Education And Educational Computer Games

Albert Einstein once said,
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

In context of education,
this quote hints on existence of invalid lectures, lectures that can't teach.

Think about your Math education,
because for almost everybody Math-class is an example of fake education.

Mathematics is just as interesting as 3D modeling or Programming,
but when taught wrong - it isn't really taught at all.

A school that relies on powerful educational games,
would have a library requiring several years of play (or learning).

The aim of all the games, self employment, entrepreneurship,
independence, and safety and security.

There are no teachers here,
the games replace the teacher.

A singe game,
would hold a semester of lectures.

The students here are not timed, there are no grades,
they either graduate to the next one, or are not yet ready.

Students who pass a game can make a lot of money,
by tutoring others.

Everything and by that I mean, the entire future of Humanity,
depends on the knowledge of the student.

Some stories are told by a narrator,
others invite us to experience adventures along with the hero of the story.

This is the difference between a classroom,
and an educational game.

And what cannot be explained easily in an interactive setting,
may just not be worthy of the student's time.

I will say that a lecture presented by a single teacher,
to multiple students, is the worst way to learn.

A library of BEAUTIFUL educational computer games,
that any student can browse through in any order.

Without ever being graded,
and without ever being timed.

And going online to meet up with their friends,
from all around the world, is the best idea.

Here Education, is a private and personal thing,
it is almost exactly like self education.

Today to examine the dimensions of fractals we have to hurry or pause the lecture,
but with games, the puzzles are solved at the student's own pace.

Here they can stay in a game about Fractals for weeks,
if it captures their attention.

And from here they may progress further into mathematics,
here they will never be graded down for exploring.

One of the magical things about these games,
is that their content can be expanded from the inside, like Wikipedia.

Today, educational games that enable students to expand their intelligence,
don't really exist.

A number of puzzle games exist,
but they are for the youngest of students.

As far as I know, Kerbal Space Program, comes closest,
but it does not seem to emphasize enabling the student with the full comprehension of Orbital Dynamics.

And there are no games that gradually increase in complexity,
towards the subject of Orbital Dynamics, covering Mathematics and Physics along the way,

The nearest analogue to games,
are programming challenges.

While that is also an amazing way to learn,
it is not a beautiful and life changing way.

Because programming languages cannot deliver the carefully crafted visuals,
that help with comprehension.

The games are like the 3Blue1Brown Video Chanel,
but it is the player that is guided to comprehend, and not the narrator that explains.

These games are interactive visualizations-and-laboratories of University level courses,
with an easy on-ramp, that most often will include prerequisite games.

This type of a school would be free and open to all,
many of the students would dedicate their time to expand the games inside out.

A university level education that only calls for a desktop computer,
it would surely become one of the most meaningful global undertakings.