September 13, 2005
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At work, we are looking at new toys for the fourth quarter. So when Games Quarterly arrived, we eagerly searched for the most exciting, fun, and educational games being prepared for the new season.
Were we amazed to find a round-up of games for teaching economics! "Economics," the text assured us, "is one of the most important disciplines...those who can critically think on a microeconomic and macroeconomic level tend to have a higer standard of living." Now that we have established the educational value, we look at the lessons the games are providing. Here are a few under the heading "Resource Management":
Dos Rios has players "moving farm workers, dislocating other opponents' farm workers, building dams with lumber and redirecting the river, fending off bandits, and earning money harvesting wheat, corn, or tobacco."
Once you have tampered with nature and humanity and harvested that tobacco, kids, you can move on to beer. Goldbrau can be won by being the player to "earn the most money after three paydays by expanding the beer garden."
Empyrean, Inc. is not messing around with little liquor and tobacco stuff. In this game, you are out to corner the market "by engaging in commerce, taxation, claiming planets..." Just a normal day in an economist's life.
High Society doesn't bother about including work in the economics equation. Instead, "accumulate the most status points and money bidding on luxuries, recognition, and misfortune." Let's admit that this may be an example of bad marketing -- these games do not appear to be intended either for children or for the teaching of economics. A certain satirical slant seems to be present at the games' websites, though not in the descriptions in the trade journal. The folks at Games Quarterly may also just be more honest than the manufacturers.
Seriously, if you ever want economics games, you might consider Mayfair Games's Catan series. Kids of Catan and Settlers of Catan are both listed in the "Resource Management" group, and are based on building cities. I have not seen these games, but it doesn't sound as though despoliation and exploitation are actually required of players. Made for Trade is another, more overtly educational game. And Noom and Raj Start a Business is a book and bank combination.
None of these products addresses merchant meetings, which is where I am headed at 8:00 a.m. We will be planning our Hallowe'en event for the center where our store lives. So I will not be going to the gym today. Then I'm off to work, and 30 minutes after the store closes, Partygirl will be picking me up for our class. I think I had better get dinner into the Crockpot before I leave.
Comments (5)
I'm jumping ahead to this post because I get the updates a day later. Anyway, thanks for the great knitted gift idea list. It's amazing but I had previously bookmarked 6 of the sites that I was interested in making. Time will tell if I get to them though.
Funny (ha, ha) about the "age" remark... I slip up sometimes, too. I'm always thinking I'm one of the young'uns and these days it's really hard to tell... what is considered "young?"
Where can you get those!? I have a friend who would relish those.
Well, not really. It's just that he has been complaining about his econ class and I'd like to... provide a study aid? Make learning fun? Make fun of him?
Whichever you choose, you're right.
Who cares about teaching economics to kids? Don't we all really want to create beer gardensand/or spread misfortune!
Your gift knittng looks great. I like the red color personally, but both are real purty. To answer your question, fried dough is exactly that: dough that's fried. It's kind of like a pizza dough, fried in hot oil and usually served with powdered sugar sprinkled on top, but some places will have pizza sauce, or even better, chocolate sauce. In October in Salem, there'll be lots of vendors selling it on the streets!
It's comforting to know that there are people like you in retail to protect kids from that kind of - er - 'learning material'. I bet if we looked hard enough we could even find a game like that featuring prostitution, or at least slavery. But let's not look.
I love that hat! I'm torn on the color - it'd look great with the DNA scarf, but it's so fun in red.
Hi
My apologies. I've been caught up in mini crises at work and at home and thus have been in a less than wonderful mood for the last few weeks. I figured rather than contaminate the net with my rotten mood I'd lay low and spectate for a bit (I always read your blog in the morning even if I don't leave comments) The kayak is still afloat and upright however and the rough water has calmed down a little. One of my projects for the weekend is to update my xanga - you are allowed to verbally chastise me if I don't. And thanks...
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