Cartridge-Based Gaming Limits Innovation in Nintendo DS Learning Games

I've been writing often, lately, about educational games, especially Nintendo DS learning games. Most of my research has had a common thread of truth: it's a difficult medium to work in. According to industry sources, most learning games marketed towards kids never see the light of day, and the ones that do make it out of the planning phases can be a bit of a gamble for their studios. Especially, as is the case for many recent games, the teams who lack the backing of a major label. Major label = assured distribution.

Problem is, the major labels don't necessarily want to innovate. They don't often want to chance the market's willingness to accept a new ideas, foreign or unfamiliar gameplay, or, really: anything that isn't guaranteed to make a certain percentage of profit. It's understandable; they're publicly-traded companies, for crying out loud. Of course they're built to play it safe. DS learning games are a tough sell to begin with, these companies seem to say. Why swing for the fences when we've got a guaranteed base hit?

Well, that's true. But there are game makers out there, right this very second, who're toiling in obscurity, putting the finishing touches on the next Katamari Damacy. Ah, says the company, the Katamari example. For every Katamari, they say, there're three or four games you never hear about that fail miserably on the market. And Katamari wasn't even a DS learning game!

Also true. So, then - the problem isn't squarely on the shoulders of these monolithic gaming corporations. It seems the handheld gaming device industry deserves much of the blame.

Unfortunately, most of the gaming innovation I'm seeing is limited to the Internet. It's as if Indie game makers are sticking to personal computers, Flash games, and internet distribution, with the hope that they can attract a grassroots groundswell, maybe get noticed by one of the aforementioned big-name companies, and try to work for change within the system.

Without major changes withing the handheld gaming device industry, the Nintendo DS and its fleet of DS learning games will be in danger of running aground against the improved software distribution system of multiple-use devices like the iPhone. Here, at least, game makers can self-produce and release games to the market without the current logistical and production restraints of the cartridge-based gaming world. I fear for the Nintendo DS's survivability. For as many things as the Sony PSP got wrong, their recent switch to digital distribution is right. They just came to it too late - no one wants to re-buy games they already own.

The handheld gaming world is changing, and I hope that Nintendo helps lead that transition. I'd like to see a similar amount of fun DS learning games on the 3DS, but, by sticking with cartridge-based production, they're hurting their customers, smaller game producers, and ultimately, themselves.

Of course, in the meantime, we have some amazing games coming out. And the pre-existing DS learning game library is formidable, fairly deep, and has plenty of hidden gems. Nintendo needs to reevaluate its cartridge-based gaming platform for its upcoming Nintendo 3DS, lest they lose yet more ground to other handheld devices.

William is a parent and a New York straphanger. His kid is already on the way to becoming a gamer who sometimes needs a little "gentle encouragement" to play his Nintendo DS learning game, even the ones the little guy picked out, himself. William misses the days of Sonic and Mario when they'd only go from left-to-right, rather than 360 degrees.

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Nintendo Educational Games Should Work to Teach Cooperation to Children, Rather Than Competition

One thing I see again and again in Nintendo educational games is that, with few exceptions, they are solitary affairs. And, when they include a multi-player mode, it's inevitably of the competitive nature. Beat my score, top my level, etc. It's understandable; video games and games in general usually involve a certain level of competition. Even in orange-slice soccer leagues who don't keep score, there's the personal level of getting a ball past an opponent, kicking or handling skill comparisons running in the kids' minds. I get it, we're a competitive culture.

But we're talking about friends and siblings, here - why can't we design our Nintendo learning games to teach cooperation, rather than competition?

This is going to require a bit of a sea-change in the industry, I'm guessing. We're so used to setting the highest score and putting our initials up for all to see. Most of the video games out today, whether Nintendo educational game or 360 shooter, are competitive first, solo-campaign next, and co-op mode possibly as an afterthought. For those of us with two children, wouldn't it be nice to see a game that teaches teamwork? Sharing? Couldn't our educational games include modes that require players to work together to solve a puzzle, rather than see who can finish it the fastest?

We have a few examples in the Nintendo educational game world, but look at the mature video game titles! There is a definite trend in these games - most of which are violent, unfortunately - to offer the ability to invite a friend or sibling to take on the game's challenges together. It's great! Some actually require teamwork between two players in order to get the best gear or score the highest possible mark; in other words, they don't require that you play with a friend to succeed in-game, but they offer plenty of incentive to do so.

More carrot, less stick.

It's unfortunate that, for the most part, the library of Nintendo educational games is pretty scant when you're searching for a game to help teach your young ones teamwork. It appears to be an oversight, rather than a calculated move on the developers' parts.

There's also a level of "flying solo" in our educational system. Tests are taken alone, no book, no hints, no help, and especially no looking over your fellow student's shoulder. That's fine - I understand - we want to find out what each student knows, hopefully with the goal of shoring up any weak spots in a child's education. But the school-type setting is exactly what we ought to be avoiding in Nintendo educational games. We shouldn't want to remind our gamers of school, of stress, of tests and exams and pop quizzes. Our goal, ultimately, should be to make learning fun.

I believe this effort would be helped by including cooperative modes in our Nintendo educational games. It probably won't be easy, coming up with exercises and lessons that require cooperation. But it has to be possible, whether through a more rigid gameplay mechanic (think driver/navigator, researcher/writer, or hands/feet) or unique mini-games (drawing two halves of a picture from memory, alternating teacher and student roles, or simple collaborative playing to solve in-game puzzles).

I'm happy to watch my kid learn as he plays. I'd be even happier if he found encouragement and excitement in tackling a problem together with a friend. Nintendo's been the leader in console innovation; let's see them make some powerful strides in cooperation and collaboration for their next spate of Nintendo educational games.

William is a parent and a New York straphanger. His kid is already on the way to becoming a gamer who sometimes needs a little "gentle encouragement" to play his Nintendo educational games, even the ones the little guy picked out, himself. William misses the days of Sonic and Mario when they'd only go from left-to-right, rather than 360 degrees.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_R.

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