent inspector or IP attorney, but what's being described here looks like an application of the Wiimote, not some new hardware or peripheral. By using the Wiimote inits pointer mode, kids (or those with developmental disabilities) work on activities such as identifying shapes, recognizing letters and colors and animals. The software will offer some audiovisual cue and the little tyke will use the Wiimote to register the correct answer. For example, What is Mario fondling in this picture? That's right, he's fondling a SKUNK. (OK, he's fondling a cat.)

Using the Wiimote's motion capabilities, kids can simulate certain chores or personal hygiene tasks, reinforcing their necessity and teaching responsibility for them. Mario and Pikachu are depicted in the filing as characters involved in this game. The application also makes reference to other licensed characters, like Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder.

Siliconera found the filing yesterday. This isn't proof of an actual product under development. Nintendo could also be working on something along these lines that comes out completely different. But it does give a good hint that Ninty's taking a hard look at the edutainment market.

Is Nintendo Taking a Big Step Toward Edutainment [Siliconera via Joystiq]

DreamBox Learning launches its new site today, featuring an Amazon.com-ish interface for teachers to navigate its math programs games. A monthly subscription to the site comes at $49 $12.95 a pop, compared to the $20 a month Indian Math Online charges for its interactive lessons.

The difference here is the fun factor, supposedly. Lou Gray, DreamBox Learning’s chief executive officer, tells the New York Times that his company has perfected the balance between learning and gaming so kids won’t get bored.

“The hallmark of the product is it’s real math, but children think it’s a game,” he said.

Good luck fooling the little guys and gals, I say. You might want to work at hiding the equations, though. All the fairies and elves in the world don’t distract from the visual horror that is an improper fraction.

Start-Up Uses Online Games to Teach Math

The collaboration will have music teachers in 51 cities using Wii Music to help children with rhythm, temp and song structure.

“The goal of Wii Music is to inspire people of all ages to enjoy music,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “By partnering with educators and bringing Wii Music into their classrooms, we hope to give students a memorable, hands-on experience that helps them discover their own creative voice.”

Instead of trying to use Wii music to actually teach musical concepts, the main thrust appears to be getting children more interested in music. Something that I think Rock Band and Guitar Hero could also lend a hand in. Just ask my son and the thousands like him who have taken up real guitar lessons because of their game play.

But this is a great first step.

“Wii Music has brought a renewed excitement to music class for students from first grade to fifth, myself and even some of the classroom teachers,” said Helen A. Krofchick, a music teacher at Doby’s Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, S.C. “I love how many music standards can be covered in such a short time. Students also have to use language skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. We have a school very supportive of the arts and Wii Music has empowered our program even more. Any system that is educational and can add a love of music to children’s lives should be in every classroom.”

Other organization working with Nintendo on this program include San Francisco’s Blue Bear School of Music and New York’s Opus 118 Harlem School of Music.

“The joy of playing music is something that should be experienced by everyone, regardless of age, talent-level or experience,” said Joe Lamond, President & CEO of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants. “Research shows that more than 82 percent of people who don’t currently play a musical instrument wish they did. Wii Music can help address this by providing a positive introduction for millions of people who might not otherwise be inclined to try.”

This sounds like Nintendo has taken up the idea of getting Wii into schools to heart. Nintendo told me that they didn provide a "limited amount" of consoles to help get the program off the ground, though it doesn't sound like they plan on donating to schools across the country.

They did also work with The National Association for Music Education to create a master lesson plan.

It's good to see that my pet peeve is getting some attention.

The study, conducted by Wakefield Research on Nintendo's behalf, basically comes to the conclusion that about 20% of the nation's school children could really use a copy of Personal Trainer: Math, the fun and easy way to overcome the math anxiety that's trodding on the toes of kids around the country. 18 percent called math "boring." Another 13 percent called it "torture." What happened to the magic of learning? Apparently Nintendo has found it.

“Personal Trainer: Math provides a fun antidote for math anxiety,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “People can keep their math skills sharp while tracking their progress every day to see how they improve.”

All marketing cynicism aside, I wholly approve of titles like Personal Trainer: Math. When your product is in the hands of some many people around the world, providing tools to help said people improve themselves is a very responsible thing to do. Check out the release below for more marketing and math anxiety facts!

