Support NeoGAF

[Amory]

When I was in elementary school, computers class day (along with pizza Friday) was the best day of the week. The reason? We got to play video games. Sure they were "edutainment" games, but we had a great time and learned a few things in the process too.

My favorites:

Putt Putt Joins the Parade- This was the first "adventure" game I ever remember playing. See, ol' Putt Putt wanted to join the parade headed through his town, but he needed a balloon, a new paint job, and some other stuff before they'd let him. Game was just charming as hell, that's about all I remember.

Midnight Rescue! - The Learning Company was the shit back in the day, and I loved pretty much every game of theirs that I played. But Midnight Rescue was my favorite. If I remember correctly there were several different robots and one of them was trying to vandalize a school or something, and you had to figure out which it was by piecing clues together. Badass game.

NFL Math- Simple premise: choose a play and solve a math problem. If you solve it correctly, the play would be successful and result in gained yards. Get it wrong, and you'd lose yards or get a turnover or whatever. I think this was the only sports themed game they had in our computer lab, and as such it was always a popular title.

 

[revolverjgw]

Anything with Carmen Sandiego

 

[Amir0x]

Number Munchers and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego as a real young kid

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

 

[Typographenia]

Only because I posted it this morning-

I loved Treasure Cove. I played this game to death!
The presentation was probably the main reason I stuck with it for so long. Just a really enjoyable, underwater game. Oh yeah, and numbers too.

 

[LegoDad]

If someone can find the farming game from the mid 90's about farming in the wild west, I would be eternally grateful as I've been searching for it forever!

Loved Super Solvers, Math Blaster, Carmen San Diego, Number Munchers, Learning Company anything they made. etc.

 

[saunderez]

The best games 3D Realms/Apogee ever made of course.

All the goodness of a platformer combined with the educational goodness of math and spelling.

Math Rescue

and Word Rescue was the same game with spelling puzzles instead of math.

 

[GotEmRunnin]

Does Oregon trail count?

 

[Amir0x]

the thing about Number Munchers is that I've always hated doing math. But somehow I wanted to get better at math just so I could avoid that fucking evil munching asshole

That's the mark of a truly good educational game - one that gets you invested even if you don't particularly like the subject

 

[Baywatch]

Gizmos and Gadgets! Also, not sure it qualifies as educational, but The Incredible Machine was definitely a fun game to get kids doing creative sandboxy things...

 

[Mumei]

Amazon Trail, Spelunx (black and white on an old Macintosh, so good. I've been wanting to play it again for years), this one game that I can't remember the name of, but involved you walking around some sort of building (maybe a hotel?) zapping robotic enemies with some sort of remote-looking object and then doing simple math problems, Where In The World / America is Carmen San Diego, and Mavis Beacon if she counts.

I have the most fond memories of Spelunx though. It was so much fun exploring the labyrinth and discovering new things.

 

[Mileena]

the only answer

 

[Clydefrog]

Probably the first game I ever remember playing:

Think Quick for Apple IIe.

also this guy:

Number Munchers

older sierra games like The Incredible Machine, Pepper's Adventure in Times, EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus, The Island of Dr. Brain, Inca I and II...

and of course Oregon Trail

 

[DonMigs85]

 

[Typographenia]

Oh! I almost forgot one of my absolute favorites!

(couldn't find a better picture)

Little Howie's Funhouse: The Great Word Adventure!

I was probably 8 or so when I first played this, and it was really fun! The name select is a good indicator of the humor of the game with things like "Grand Poobah" and "Butterfingers."
Really silly, and back when Howie Mandel was doing cartoon stuff.


Great Word Adventure Intro

Elbows to your partner, knees against the wall! If you don't have fun at Howie's tonight, you'll never have fun at all!
(skip to 2:51 for song stuff)

 

[Kazerei]

Oh man, I pretty much only played edutainment games when I was growing up. My first real videogame system was the N64...

Stuff like Super Solvers, Treasure Mountain, Reader Rabbit, Cross Country Canada, Oregon Trail, Amazon Trail, The Incredible Machine, Hotdog Stand, I played at school. On top of that, my parents bought me stuff like Arthur, Carmen Sandiego, Thinkin Things, Geometry Blaster, Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Sim City, Sim Farm, Theme Park, Theme Hospital...

 

[mr stroke]

this game was in color?

mind blown


I only ever played it on a green screen Apple machine

 

[GooeyHeat]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000059ZYP/?tag=neogaf0e-20
(Magic School Bus)
This and the rest of the series by MusicPen was the shit. Best edutainment ever. Fact.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

 

[LegoDad]

Oh man, I pretty much only played edutainment games when I was growing up. My first real videogame system was the N64...

Stuff like Super Solvers, Treasure Mountain, Reader Rabbit, Cross Country Canada, Oregon Trail, Amazon Trail, The Incredible Machine, Hotdog Stand, I played at school. On top of that, my parents bought me stuff like Arthur, Carmen Sandiego, Thinkin Things, Geometry Blaster, Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Sim City, Sim Farm, Theme Park, Theme Hospital...

Treasure Mountain was awesome too.

