The 90s saw a flood of children’s educational games. From Number Munchers to the Learning Company’s Super Solvers series, the 1990s were a treasure trove of school-approved video games aimed to make learning fun while introducing proper typing positions and basic computer commands.
Even Oregon Trail which originated in 1971 had its 90s heyday between a 1990 DOS release and the 1992/93 MECC releases which made it a staple in elementary schools throughout the United States of America.
So what happened?
Sure, SoftKey had a hostile takeover of TLC in 1995 with a subsequent Mattel acquisition in 1999, but popular series including The ClueFinders and Carmen Sandiego hobbled nobly onward for at least a few releases in the early 2000s. JumpStart had a few 2010s releases, but the bulk of their collection came out in 1990s, and with their 2023 closure, are educational games entirely forfeited to mobile apps?
We’ve had reboots of both Carmen Sandiego and The Magic School Bus television shows, so with these franchises still kicking and reinvention on the table, I’m reluctant to leave this genre of games in the past, especially with Netflix promising a 2025 launch; however, with rumors that even the long run of Nancy Drew puzzle mysteries are coming to an end, it may be more than nostalgia that has me wondering whether the genre is truly on its last legs.
Do you have a recent educational video game release aimed at kids? Or is there a favorite game from your past you’d love the Boss Rush crew to revisit? Share with us in the comments and join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.
Featured Image: Learning Company
The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network
The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord.
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