One in Five Kids Think Fame is More Likely Than Math Proficiency
Personal Trainer: Math for Nintendo DS Turns Learning Into a Game

REDMOND, Wash.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—A new survey, conducted by Wakefield Research for Nintendo, confirms that math anxiety is alive and well among U.S. kids. In fact, of 400 children surveyed, one in five believe that they are more likely to grow up to become a professional athlete, actor or singer than they are to get A’s and B’s in math next year. Other results of the survey conducted Dec. 12-23, 2008, include:

More than one-third of kids surveyed say that math is their most difficult subject.
Nearly one-third of kids have very negative feelings about math: 18 percent called it “boring,” while 13 percent actually called it “torture.”
86 percent of parents surveyed say that math is important to their careers, even though more than half of them admitted they thought they’d never need the math they learned in school.
These results demonstrate that math remains perceived as a difficult but important skill. Building on its legacy of training brains and getting people moving with fitness games, Nintendo introduces Personal Trainer™: Math, new software for Nintendo DS™ that provides a fun and rewarding way for people to improve their basic math abilities.

“Personal Trainer: Math provides a fun antidote for math anxiety,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “People can keep their math skills sharp while tracking their progress every day to see how they improve.”

Personal Trainer: Math includes 40 fast-paced exercises, from basic addition and multiplication to more extensive multiplication tables and calculation ladders. Daily math drills keep skills sharp, while attendance records provide ways for users to see how they improve week to week and month to month. The Nintendo DS touch screen interface allows users to input their answers quickly and easily. Using wireless DS Download Play, up to 16 players can compete to finish their problems with the fastest time, even if only one player has a game card.

Personal Trainer: Math marks the second in Nintendo’s Personal Trainer series of titles that are designed to help people enrich their lives in fun and creative ways. Personal Trainer: Cooking already has turned thousands of Nintendo DS owners into budding chefs.

For more information about Personal Trainer: Math, visit www.PersonalTrainerMath.com.

Our visit to the touring Grossology show netted me not one, but two video games. Last week/year I pointed out that Grossology had a neat little pinball game designed to teach about gas, though really I didn't learn much.

The other game is called Urine, and while it wasn't as fun to play as Gas Attack, I found it a bit more educational.

In the game you use a trackball and a single button to grab bad things out of the red blood stream a drop them into the yellow urine stream. Four of the objects are bad, urea, potassium, sodium and water; while three are good, sugar, white blood cells and red blood cells. You start with points, but your score goes up when you remove the bad stuff and goes down when you remove the good stuff or let the bad stuff stay in the blood stream.

The game play was a bit simplistic but it actually taught you something about how the body works. It also rewards high scores with the sound of someone emptying their bladder.

Early on in the touring Grossology exhibit there are two Gas Attack Pinball machines. The game appears to be a standard pinball that's been stripped of decoratives and redesigned to help teach people about how gas is produced in the colon.

The pin balls represent bacteria and the bumpers represent different foods. As you play gas points are wracked up for hitting the different foods. The gassier the food, the higher the point count. If you manage to make it into the beans pockets on the table you're rewarded with a group of children singing a quick rendition of Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit.

Sure the game isn't really that educational. In fact, all I really leaned is that beans are musical and that pigs can talk, but I love the fact that when someone thought educational game, they thought pinball.

It's worth a read — a lot of issues readers raised are brought up, such as "What's wrong with games as simply entertainment? If you want intellectual stimulation, why not turn to something else?":

Nothing is wrong with viewing games as entertainment, but there is so much more that could be done! Games have the capability to be incredibly experiential because of their capability to provide interactivity.

As designer Dan Cook from Lost Garden wrote, it's the difference between hearing about the time someone decided not to pull the trigger, and deciding for yourself not to pull the trigger. Actually going through experiences yourself is much more compelling and personal than reading a story. The opportunities are too ripe not to pursue the possibilities.

Additionally, it's sad for someone who loved games while they were younger to have to turn away later in life because the days become busier. Other activities, sports for example, are still viewed as a worthwhile use of time, but only because of some other benefit in addition to being entertainment, such as exercise.

Video games also have the capability to provide the same kind of peripheral benefit. This doesn't mean entertainment should be shown the door, but I think even popularizing the idea that games could be something more is a good step.

He also appends a challenge at the end, a game design competition — it's pretty open-ended, and you can find more information at his blog.

A Response to 'Outgrowing Games', With A Bonus Competition

It features six mini-games across three categories that apparently represent everything Americans need to know in order to go to college; reading, writing, and math. It even tracks the player's progress, so you can tell early on if you need to hire a more intelligent doppleganger to take the test for you child. All this for only $29.99! No no parents, don't thank me. It's all part of my ongoing plan to ruin Christmas for children everywhere.

