As Kurt Squire outlines in his essay “From Content to Context: Video Games as Designed Experience,” games can be exogenous or endogenous in the way that they teach. In exogenous games, the learning is completely removed from the context of the game. Examples would be Math Blaster and Reading Blaster, both developed by Davidson & Associates. The games teach math and reading skills respectively but puzzles, though they are required to advance the story, have nothing to do with the story itself. The games are built around the idea of teaching. Endogenous games are those that teach in context. They are usually games that aren’t designed with learning in mind, but manage to do so anyway based on the nature of the gameplay. Most simulation games are examples of this idea. For example, the SimCity series requires players to build a city and then they are tested with natural disasters, tragedies and monetary constraints. In the process, the game teaches players how to plan cities.

Another type of simulation game can lead to learning in a quite different way. Sid Meyer�۪s Civilization series requires players to maintain a civilization throughout one or many real-world eras such as the Iron Age of ancient Rome or the industrial age of Europe. In ���Video Games and Education: Designing Learning Systems for an Interactive Age,�۝ Squire conducts an experiment, exposing a group of students to one of the titles for a couple of hours a week. He discovered that many of the students would seek more information on the historical themes that interest them in the game. Squire notes that after playing as Scandinavia, one student, Jason, began reading about Vikings and he was able to determine which aspects of Civilization were historically accurate and which were modified in the interest of making a fun gaming experience. The same applies to the strategy series Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Luo Guanzhong novel of the same name. These subjects do provide legitimate knowledge, and they are thematically subjects that do not receive a lot of attention in schools with curriculums having to rush through millennia of world history in one or two academic years.

Some earlier examples of educational computer games, or as they are often called, edutainment include Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. The title was available on half a dozen consoles and various personal computer systems. The game has players chasing after a fictional thief, following her from country to country. The only way to figure out where Ms. Sandiego was at any given time was by deciphering clues that end up teaching the player geographical facts. Oregon Trail, originally developed in 1971 by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium, could be found in many school computer labs. It was created with the intention of teaching children about westward expansion as well as the hunting, disease and death sometimes overlooked in textbooks. MECC released several spin-off titles including Yukon Trail and the incredibly popular Amazon Trail. It also was one of the first games to feature character stats ��� that is, players can view how hungry or sick each of their in-game family members is at any given time.

Puzzle games such as Tetris and Minesweeper work the brain during more relaxed phases and the latter even teaches deduction. In order to master a game, a player must recall their past experiences. If they encounter a puzzle that is unlike any they have ever seen, they must either work to devise a solution or seek assistance that they then must read and decipher. In the process of trying to solve these puzzles, there are bound to be times where the player must try various solution before he or she arrives at the answer. Once the correct solution is finally realized, the process sticks in their mind because they worked so hard to figure it out. The Professor Layton titles for the Nintendo DS are perfect examples of this process. Each game contains around 150 puzzles, some of which require reading text with multiple interpretations or performing logical problems that sometimes require a series of basic math problems. Older players will believe they have an advantage because of their knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem, but this information often clutters the mind from reaching a much simpler solution.

Also for the DS are two games titled Brain Age and Brain Age 2. Developed by Nintendo itself, these titles are essentially compilations of math problems, word puzzles and a few logic-based challenges. They were heavily marketed toward adults, not to teach, but to keep the brain active. Most careers do not require the variety of education that one receives during school. Brain Age intends to fill that void – giving people something recreational and fun while keeping them sharp

Portal, the 2007 smash hit from Valve, is a puzzle game that requires players to shoot portals at walls and ceilings in order to solve puzzles and make their way out of chambers. Players must consider physics. If they fall into a portal from a tall height, they will be launched at the same speed out of the second portal. This technique is used very often during puzzle solving. The 2011 sequel, Portal 2, is the transcendental edutainment experience. Not only does it continue the rich story of the first game and utilize the same brilliant physics engine but it is also playable online. Two friends or complete strangers can work together to solve puzzles, encouraging social interaction and team building.

Society is better recognizing how video games can be utilized for educational purposes. Time4Learning, an online organization that offers lessons in the form of interactive games, provides reports to parents regarding their children�۪s progress. This closes the ���information loop�۝ that is too often left open between a child�۪s work at school and their parents at home. The math-based learning game Reasoning Mind has the same feature, but the records are more for the teachers to keep them aware of each student�۪s skill. Even NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense recognize the rich history of educational value is some games and are looking to utilize them for the benefit of their services.

For additional information on the games and articles discussed, visit the following links:

• About NASA’s MMO, Moonbase Alpha
• Article about Reasoning Mind
• Education and Simulation
• “From Content to Context” by Kurt Squire (PDF)
• Games in Education Symposium at Schenectady County Community College
• “A Guide to Computer Games in Education for NASA” by Dr. Daniel Laughlin & Nick Marchuk (PDF)
• Incorporating Video Games in the Classroom
• Kids And Media review of Portal 2. Also on the site is one for Professor Layton and the Curious Village
• NASA-sponsored game MoonWorld
• NASA-sponsored game Selene
• The role of computer games in education
• “Simulations, Games, and Learning” by Diana Oblinger (PDF)
• Time4Learning
• Top 20 Educational Video Games according to Maria Magher
• U.S. Department of Defense on video game benefits
• “The Use of Computer and Video Games in Learning” by Alice Mitchell and Carol Savil-Smith (PDF)
• “Video Games and Education” by Kurt Squire (PDF)
• Video games in education