From: Jacques Du Pasquier (jacques@dtext.com)
Date: Sat Jan 05 2002 - 11:08:03 MST
joost wrote (4.1.2002/21:38) :
> It should be easy to modify an existing game, and get an educational
> licence. Problem would be that the (govt owned) educational market for such
> a game would probably like to see whatever it is they are teaching, proven
> by such a simulation.
I don't think it should be tried to give that to schools. Let the kids
play during the night, and sleep during the school ;-)
> Rather than a model that may prove the oposite. For a
> commercial market, the game should be fun, and to most kids fun means
> explosions or car races, so finding funding for such a project won't be easy.
Actually I think it should not be aimed at kids, but at adolescent and
adults. Other kind of tools could be aimed at kids -- that leads to
the general use of visual simulation to teach about processes and
increase the ability of thinking dynamically, something interesting,
too. (but that teachers should understand to start with)
> In most "god-sim" strategy games with an economical aspect, the laissez
> faire principle generally works best, (which generally isn't much more than
> having low taxes).
I only know the sim-city stuff. I had a try, but it didnt' look very
sexy to me, for various reasons. And it's not even a multiplayer game.
> Most of those games however also show the kids playing
> them, that going to war with one of the other players can be very
> profitable...
If (as I said in the other post where I developed the idea more) one
makes it explicitely close to reality, then 1) it will be difficult,
risky, etc. to make wars, 2) many people will oppose it, because of
the "illustrative stake" (they don't want war in reality, so they
don't want the game to take this course either).
> If you're serious about making such a game,
I'm serious about suggesting someone makes it !
> i'd advise you to check out
> "Simcity 3000", as well as an older game called "Shadow President". They're
> both games that have a little bit more than the average simplified "tax"
> model (on the city social/economic level and on global foreign policy
> respectively), they're both games that though being more complex than the
> standard game in their genre, succeeded in keeping the "fun" appeal of a
> "game".
Thanks for the pointers.
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