Aspyr Media Ships New SAT Prep Video Game, futureU™, for Nintendo DS™

Interactive Test Prep Game Based on Study Material from Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions Designed for Studying While On The Go

AUSTIN, TX - November 5, 2008 - Aspyr Media, in collaboration with Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, announced today that futureU™, a first-of-its-kind SAT prep video game, has shipped to retail stores nationwide for Nintendo DS™. Following on the heels of the PC/Mac version of the same name, futureU represents a new medium for supplemental SAT prep by adapting test preparation material into a collection of fun interactive games.

Utilizing the touch screen capabilities of DS, futureU offers a complete interactive experience unlike any standard test taking method to date. Designed for studying at home or on the go, the game consists of six distinctive mini-games that are divided into three main categories - Math, Reading and Writing. Developed as a complement to traditional SAT study methods, the game is grounded in Kaplan curriculum and features hundreds of questions and track-able player progress.

futureU incorporates a wealth of in-game content that challenges and sharpens skills including:

* Reading: Focuses on refining players' reading skills, vocabulary, main idea identification, themes and arguments, technique, and recognizing word meanings based on context.

* Writing: Concentrates on improving players' writing skills by covering topics such as passive voice, run-on sentences, misplaced modifiers, parallelism, conjunctions, fragments, coordination and subordination, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, tenses, adverbs and adjectives, gerunds, idioms, wrong words, and double negatives.

* Math: Enable players to practice critical math areas such as algebra, geometry, data, statistics, probability, polynomials, and sequences.

futureU for Nintendo DS™ is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB and is available for an SRP of $29.99. For more information, please visit www.aspyr.com.

futureU is the latest supplementary test prep offering from Kaplan which adapts test preparation content into a medium relevant for today's teens. Last year, Kaplan launched SAT prep for iTunes® and a score-raising graphic novel series.

Hit the jump to read the answers from Denise Kaigler, Nintendo of America’s vice president of Corporate Affairs; John Koller, director of hardware marketing, SCEA; and XNA General Manager Boyd Multerer.

Do you think educational games are a good fit for your console either via a standard disc title or downloadable title?
Kaigler
The response of consumers to games like Brain Age for Nintendo DS demonstrated to the entire industry that games with an educational theme were viable. Brain Age remains a top seller, which tells us people are hungry for different kinds of entertainment, including those that stimulate your brain. We have already seen Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree for the Wii console. Wii is a good fit for educational games because the pointing and motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote controller allow for more dynamic inputs than simply pressing a button.

Koller
Consoles and handhelds can be a great platform for educational games because they leverage advanced technology while providing an interface that’s intuitive to users. Teens and younger children in particular are familiar with how to interact with games on these systems, so whether it’s for entertainment or education, consoles and handhelds are a natural fit. As far as the medium, both disc and downloadable titles would be appropriate.

Multerer
As part of the XNA team, I don't want to speculate as to the overall strategy of the console. What I can tell you is that with Xbox LIVE Community Games, we're opening the floodgates to the community to create any type of game they want to see on Xbox 360, including educational games. What we've seen through programs like Imagine Cup, Dream-Build-Play, Games for Change and the Community Games beta is that developers are interested in making games that are educational and socially responsible, and we're now giving them a forum to do that and reach millions for the first time on any console.

When Xbox LIVE Community Games launches as part of the new Xbox Experience this holiday, we fully expect to see fun titles that span the entire spectrum of gaming. That means we'll see games that intentionally have an educational focus like "City Rain," "Future Flow" and "Clean Up" which were all created by teams of university students to teach concepts of environmental sustainability.

Why do you think educational games haven't really found their way onto the current generation of consoles?

Kaigler
I'm not sure about the overall reason, however, educational software on our portable Nintendo DS has gained a foothold. Games like Brain Age and Big Brain Academy demonstrate that the public enjoys video games with educational themes. You also see a variety of third-party software with brain-training themes.

Koller
We’re still in the relatively early days of the current generation of consoles, and when you consider that PS3 will have a 10-year lifecycle, it takes time before secondary applications start to take shape. With the PSP, now in its fourth year of its lifecycle, there are educational games. We work with PLATO Learning, which develops educational software for children as part of its PLATO Achieve Now on PSP program. PLATO provides the software and PSP units to grammar schools that are interested in adding an interactive component to their curriculum.

But it’s not just about math and science. Our first-party PlayStation 2 title, Eye Toy: Kinetic, provides fitness education, while our Buzz franchise has an educational component delivered through the more entertaining format of a quiz show.

