Where in the World is Educational Engagement?

by Anonymous
(USA)

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego”.


At the time, I just knew that I was engaged in the game play (you play as a detective tracking a criminal across the country using nuggets of information scattered throughout the board).


It’s only in retrospect that I realize I was learning geography and getting practice using logical reasoning (process of elimination and hypothesis testing feature prominently in the game play).


I still have a certain nostalgia for the game. It was incredibly basic—a text based interface.


The flashing green text on a black screen can’t hold a candle to the artistic and interactive way that computer games are presented today.


Yet, at the time, I didn’t notice anything to criticize about the way the game was played. I just wanted to keep playing the game.


Because of my experience with Carmen San Diego, I still think that computer games have an unparalleled ability to engage kids and teach them something while entertaining them.