 

[Amory]

I never played The Incredible Machine, but I'm thinking it's probably the exact same game as one I did play, The Incredible Toon Machine. Basically design a machine for the cat to get the mouse...or for the mouse to kill the cat, or something. Was fun.

 

[Zoramon089]

Well since Number Munchers and Math Blasters were already mentioned...

 

[Typographenia]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000059ZYP/?tag=neogaf0e-20
(Magic School Bus)
This and the rest of the series by MusicPen was the shit. Best edutainment ever. Fact.

Geez, how could I have forgotten!
Magic School Bus Ocean and Space games were awesome! I didn't care for the earth/mineral one as much, mostly because Liz was a freaking cheater when it came to the oil drill game. AUGH!



Did anyone ever play Dr. Sulfur's Night Lab?
I convinced my parents to get it at a T.J.Maxx, I think, because it was dirt cheap. I'm not very good at science stuff, and that game kicked my butt.

 

[Quick]

If someone can find the farming game from the mid 90's about farming in the wild west, I would be eternally grateful as I've been searching for it forever!

Loved Super Solvers, Math Blaster, Carmen San Diego, Number Munchers, Learning Company anything they made. etc.

We'd have computer lab sessions in elementary school and it involved playing Math Blaster. So awesome.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

the thing about Number Munchers is that I've always hated doing math. But somehow I wanted to get better at math just so I could avoid that fucking evil munching asshole

That's the mark of a truly good educational game - one that gets you invested even if you don't particularly like the subject

Exactly. That's why it's my choice for the thread as well. I never cared for math as a subject, but I felt like I was getting away with something playing a game in class during computer time.

Another game that I used to play, mainly for the graphics:

 

[rinker]

 

[thebeeks]

Grammar Rock

EDIT: Forgot about the Magic School Bus games. Explores the Ocean is the one I probably put the most amount of time in.

 

[Degen]

i got to be a shark!!

 

[we.are.the.armada]

The Incredible Machine, Oregon Trail, and of course, Chess!

 

[Vitten]

Not really an educational game as such but playing this as a 10 year-old kid with a dictionary on my lap really expanded my knowledge of english.

 

[Bgamer90]

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Math Blaster, Carmen Sandiego, Incredible Machine definitely. Also, there was a game, or series of games for the Applie II I believe. I think you played as a bear? May have been a math game as well. Anyone have any clue what it is?

Oregon Trail, while not an Educational game really, probably every computer in every school had it.

 

[tiff]

NFL Math- Simple premise: choose a play and solve a math problem. If you solve it correctly, the play would be successful and result in gained yards. Get it wrong, and you'd lose yards or get a turnover or whatever. I think this was the only sports themed game they had in our computer lab, and as such it was always a popular title.

Was going to post this. Was so cool I was totally willing to buy it so I could play it on my own, but I could never find it.

 

[Triple Da G.O.D!]

The only correct answer you can give that's not Oregon Trail. Number Munchers was the best shit ever.

 

[Jiguryo]

Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego?

 

[Bay Maximus]

Not sure it was a good game but played through this like 3 times as a kid. Liked the music alot too

 

[cbox]

Number munchers and The midnight series really bring back memories, tears

 

[Typographenia]

The Incredible Machine, Oregon Trail, and of course, Chess!

Aw, yeah!
I was always worried about the king's animation since he would be naked upon a checkmate. I was afraid I wasn't supposed to be playing it or something, haha!


Incredible machine was so much fun. I was never as good at it as my brother, though.

 

[emb]

Don't know what game(s) I used play, but I loved the Sega Pico.

 

[Reknoc]

Two games I loved and would probably consider educational came with my first PC; Adiboo and Professor Tim's Incredible Machines.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Treasure motherfucking Mathstorm

 

[loosus]

Help me out here...I cannot remember this game.

When I was in elementary school, we had a few Apple IIe's. One of the games was like a spelling and pronunciation game. You'd be on earphones, and you could hear a robot-ish voice pronounce the words for you. I think you had to select the correct word based on the pronunciation or some shit like that.

I remember there being a little pixelated man with a space helmet on or something.

Any ideas?

 

[Doogington]

I don't remember the educational value of it, but I loved this game:

 

[Varion]

We couldn't get enough of this at school.

EDIT: Forgot about the Magic School Bus games. Explores the Ocean is the one I probably put the most amount of time in.

Oh god, I'd forgotten about these. Think the one I played the most was the space one.

 

[Teknopathetic]

Super Solvers Midnight Rescue for sure. Played the shit out of that.

 

[iKeepPlaying]

Carmen San Diego and.... any game/RPG in english (not my primary language).

 

[gate777]

carmen sandiego, odell lake, oregon trail

 

[Slappers Only]

Number Munchers is just brilliantly designed. Such a great way to get people putting their math to use in a fun, satisfying way.

Oregon Trail, though not educational, was a great way to have fun during an otherwise educational history program. Especially the ongoing genocide campaign I was carrying out against America's native animals.

 

[BackwardsSuggestions]

Crystal Rainforest.
Damn fun game.

 

[Zerokku]

To add one that hasn't been said already: Encarta Mindmaze.