An Appreciation Thread

This might be a little off-topic, but I have to admit that it's the small things making me appreciate the games I play even more. On Friday, I took a standardized test from the College Board (I'm not allowed to discuss it ;) ), and I just have say, without the Conquerors expansion to AOE 2, I wouldn't have remembered what the Battle of Lepanto (1571) was about. :D

Does anyone else have incidents where a semi-educational PC game has helped you in the classroom or on the job? I know I got tons of vocabulary playing older computer RPGs when my friends were watching Power Rangers.

Let me guess...AP World History? Or maybe European History? I just took my Biology exam today and my Calculus exam last Wednesday. I've got English and Composition on Wednesday. I can't even imagine what my Senior year is going to be like...:?

Ocassionally I do learn things from video games, or at least they help reinforce ideas I already knew. A lot of my (limited) knowledge of cars is derived from video games, and I did learn some tidbits from Civilization IV and the original Age of Empires.

I would really like to see more video games that are more like simulations than full-fledged games. No plot, no sophisticated graphics, just really good AI, physics, etc. A big part of the reason I still love video games so much is because they allow me to experiment. If well done, a simulation could be used as a learning tool (to model crowd behavior, ecosystems, subatomic behavior, evolution, etc). I'm hoping Spore ends up being more than just an expanded version of the Sims for this reason.BlueBirdTS

I'd think that good graphics goes along with a simulation. But anyways, on your point, I'd rather see video games being more modest - nothing far fetched with elaborate plots and cutscenes, just a game, with focus on the gameplay. But that thought is for another thread and time.

As much as people will try to extol the benefits of video games, frankly, you're better off not playing them. With a few (very few) exceptions.

Dude I know how you feel. It's a good thing I played a little SIMS: 18+ EDITION before taking my Sex Ed. exam.Ps2stony

welcome back, stony. we missed yah.

i'm learning right now that you can't just go around killing people or you'll lose your humanity and might go into frenzy. and you can't just feed in plain view of everyone, or you'll lose a masquerade point.

but seriously, i did learn a lot about ww1 aerial combat from red baron manual and ww2 aerial combat from aces of the pacific and aces over europe manuals.

[QUOTE="Ps2stony"]Dude I know how you feel. It's a good thing I played a little SIMS: 18+ EDITION before taking my Sex Ed. exam.fireandcloud

welcome back, stony. we missed yah. ESPECIALLY THAT JOHNNY ROCK GUY AND ALSO ALL THE SOULJA BOY HATERS WE KNOW SOULJA BOY IS STONY CUZ STONY IS COOL AS SOULJA BOY