Multerer
Up until recently, with the release of free development tools like XNA Game Studio, console games have been extremely expensive to make. They're expensive for developers and publishers alike, sometimes costing upwards of tens of millions of dollars, which means that everyone is less likely to take risks with new or unproven concepts. With Xbox LIVE Community Games, we're able to give those sometimes risky, experimental and innovative titles an opportunity to make their way to consumers at little cost to the developer. For the first time ever, Microsoft is opening the floodgates for those developers to prove that an educational game can be a blockbuster.

Is your company currently developing any educational games for your platform?

Kaigler
It depends on how you're defining educational games. Games like Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir for Nintendo DS require a close attention to detail, while the upcoming Wii Music teaches about different musical instruments and can lead to a greater appreciation for music. Many other games require skills like problem solving or teamwork. And then you have software like the “Coach” series from Ubisoft that is designed to teach users something new, such as a language or vocabulary. They have My Spanish Coach, My French Coach, My Japanese Coach, My Word Coach and even My Weight Loss Coach. Nintendo’s upcoming Personal Trainer: Cooking for Nintendo DS helps people out in the kitchen and can even teach you to make new dishes. The “educational” label can apply to all kinds of games.

Koller
Yes, see above.

Multerer
Again, I don't want to speak to the overall console strategy, but what I can say is that with Community Games we are leaving it open so that the community can create any type of game they want to see on Xbox 360, including educational games. We've already seen the beginnings of this, through programs like Imagine Cup, Games for Change, Dream-Build-Play and the Community Games beta. These programs have proven that developers are interested in making games that are educational and socially responsible, and we are excited to bring them a forum to do more of this and reach millions for the first time on a console.

When Xbox LIVE Community Games launches as part of the new Xbox Experience this holiday, we fully expect to see fun titles that span the entire spectrum of gaming. That means we'll see games that intentionally have an educational focus like "City Rain," "Future Flow" and "Clean Up" which were all created teams of university students to teach concepts of environmental sustainability.

The concept of corporate social responsibility argues that a company should consider the interests of society in their business decisions, to go beyond basic obligations and on occasion do something for the greater good. Do you think that concept pertains to the gaming industry as well?

Kaigler
Absolutely. Nintendo works regularly with a number of charities, most notably the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, which works to place video game consoles in children’s hospitals. Having video games on hand for kids helps reduce anxiety and boredom during hospital stays.

Koller
Corporate social responsibility absolutely applies to the gaming industry. One great example of how SCEA is contributing to society is our partnership with Folding@home, which enables PS3 owners to offer the computing power of their system to support research into fighting diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Multerer
Whether we have a responsibility to consider the greater good or not, Microsoft has been a leader in this space by working with game creators to provide the resources and tools necessary to create games that positively impact society. What we've seen through programs like the Imagine Cup, Dream-Build-Play, Games for Change and the Community Games beta is that developers are interested in making games that are educational and socially responsible, and with Xbox LIVE Community Games, we're giving them a forum to do that for the first time on a console and reach millions. When the Community Games channel launches as part of the new Xbox Experience this holiday, we fully expect to see fun titles that span the entire spectrum of gaming. That means we'll see games that intentionally have an educational focus like "City Rain," "Future Flow" and "Clean Up" which were all created teams of university students to teach concepts of environmental sustainability.

Beyond that, Microsoft has always been a major proponent of working with academic institutions globally to help train the next generation of game developers. Our schools are having a harder and harder time recruiting students who want to major in the computer sciences. A study by UCLA found that between 2000 and 2005, the percentage of incoming undergrads who indicated they would major in Computer Science dropped by 70 percent. Numerous other studies and stories show that the US IT industry will not be able to find the talent needed to continue to grow the industry - resulting in additional pressure for outsourcing. We have been working with universities to help reverse this trend by incorporating game development into their curricula with XNA Game Studio, and universities are responding very positively. What better way to excite the programmers of tomorrow than the opportunity to make their own games?

I don't mean to say that these major efforts by Microsoft are entirely altruistic, this is a business, but we've been able to reach out in ways that open doors to aspiring developers and create opportunities for more socially responsible game creation, while ensuring that the best games continue to be made for Xbox 360.

As the industry tries to grow by widening its user base and extend its reach past traditional hard-core gamers to parents and children, should companies invest in developing educational games for their console and sell them for little or even give them away?

Kaigler
That’s an interesting proposition. Our focus has always been on entertainment. Our WiiWare downloadable game service offers a great opportunity for companies large and small to create all kinds of games – educational games included – and offer them at a fraction of the cost of a disc-based game. We’ve already seen dozens of new WiiWare games from developers that have big ideas but smaller budgets.

