video games

Those who deny the educational potential of video games have obviously never played Oregon Trail. Several generations of bored elementary schoolers learned to love that buffalo-hunting, wagon-axle-breaking and dysentery-suffering simulator because it represented a break from the doldrums of a normal history lesson, but they also came away with an impressively visceral understanding of the westward expansion of America. Oregon Trail teaches players that life in a wagon train was a struggle against disease, resource scarcity and the great unknown. Though it's just a video game and can't be expected to portray the experience with complete accuracy, it does a lot better job than one might expect. I doubt any modern schools have computers than can even run Oregon Trail (unless some cheeky admin installed DOSbox), but maybe there's a different game that can be used for history class. I would suggest Sid Meier's one-of-a-kind Civilization series.

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Video games, for better or for worse, tend not to have the strongest narratives. Even role playing games, which are ostensibly more about their stories than anything else, more often than not lean too heavily on cliche or just plain incomprehensible twists. This goes double for action games, given that they're designed to excite more than to promote thought or compel emotion. So, when an action title manages to carry a truly good story, it really stands out among the throng of games with brainless heroism and predictable story arcs. Here are three excellent games with equally excellent stories.

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The best part of the browser game as a medium is that it has become such a fertile platform for new concepts. Even if they're just little variations on long-standing ideas, the quirks that make some modern games stand out among the countless others released at the same time can be very refreshing. The most impressive games from November 2009 can best be described as clever first and foremost. They aren't enduring like some games and I doubt I'll go back to them for my own leisure entertainment, but they were great for their time.

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An overwhelming majority of video games have something to do with making some kind of adversary shuffle loose this mortal coil. While I personally have no moral objection to computerized depictions of violence, I'll admit that shootin' dudes and making things 'splode real good gets a little tiring after a while. That's why non-violent video games exist. Unfortunately, non-violent games tend to be less than action-packed. Most of them are sports titles, abstract puzzle games or building simulators. The following are three peaceful games that don't give up excitement in exchange for a low body count.

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