Actually, for middle schoolers and/or schools too poor to afford real instruments, you could make a decent chunk of music curriculum using Rock Band as a jumping off point. Use the game as is to get the kids interested in playing and learning music. Then point out rhythm and time structures that commonly appear in the game; show them how that converts to standard musical structure. As an exercise, have the students take a drum or guitar note chart and rewrite it in something like standard notation. Go from there to showing how you can express every note. Suddenly, your class can almost read music, and can sight-read surprisingly well. And instead of buying expensive tubas, you're just out a few $170 Rock Band sets and cheapish TVs.

I'd like to see someone reissue the old Carmen Sandiego games. Those were actually pretty fun. I used to play them at our local library when I was much younger. They would definitely fit the bill of being educational as well.

I say assasins creed You can learn about the third crusades.

I say we bring in god of war for the tittys and gore class. AKA the greek/roman history class.

Yes, I can also see alarmists jumping all over this as proof that video games are evil.

He does not want kids to play GTA. Rather, using the open world engine that the GTA games are created with, create a world with none of the crime/violence/adult humour/language that is used in the current mature game.

I think saying "bring GTA into the classrooms" will start idiots complaining because Mr. Jenkins has to go on to explain the comment, but by then, all of the shrill critics of video games have already made their minds up about the "DANGER TO THE CHILDREN"!

What he should have said is that he wanted to create a kid-friendly open-world game, using technology similar to that in the Grand Theft Auto games, but without any of the adult content.

It's silly and doesn't seem like much of a change, but the way you say something has a massive impact on how that suggestion is viewed.

I think however, that it is a good idea. Children are already gamers, and have developed many skills related to video games (goal based learning, puzzle solving, utilisation and management of resources, etc.) Why not put lessons in a similar context or through video games, and allow them to use these same skills in nderstanding and assimilating less material?

GTA as is, probably not.

HOWEVER:
Games such as the Sims used as part of an overall social studies class curriculum? Sure.
Games such as Sim City and other budget and business running or managing games as part of an overall Math, Accounting, Business, or other similar curriculum? Sure.
Even use a kid friendly game with open ended play that allows you to design the contents of a game, from programming all the way to writing a story (open ended and with variety similar to GTA or even some fantasy games similar to NeverWinter Nights) would be great for early computer programming courses all the way through graphics/animation, music, even written literature of the fiction genre. Sure.
Heck, even use games such as Civilization and several military strategy games for history courses.

But GTA itself? Nah. But, he did say a kid friendly version, so I think he really was trying to say a game SIMILAR to GTA. Or a heavily watered down GTA game anyway. But I could be wrong.

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software

Dr. Jenkins is the kind of guy who inspires me to be a teacher (once i get my lazy butt a degree...)

i think the concept of "make GTA without violence or sex" is a very good exercise in tale-telling.

if i understand that he meant a non-violent GTA mod or w/e by his statement, then i'm all for it, i'd love to see Spore used in class rooms, Portal would be great for helping wiht problem solving skills and physics, Garry's mod would be great for physics as well.

perhaps a localised MMO server (i.e. within the school, and regulated by them) would allow them to experience online play in a safe environment. parents could hardly complain; its teaching their children things in a way that they will REMEMBER. i dont remember much of my computing class, but i DO remember playing UT (which we put on the computers =P), and i DO remember playing a 6th year's Computing Project.

good bants.

I don't think he truly means letting elementary school kids play GTA. I'm guessing the plan would involve presenting it in high school, like for a sociology class. For all the dead hookers, GTA is actually a kooky little social satire.

...damn mouse.

Anyway, if you're trying to give someone an idea of what kid-friendly is, why not show them the restrictions? And as far as sandbox gaming goes, GTA is a pretty good example. And at the same time, if you're trying to make it an educational experience, people are going to be less likely to associate it with something more sinister.

GTA's theme is not kid friendly,however the sandbox world design is, I have been toying with a idea to mix GTAs game type with a chrinstan themed reality base add Zelda style game play, I been looking at the non violence aspect of it... frankly its hard to remove and replace, if one goes with a smaller more on the rails game type its not so bad...



ack zippy rambling FTW!

Anyway I see what he is saying make a sandbox game and use it for teaching tasks, for a real GTA to be set into a class of teens ,it would be culture or media based.

retrogamer88
they said that about TV as well, but games would work better since they are interactive , would most normal games work for a class probably not a few titles would work because they portray a mix of history and or events better than any book and no worse than any film.

what is needed is fun edu games set to motivate and and teach that is what is needed to make games truly class worthy.

@retrogamer88

I remember "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego" being available on a few of the computers when I was in school.

Jack's going to blow his top over this.

You know, as much as I resonate with this as a gamer, I have to admit that I don't think I learned all that much from playing Oregon Trail in the classroom.

If someone actually built a game that taught a complete curriculum, that would be worth noting.

It seems we often reference this kind of thing in Scifi even though we have all the tech. to do it today. The classrooms of the future always have a computer on every desk, and the kids are busily working away on them, manipulating their holographic projections or receiving the "teachings" at their own paces. Something as simple as a math tutor that had built-in rankings and showed you where you are in the bell curve real time...trivial to engineer and build...could really optimize learning your multiplication tables (which you can then promptly forget since you have a fricking computer on your desk).

back in the day, i made a little project for my spanish class. It was a simple little thing, was short as hell, looked cool and all and was fun to make. One of the special things i added was a bull fight.
I made the whole thing on a RM2k (the same program that Super Columbine RPG was made on). The bull fight was a really simple RPG fight. Really easy to win, but was a lot of fun to make all the animations for (from the bull to the hands holding the...cape thing, all done by a mouse so it didn't look great).
But something like that amazed the teacher (whom would probably marvel anything, really) and I got the highest grade for that project.

Games can be used in schools if done right. Sure, there can be some violence in them. School can not say that they can't because of the materials they teach. I would suggest some sort of Sim game, like Sim City. Even Roller Coaster Tycoon would be a good idea since its the same concept but on a smaller scale.
Portal would also be a really neat idea as well. The game's concept is really amazing, and would definitely benefit schools.

@retrogamer88

In school I don’t want games to be like ” get all the letters in hippopotamus” or some crap.

Hey, The Muppets teach Math was fun dammit! ;)

@ Erik

I believe pyrohazard was spoofing Jack. The GP comment kind of gives it away. ;)

@Pyrohazard - WIN.

@Mnementh2230:

I would like to second that motion!
All present who agree, say "OOH YEAH, BOIIII!!!" *

* "Go! Go! Parody Rangers!" reference.
** Best. Flash. EVER.

no! don't do it, if I had to play videogames at school it would ruin them.

he, school ruins novels for me all the time, I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to games.

"analyze the plot in ffx, in what way does the storyline relate to the 2nd red scare, what techniques does the author use to do this, and how are these techniques similar to the ones employed in, 'The Scarlet Letter'?"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

@ Darrel

Actually, much as it defies logic (not that you should be surprised by that aspect) Jack's complaints have on occasion basically equated to "we can't let children play games that allow them to choose to do bad things!" Hence, people here complaining that he's trying to become the "thought police." Apparently, it's somehow the videogames' fault when a child playing them chooses to act out violently even though the game doesn't ask for that.

Is he related to Leroy Jenkins?

Honestly educational games suck

Also the responses to him are legitimately hilarious.