Koller
If it fits a publisher’s business model, educational games can be a tremendous opportunity to both expand the traditional user base, while contributing to the greater good. Price is less of a concern than distribution, as retailers are more apt to give space to better selling genres. This is why digital distribution is such an exciting avenue for educational titles.

Multerer
We're already seeing that happen in many ways. Over the past year Microsoft has been supporting the development of educational games through programs like Imagine Cup and with organizations like Games for Change. We've also seen through Dream-Build-Play and the Community Games beta that developers are interested in making games that appeal to a whole new range of gamers, like parents and children, and we're now giving them a forum to reach those consumers in their living rooms.

When Xbox LIVE Community Games launches as part of the new Xbox Experience this holiday, we fully expect to see fun titles that span the entire spectrum of gaming. That means we'll see games that intentionally have an educational focus like "City Rain," "Future Flow" and "Clean Up" which were all created teams of university students to teach concepts of environmental sustainability.

Apple found great success by targeting schools in the 1980s with affordable or even donated computers for classrooms. Do you see a time when consoles could also find their way into classrooms as a valid educational tool?

Kaigler
Wii and Nintendo DS are focused on entertainment, but they also have plenty of software that people are using to enrich their lives in other ways, such as Brain Age and Wii Fit. Recently we also have seen a trend of libraries incorporating Wii into their programming.

Koller
They already have through PLATO’s work with the PSP and previously with the PSone and PlayStation 2.

Multerer
Absolutely. We have always believed that reaching out to universities and schools to integrate XNA development tools into the curriculum is fundamental to ensuring that great games continue to be created for Xbox 360. In 2005 we released XNA Game Studio, a set of development tools offering an approachable and affordable way for students and hobbyists to develop video games for Windows-based PCs and Xbox 360, and last year we announced that we would offer a free trial Creators Club membership for students and educational institutions, which we hope will help spark additional interest in game development and programming. The beauty of this program is that universities aren't required to have special hardware on hand that could potentially cost tens of thousands of dollars, but games created with XNA Game Studio will run on any retail Xbox 360 console.

XNA Game Studio has seen a surge of momentum this past year with more than 1,000,000 downloads, adoption by nearly 700 academic institutions globally and the creation of more than nine books on the tools in development since its release in 2005. The programs are still extremely new, but the excitement we've seen from both the development and academic communities has been overwhelming and we only expect to build on that momentum with the launch of Xbox LIVE Community Games as part of the New Xbox Experience this holiday.

We are heads and shoulders above our competitors in this space. We were the first to offer a free development toolset with XNA Game Studio, we are the first to pioneer full academic access to our next-gen console and development toolset, and we are pioneers in the space of community game development and user-generated content. More than either of our closest competitors we are providing the best, most accessible tools and the open game distribution channel over Xbox LIVE to ensure that the best games continue to be built for the Xbox 360 platform.

Do you think that the industry’s console holders have a responsibility to create the sort of games that can be held up as an example of the positive influence games can have on children?

Kaigler
I think our vast library of games promotes a positive influence with kids. This library includes games that go beyond teaching the alphabet or multiplication tables. Wii and Nintendo DS have been at the forefront of the social gaming phenomenon. Friends play together and have fun. And the intuitive controls for our systems make them easy for anyone to pick up and play, which means different generations can play together. Games can open up the imagination, just like a good book or movie can.

Koller
LittleBigPlanet is exactly the type of game with the potential to be held up as providing a positive influence. The ability for gamers to create and share their own levels delivers a whole new level of interactivity in gaming that’s never been seen before. Children will be able to express their creativity in LittleBigPlanet, and perhaps we’ll see the game will drive some children to pursue a career in the videogame industry.

Multerer
Whether we have a responsibility or not, Microsoft has been a leader in this space by working with game creators to provide the tools necessary to create games for children that inspire learning and healthfulness. Not only have we supported programs like the Imagine Cup and Games for Change, worked with universities to incorporate XNA tools into the curriculum to help spark interest in design and programming for the next-generation of developers, and offered affordable tools and an accessible pipeline to anyone who wants to reach children and families with educational game content, Microsoft Research recently partnered with New York University (NYU) and a consortium of universities to launch the Games for Learning Institute (G4LI).

The G4L Institute will study how educators can harness student predisposition toward technology to engage students and boost interest in math and science. The goal of this partnership is to identify, through scientific research, the key elements that make games fun and effective and translate those findings into the design and development of games as learning tools. The research will complement and extend existing research programs at NYU and Microsoft Research and will be shared broadly with researchers, game developers and educators in the hopes of pointing the way to a new era of using games for educational purposes.

