Playing games on the computer has always been a fun pastime. The very first computer program involved a flight simulation program back in the nineteen forties and while it served a serious purpose, it was also fun. Early game machines like the Apple II, Commodore Vic, and the Atari 2600 got their beginning with very basic games like Pong, a simple and mind numbing game of table tennis. Yet was addictive and fun to play mostly because it was new and it had no competition at the time.

Today computer games are sophisticated, graphics intense, and can be very challenging. And they are still fun. Many of the computer games programmed today are designed with the user’s education in mind, perhaps just so they aren’t all just labeled “games”. But a game can still be fun even while it is educating the computer user.

There are many hundreds of educational software games available, many are even free. The very young can learn vocabulary, geography, dexterity, science, math, and health related subjects and enjoy as they learn.

Learning about endangered species and rainforests, greening the planet, and proper nutrition set them on the right path sociologically.

Software geared toward educating has improved vastly over the years and many of today’s “games” instruct as well as classroom studies. Teachers appreciate it because their job is made easier when the students want to learn and enjoy the classroom activities that involve software that just happens to be educational.

There are many software titles which are specialized, produced by a wide assortment of manufacturers. These even include well established book publishing firms of educational instruction.

Many of the educational software titles came out during the nineteen nineties and still hold up well. These were generally aimed toward the home education for younger children and kept them happily participating in their education while enjoying gaming at the same time.

There are, however, some differences between proper titles aimed at learning and software that emphasizes game playing. There must be an emphasis placed on learning numbers and literacy in order for it to still be titled educational software.

Among the titles that are considered to have strong educational value and structural approach are:

  • Many of the Disney Interactive titles such as Winnie-the-Pooh, The Jungle Book, Mickey Mouse, and Aladdin.
  • Blaster Learning Systems, JumpStart, Reader Rabbit, Zoombinis, and ClueFinders.
  • Many of the encyclopedias and dictionaries that have been in print for generations, are also involved in “edutainment” software for children as well as adults.

The early “multimedia” software were merely reformulated from books and placed onto CD-Rom for computer use. These programs were fun and educational and whenever learning can be made entertaining and enjoyable, that can only be a good thing. More recently software has become an interactive medium that gets kids up off their back sides and allows them to exercise while they practice and learn.

Educational software has proven its worth in educating in the corporate world as well. The U.S. Government even makes use of training via software programs. Training can be accomplished world wide on virtually any subject matter.