Maxis' Beautiful Spore: Science and Social Studies Classes Will Never Be the Same

Will Wright and Maxis have once again reinvented the open-ended educational video game.

Don't miss this video demonstration of Spore, which leads players through the development and evolution of life from bacterium through space exploration, with everything imaginable in between. I have watched the progress of educational games for a while from a distance, especially from the perspective of the brave teachers like Dave McDivitt who experiment with them in the classroom. Science and social studies teachers, get ready: This is the game you should let your students play from age 12 on to enhance their understanding of evolution, the study of cultures, and astronomy. Don't believe me; watch the gameplay video below from the Game Developers Conference 2006. Then play the game yourself and put yourself in your students' shoes. A game like this can't teach your kids these concepts, but it can bring them to life in ways only a video games can. Leave your worries at the doorstep (read Henry Jenkins' lucid "Fun vs. Engagement" post on his blog if you need help with this) and dive in.