Unfortunately the business of making education fun hasn't had much luck making its way to the console as of late. Just last month I was bemoaning the lack of educational games on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii over a dinner with a bunch of developers.

Just about everyone at the table had a reason why educational games not only would never make their way to the next-gen consoles, but shouldn't. They are, one person hinted, the touch of death for developers.

But at least one developer doesn't buy that.

Later this year Knowledge Adventure is bringing Math Blaster to the DS and next year the publisher plans to bring the game to Wii's WiiWare channel and the Xbox 360's Live Arcade. They also have designs on an iPhone version of the game.

"We think we are going to be at the forefront here," said David Lord, president Knowledge Adventure. "I think there is a market opportunity."

Lord brought on a new team in April with plans to move the company's traditional PC-based business to the console.

"We have this nice educational software business in the PC space, but the business has transformed," he said. "You are either moving to the console or online or you are in a real niche."

The typical child is more technologically savvy then they were a decade ago, Lord said. So they're using Math Blaster's jump to the DS and a new line of PC educational games as a test.

If things go well the new line of PC games will be heading to the consoles and DS next year, Lord said.

"When we launch on platforms we will launch across all of them," he said. "We are hoping to have four to five games on each platform by holiday next year."

The leap to console gaming wasn't just about the market, it was also about the technology. Lord says that these new digital distribution channels on the consoles have opened a lot of doors for them.

"The barriers to entry have gone down significantly for us," he said. "It becomes a much more attainable product environment. This technology has given us a great opportunity to think outside of the box, to get past what held this industry back."

"We know we have entertaining games and we think there is a big market for them," he said. "We may not hit Madden or GTA share, but that’s not our goal."

Knowledge Adventure® Enters Console/Handheld Game Market; Signs Deal with Majesco
Award-Winning Math Blaster® Games Available on Nintendo DS in time for Holiday

TORRANCE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Knowledge Adventure®, the leader in adventure-based 3D virtual worlds for 3-to-10 year olds, today announced it will be launching its award-winning Math Blaster® brand product on the Nintendo DS platform. Knowledge Adventure has entered into a partnership with Majesco Entertainment Company to launch the Math Blaster DS product. This marks Knowledge Adventure’s first entry into the Nintendo DS and extends the proven Math Blaster brand into an age-appropriate handheld platform. Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure will be available at major retailers this holiday season.

“This partnership is part of our strategic vision to transition the company from educational software to a multi-faceted kid’s entertainment company,” said Knowledge Adventure president & CEO David Lord. “Expanding our product footprint into this new category will enable us to create a market for future products—including our leading JumpStart® brand—on console and handheld platforms and capitalize on the increasing popularity of these platforms.”

The Majesco partnership is the next strategic step in establishing Knowledge Adventure as a market leader. The launch of Knowledge Adventure’s popular Math Blaster games on the Nintendo DS platform creates a significant opportunity for Knowledge Adventure to capitalize on a growing market and increase market share for all of its leading brands within their product categories.

I mentioned the Games, Learning & Society Conference in Madison, Wisconsin back when a call for papers was put out. Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has some interesting notes on the conference, which was held this past Thursday and Friday. The wrap up of the keynote speech, delivered by James Gee of Arizona State University, is an interesting meditation on the role of games (and not just 'edutainment') in education:

Gee sees broad implications for students in this regard. “Give students smart tools and let them use them and modify them to suit their purposes.” Such self-motivated learning moves students away from merely consuming knowledge and encourages them to produce knowledge and apply it in meaningful ways. Furthermore, Gee observed, when communities form around these activities, they are linked by a common endeavor, rather than by race, class, gender, or disability.

Gee clearly situates video games within an overall theory of learning and literacy with genuine power to transform students and equip them to address complex problems. If passion communities could be formed to solve real-world problems like hunger and environmental degradation, Gee believes we would be much better equipped to face these issues head-on. The challenge, according to Gee, isn't just about teaching our kids; it's about ensuring they have a viable world to live in.

Abbott's discussion of the environment of the conference — sounding quite different from your typical academic/professional gathering — is also worth a read.

GLS - Beyond Games and the Future of Learning [The Brainy Gamer]

“Brain Quest is EA Casual Entertainment’s first educational game and we are thrilled to bring this beloved brand into the videogame space,” said Robert Nashak, VP of Casual Studios, EA Casual Entertainment. “By adapting the series to the DS, we are able to reach today’s tech savvy children and provide them with an educational experience that is interactive, engaging, and fun.”

