Over the holidays, the Internet Archive made a revolutionary move.  They released over 2,400 computer games from the 80’s and 90’s on the web.  These games were originally programmed to run on DOS-based machines and were unavailable to modern users without impressive technical knowledge.  Internet Archive has made these games playable in a person’s web browser, meaning that they’re accessible to even the youngest users.

This is important because among the games brought back are some of the earliest educational games including Oregon Trail (arguably the first educational PC game that was programmed), Lemonade Stand, and several other classics.  These games were pioneers in the field and set the stage for the types of games that students play on their tablets, phones, or school computers today.  While many of these games don’t seem that impressive when placed next to new flashy graphics, there are many games that not only influenced students of several decades ago, but also remain just as fun and engaging today.  This is especially true for the Sim series of games that remain unsurpassed in many aspects.

Below are several examples of classic educational software now available to you.  Some might only be good for a brief feeling of nostalgia, but there also might be something there that interests your students.

Oregon Trail

SimCity

SimFarm

SimLife

SimEarth

Diplomacy

Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego

Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego

Reader Rabbit

Discovering America

Lemonade Stand

Pilgrim Quest

Number Munchers

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