Do you look up educational stuff you learn about in games?

[StaceyPowers]

If an educational topic comes up in a video game in some form or fashion, do you look it up and study it if it interests you?

For example, the art styles in Fallout and BioShock caused me to look up art deco, streamline moderne, art noveau, and beaux-arts design. I subsequently also bought a set of drawing templates so I can make my own designs.

I’m on my second playthrough of BioShock Infinite right now, and decided to learn more about Wounded Knee as a result. While reading up on that, I learned about the Ghost Dance ritual and an indigenous prophet at the time who believed that Jesus would come to earth, take the tribes up into the sky, and their enemies would be wiped out below.

Interesting that Comstock did a kind of inverted version of that, bringing the white people into the sky and planning a cleansing of the world below, while subjugating anyone who wasn’t white.

It’s cool learning more about history (depressing history, in this case) while also picking up more about what might’ve informed Comstock’s vision of Columbia.

Do you ever go on research sprees like this, and if so, what are some of the most interesting discoveries you’ve made?

@killamch89 @The Blackangel @DylanC @skyfire @Executor Akamia @kingpotato @Alyxx

[The Blackangel]

I got into studying swords for a short bit in the early years of Castlevania SOTN. There are so damn many swords in the game that I didn’t know which ones were real and which ones were strictly game fiction. The only one I knew anything about going into the game was the Damascus sword. I’ve loved Damascus steel all my life, and loved seeing that sword in the game.

[Alyxx]

I can't think of any specific things on the top of my head. I don't think I ever played games to be educated that much, so I've never looked at games in that regard. I usually tend to just be inspired by games more from themes and stuff than specifically learning new things.

[killamch89]

To be honest, I can't think of any off the top of my head other than maybe learning more about car and bike parts and how they function from the Need For Speed and Moto GP series respectively.

[StaceyPowers]

On 9/18/2019 at 6:51 PM, The Blackangel said:

I got into studying swords for a short bit in the early years of Castlevania SOTN. There are so damn many swords in the game that I didn’t know which ones were real and which ones were strictly game fiction. The only one I knew anything about going into the game was the Damascus sword. I’ve loved Damascus steel all my life, and loved seeing that sword in the game.

Damascus steel is ridiculously cool both from a functional and aesthetic point of view. 

On 9/19/2019 at 7:57 AM, Alyxx said:

I can't think of any specific things on the top of my head. I don't think I ever played games to be educated that much, so I've never looked at games in that regard. I usually tend to just be inspired by games more from themes and stuff than specifically learning new things.

I don't think I've ever bought a game with the intention of being educated either. I just tend to get interested in what I learn along the way when there is educational material which is present. If the game is fascinating enough, I end up getting interested in everything in it which somehow links to real life. 

On 9/19/2019 at 12:12 PM, killamch89 said:

To be honest, I can't think of any off the top of my head other than maybe learning more about car and bike parts and how they function from the Need For Speed and Moto GP series respectively.

That's very practical knowledge!

[Alyxx]

I did play a lot of educational games though and did learn a lot from them. But those games were designed to educate so I guess they succeeded.

I haven't really picked up much from non-educational games.

[killamch89]

6 hours ago, Alyxx said:

I did play a lot of educational games though and did learn a lot from them. But those games were designed to educate so I guess they succeeded.

I haven't really picked up much from non-educational games.

Dedicated educational games completely bored me to death - I swear my ADHD was in overdrive whenever i touched one of these games. Hell, I found myself watching a spider and some ants going at it on the wall next to me while playing an educational game once.

[Alyxx]

5 hours ago, killamch89 said:

Dedicated educational games completely bored me to death - I swear my ADHD was in overdrive whenever i touched one of these games. Hell, I found myself watching a spider and some ants going at it on the wall next to me while playing an educational game once.

I was the kind of loser who actually got entertained by edutainment games.

[The Blackangel]

Mario Is Missing was a favorite for me as a kid. I didn't even know it was educational at the time. I just thought it was fun. Now, looking back, the fact that I was learning and didn't even know it makes me a bit of a dumbass. There's a hell of an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

Edited September 22, 2019 by The Blackangel

[Alyxx]

4 hours ago, The Blackangel said:

Mario Is Missing was a favorite for me as a kid. I didn't even know it was educational at the time. I just thought it was fun. Now, looking back, the fact that I was learning and didn't even know it makes me a bit of a dumbass. There's a hell of an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

I like that it uses a lot of graphics and sounds from Super Mario World.

[killamch89]

23 hours ago, Alyxx said:

I like that it uses a lot of graphics and sounds from Super Mario World.

I could see why that would make this game more appealing than the average educational game.

On 9/22/2019 at 9:26 AM, The Blackangel said:

Mario Is Missing was a favorite for me as a kid. I didn't even know it was educational at the time. I just thought it was fun. Now, looking back, the fact that I was learning and didn't even know it makes me a bit of a dumbass. There's a hell of an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

That's how educational games should be made - being fun and informational while not boring the gamer to death. Most other educational games are such a drag...

[kingpotato]

On ‎9‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 12:12 PM, killamch89 said:

To be honest, I can't think of any off the top of my head other than maybe learning more about car and bike parts and how they function from the Need For Speed and Moto GP series respectively.

I'll vouch for that, I also learned a lot from the Underground series regarding body and engine parts from vehicles. 

[killamch89]

On 9/24/2019 at 10:12 PM, kingpotato said:

I'll vouch for that, I also learned a lot from the Underground series regarding body and engine parts from vehicles. 

My friend learned what modifications to add to his first car because of playing Need For Speed. He had gotten his hands on an Evo VIII.

[skyfire]

I have seen many people got into cars because they played NFS. And it also helped people see for more choices too. I think that's one good use of NFS apart from consuming our hours.

[StaceyPowers]

On 9/22/2019 at 1:25 AM, Alyxx said:

I was the kind of loser who actually got entertained by edutainment games.

So was I. Even the ones that were like encyclopedias with mild user interaction.

On 9/22/2019 at 7:26 AM, The Blackangel said:

Mario Is Missing was a favorite for me as a kid. I didn't even know it was educational at the time. I just thought it was fun. Now, looking back, the fact that I was learning and didn't even know it makes me a bit of a dumbass. There's a hell of an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

It’s okay. It somehow never really entered my brain playing Math Blasters as a kid that I was learning arithmetic skills. I just liked exploring the levels. I think it’s by design that a kid doesn’t really think of an educational game as being educational. If the brain is engaged by the fun factor, memory retention and such is probably improved, and learning might be easier. Plus, a lot of kids sadly have a negative mental association with “education,” and tricking them may be for the best =D

On 9/28/2019 at 9:08 AM, killamch89 said:

My friend learned what modifications to add to his first car because of playing Need For Speed. He had gotten his hands on an Evo VIII.

That's pretty amazing. Talk about practical knowledge.