Many of us have fond memories of playing educational games like Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? in elementary school, but it looks like future generations of students might be trading out the old Macintosh for a Nintendo DS or Wii. Shigeru Miyamoto, the famous Nintendo game designer responsible for such iconic games as Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda, says he is currently focusing on finding ways to utilize the Nintendo systems and games as educational tools.

Miyamoto's goals are yet another example of Nintendo's recent efforts to change the face of video games and reach a wider audience, proving that video games aren't just for entertainment anymore. The Nintendo DS already has a huge variety of non-traditional games, including games for brain “exercise,” foreign language coaching games, and exercise coaching games, while Nintendo's Wii Fit games have made their way into the homes of fitness-hopefuls across the country.

I've had my own positive experiences with Nintendo's non-traditional games as well. When I studied abroad in Japan, instead of buying a traditional, and expensive, electronic dictionary, I bought a DS game called Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten from the local video game store. The game let me draw Japanese characters and words on the touch screen and provided me with the Japanese pronunciation and English translation of the characters. I used it every day in class, for my homework, and when I needed to translate characters I saw around me in the city. Another educational game I recently purchased is Let's Yoga, a game which coaches you on different yoga poses. I've tried sticking to a personal fitness routine in the past, but it's so easy to fall out of the habit. With the video game tracking my progress in terms of points and providing easy, concise exercises, I find myself looking forward to doing yoga and making time for it instead of struggling to fit it into my schedule.

I imagine that Nintendo will make the transition from consumer video games to games specifically marketed to students and the educational system quite effortlessly. Nintendo interfaces are extremely accessible and kid-friendly, with simple color palettes, fun characters, and large, clearly labeled buttons. Instead of learning complicated button combinations, kids can just point, click, or touch to interact with game elements. Furthermore, a brand like Nintendo truly has the power to produce, market, and distribute highly effective educational games to a large number of schools, and perhaps to even become a classroom standard.

It's clear that the Nintendo Wii and DS have tons of potential for educational purposes and could make the learning process much more engaging and dynamic for children, especially in our media-saturated society. It's great to see that Miyamoto recognizes the influence his products have on children and is actively working towards making sure that power is utilized for positive change. Educational games have been around for a long time, but names like Nintendo and Miyamoto could truly harness the educational power of video games.

-Natalie is a blogger for The Daily Vine. Check out her bio to see where her view comes from.

Source

Nintendo Aims to Get Consoles in Schools, ABC News.