EA's creation of educational DS titles could be a very good sign, indicating that U.S. publishers are beginning to get a grasp of the true potential of the handheld, much like Japan already has. That, or they just want some more of that delicious parent money. Mmmm.

EA Announces Nintendo DS Games Based on America’s #1 Educational Bestseller Brain Quest®

Top Curriculum-Based Quiz Series Offers New Way for Kids to Learn and Play on the Go

LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The Casual Entertainment label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced plans to bring America’s #1 educational bestseller1, Brain Quest®, to the Nintendo DS™ handheld system, just in time for back-to-school this September. In partnership with the New York based Workman Publishing Company, Inc., EA will release two Brain Quest games centered on the curriculum-based series that has sold more than 28 million copies2: one for third and fourth graders, and another for fifth and sixth graders.

“Brain Quest is EA Casual Entertainment’s first educational game and we are thrilled to bring this beloved brand into the videogame space,” said Robert Nashak, VP of Casual Studios, EA Casual Entertainment. “By adapting the series to the DS, we are able to reach today’s tech savvy children and provide them with an educational experience that is interactive, engaging, and fun.”

Staying true to the curriculum-based card deck series, the Brain Quest video games are loaded with over 6,000 unique questions in each game, developed specifically for the third/fourth and fifth/sixth grade levels and can keep kids entertained whether in the car, at home, or while waiting for the school bus. The game’s Brain Mode provides quick to the fun action that enables kids to jump right in, immersing themselves in fast-paced quiz games, as they answer questions on their favorite subjects: English, history, math, science, and geography. Brain Quest adds another element to the fun — a Quest Mode where players follow a light story that pits them against successively more difficult challenges in each category. The game’s Multiplayer Mode allows players to challenge their friends and siblings or play cooperatively, so kids of all ages can get in on the action and enjoy the brain-twisting fun!

Throughout the game, players who answer questions correctly score points to redeem collectibles that can be unlocked by winning achievements. These collectibles can then be used to customize up to six scenes in the game.

The popular Brain Quest card decks, on which the games are based, are a phenomenon. “Brain Quest is a brand recognized by teachers, trusted by parents, and adored by kids,” said Janet Harris, Brain Quest® Publisher, Workman Publishing Company, Inc. “We are very pleased that Brain Quest will now be able to educate and entertain children through another medium, as a video game.”

Both Brain Quest games will be available September 2008 in North America and have a U.S. MSRP of $29.99. The games have not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information or assets, visit http://www.info.ea.com.

The first title, based on SAT prep curriculum, is indeed coming to DS as we heard at the first announcement, but as you can expect from Aspyr, the companies also confirmed PC and Mac versions too, all for the Fall of this year.

It's been just about ten years since I was a high school senior, and I know I took the SATs, but I have no recollection. I still remember the nooks and crannies of the video games I played in 1999, though, so maybe if my SAT prep had been a game, I'd still remember how to multiply fractions or whatever.

Actually, I'm a little surprised that it took this long for a notable game developer to hook up with a test prep company. Seems kind of like a no-brainer, right?

Full announcement follows the jump.

SAT* Prep Enters the Videogaming World

Kaplan and Aspyr Team Up to Create

Dynamic Interactive Entertainment

AUSTIN, TX – April XX, 2008 – High school teens may soon be able to play their way to a higher SAT* score, thanks to a new collaboration between Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions and videogame developer and publisher Aspyr Media.

Kaplan and Aspyr have entered into a multi-year agreement in which Aspyr will bring Kaplan-branded interactive entertainment products to market. The first game under the deal will be an engaging, visually dynamic and unconventional title that is rooted solidly in Kaplan’s SAT prep curriculum. The game marks the first ever widely-released SAT prep video game in the market.

“Students learn best when they’re engaged with the study content. While a videogame shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for a full prep course, it’s an innovative and effective way to reinforce preparatory learning,” said Anthony Manley, General Manager of Pre-College Programs for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. “At Kaplan, we seek to adapt our offerings to students’ lifestyle needs. In Aspyr, we found a partner with a proven track record of creating engaging, dynamic titles that appeal to today’s teens.”

“Aspyr has proven over the years that it excels in caring for huge brands and successfully extending those brands to new audiences,” said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President for publishing at Aspyr. “We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Kaplan, a trusted, high profile brand and a company that is the undisputed leader in its field. Aspyr will create games under this brand that will truly surprise and excite people with their originality.”

