Video games have gotten a bad reputation over the years. People, often parents, think of them as violent, obscene, and even grotesque. Most parents will do anything to get a game controller out of the hands of their children; some parents have forbidden video games in their home altogether. Certainly some games are filled with sex, are anti-social, and consumer trash . However not all video games are necessarily bad. Most video games are relatively harmless, like Mario and Sonic games. Some studies have shown that video games improve hand-eye coordination. In fact, emerging research suggests that video games can delay the onset of dementia in the elderly.
But what about video games that are actually productive for learning? Video games have their roots in education with classics like Number Muncher, Oregon Trail, and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. While older kids might find these games too 'young' for them, a number of more interesting and complex games have been developed that provide an educational component such as Sim City, Railroad Tycoon, and Civilization. Some of these games are even played as part of college courses to help students a better feel for the material or the historical context.
Educational games can not only be entertaining but also promote critical thinking, short-term planning, and long-term strategizing. Many video games have a historical or geographical component that can promote their knowledge about the world.
Many video game developers have recognized the needs of parents and their own responsibility as an entertainment medium that is highly immersive for children. Their in-house researchers follow current research studies and the desires of parents and school systems to develop video games that can be used as effective learning tools while still capturing the attention of the student. These video game developers make themselves keenly aware of the need to focus their development for a game on a certain age group as well as being sensitive the educational and social needs for persons of that age while at the same time being entertaining.
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Now with game rental services such as Gamefly, GottaPlay, Gamerang, and others parents can rent educational video games for their kids. These educational game rental services are ideal because they allow parents and their children to play a game and evaluate it for its educational and entertainment value without committing to a purchase. Also when the child becomes bored with the game or learns all they can from it, it is easy just to mail it back and receive a new one. This also allows the video games to grow with the child so that they are 'stuck' with a game that is below their educational level. Parents might also want to consider renting fitness or family games for themselves and their children.