The game is called BrainWare Safari, and it’s being used to train children how to learn with exercises that play on various cognitive skills. We’re talking handy abilities like attention, memory, and general critical thinking, which are certainly nice to have. The software company claims students who use the software show four to six years of cognitive growth, which is more a marketing tagline than a scientific statement. Regardless, the use of video games as training tools has been growing, so it’s no surprise to see them creeping into more traditional and conservative settings. NWI.com has the story.
Sure, we had “educational” video games in our schools, but the difference is that modern learning games track progress and offer tools for teachers to discover where each student is succeeding and struggling. They aren’t games, as such, but comprehensive packages that allow for a guided education through the medium of gaming. The good ones, anyhow.