Scheduled for release in 2008, the SAT prep game is currently in development at Aspyr Studios and will be published by Aspyr Media for Nintendo DS™, PC and Mac. Additional information on Kaplan branded games from Aspyr will be announced later this year.

Last year, Kaplan introduced interactive SAT* prep programs that can be purchased and downloaded from iTunes®, as well as a unique SAT/ACT Vocabulary-Building Manga (Japanese word for comics and print cartoon) series.

###

*SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which neither sponsors nor endorses this product.

**iTunes® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions (www.kaptest.com), a division of Kaplan, Inc., is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings and a complete array of books and software, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and college and graduate admissions consulting services.

About Aspyr Media

Aspyr Media, Inc. is a leading video game publisher that creates, packages and delivers fun to millions around the world. Hailing from Austin, Texas USA, Aspyr strives relentlessly to ensure a quality experience for consumers and industry partners.

To fall more deeply in love with Aspyr and its amazing line of products, visit www.aspyr.com and see just how much fun you can legally have.

In light of "serious games" and "edutainment" discussions, I'm always interested to see what regular retail games are listed as good "educational" titles. College@Home has a pretty thorough list covering a variety of topics; some of the titles are expected (Civilization, Carmen Sandiego) to some slightly more interesting titles (Spore, Age of Mythology, a lot of regular retail sims). Makes me glad I just get to take the fun out of learning for undergraduates — I'm not sure I'd want to herd kids through Roller Coaster Tycoon.

Virtual Learning: 25 Best Sims and Games For the Classroom

[College@Home via Water Cooler Games]

Yes, within the first few minutes of the game you'll find yourself tasked with taking a photo of a giant pile of elephant dung. Does it get better from there? Read on, brave adventurer.

Loved
Concept and Execution: Wander around the Serengeti taking pictures of the flora and fauna while learning an Animal Planet special's worth of interesting facts. At the end of each level your pictures are incorporated into an article covering the area you just visited. Simple, relaxing, and educational, with a great deal to see and a lot of interesting animal factoids to absorb.

The Sounds of the Serengeti: Sound seems to have been a focus in making the game, with the animals and environmental sounds aiding greatly to the illusion of exploring Africa. The music, all courtesy of world music label Talking Drum Records, is a lovely mix of traditional African sounds that set the atmosphere for the game nicely.

Hated
The Visuals: Wild Earth: African Safari is basically a port of a budget PC title from 2006, and thus it looks like a budget PC title from 2006. Muddy textures, simplistic terrain, polygons popping in and out of view. The animals do look lovely, but the rest of the world could use some serious work.

The Multiplayer: The multiplayer elements added to the Wii version of the title feel completely tacked on and aren't actually all that much fun, especially in the foot-based missions, which have one player walking and the other taking pictures. Imagine only being able to take pictures of what someone else is looking at. An exercise in frustration.

The Mini-Games: Another addition to the Wii version, the mini-games just aren't fun, with some of them feeling downright broken. The Flamingo dancing game, for instance, is supposed to play like DDR, with the Wiimote movements replacing dance steps, but the game can't seem to register movement correctly, making the mini-game useless.

Riding The Rails: While several assignments leave you free to roam the countryside as you please, a few find you riding on rails via a preset path, trying to snap your shots as the world passes by. It's a bit like Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo 64, only without the fast pace and charming characters that made that particular game work so well.

Wild Earth: African Safari is, at its core, a guided wildlife tour of the Serengeti National Park. Your well-spoken tour guides tell you what to shoot, when to shoot it, and the significance of what you are taking pictures of. You just look where they tell you and snap a quick picture of it. The original title was (and is) a fine example of what PC edutainment can be. The main problem with the Wii version is basically everything they've added to make Wild Earth appeal to the Wii audience.

If you're willing to ignore the extras and focus on the core gameplay, Wild Earth: African Safari is a relatively solid little learning title that should appeal to the type of folks who leave the cable box on Discovery or Animal Planet all day long, though they might be better served by picking up the cheaper PC version without the extra added crap.

Wild Earth: African Safari was developed by Super X Studios and published by Majesco, and was released on April 22nd. Retails for $29.99. Available on Nintendo Wii. Played singleplayer game to completion. Tested all mini-games. Dabbled in multiplayer.

The BBPS reports that a crafty New York math teacher has been using Link and his triangle-loving ways to sneak a little edu-ma-cation into his students. Am I the only one slightly confused by the description?

Legend of Zelda Used to Teach the Little Ones [The BBPS]