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That's Edutainment
By Tom Houston
June 1999
Why would a company that publishes computer games even think about developing and producing games that combine interactive adventure stories with historical, cultural and encyclopedic resource materials? They must think that there is an audience willing to buy and enjoy this combination of experiences.
On the one hand, we're talking about visually spectacular 3D adventure games with interesting characters, plots based on mystery and intrigue and puzzles that are seamlessly woven into the stories. On the other hand, we are being presented with the opportunity to explore important historical locations, study collections of artworks, plans, maps and other resource documents from the past and learn about cultures that had significant impact on the evolution and growth of civilization and humanity.
Well ... that's edutainment, a curious but extremely interesting combination of educational materials and a true, classic-style adventure game.
Not exactly a combination that one would think of when considering the popularity of marketing cross-genre computer games in today's computer magazines and computer game stores. After all, how could this combination compete with "action/adventure" or "arcade/action" for the customer dollars that the publishers and distributors of computer games seem dedicated to serving? I propose a possible answer to this question later.
Now that we have defined to some degree "edutainment games," it would seem appropriate to provide a couple of prime examples of such games. The best "edutainment games" that I have found and played were developed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment and published by Cryo in conjunction with Reunion des Musees Nationaux, Canal+ Multimedia.
My first was Versailles 1685, A Game of Intrigue, which takes the player to the magnificent palace of Versailles and the court of King Louis XIV. But something is not right ... someone wants to destroy Versailles, and you (the player) must stop him. As the adventure unfolds, you get to explore every corner of the palace and its grounds, find clues, converse with the royal family, the ministers, artists, servants and ladies of the court and unlock the mysteries of the conspiracy that threatens the very survival of Versailles. The gameplay, story, graphics, sound and puzzles are richly presented and provide an excellent adventure game experience.
The bonus reward for the game player is that along the way one gets to explore a stunning recreation of the rooms in the palace of Versailles, study over 200 famous paintings up close, listen to a magnificent soundtrack of baroque music (true to the period), talk to historical figures and use a vast collection of reference documents from the court to refresh your knowledge or to learn about this important period of history for the first time.
My second foray into the world of edutainment was Cryo's Egypt 1156 BC, Tomb of the Pharaoh, which Randy suggests should properly be recognized as the original Tomb Raider.
This wonderful adventure game takes place during the reign of Ramses III at a site that is now called Luxor. You will play Ramose, an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, whose father has been accused of arranging the pillage of a royal tomb. Your charge is to uncover the truth, show the Pharaoh proof of your father's innocence by exposing the real villain and prevent your family's name from being erased from history. You will encounter the political, social and religious issues that not only affect your progress through the game but also guided the Egyptian culture and the lives of its people through a period of history where the mysteries and discoveries have continued for over 3,000 years and remain a fascination to many, even today.
As with all Cryo games, in addition to its captivating, historically based mystery storyline, your character uses a first-person perspective to visually enjoy the terrific graphics and beautiful sounds that represent the people, places and everyday life of ancient Egypt.
Like Versailles 1685, this game has an educational bonus. You can visit various important sites, such as the Tomb of Sethi I, the Village of Deir el-Medineh, an embalmer's workshop or the great temple of Karnak. While there, you can discover the importance and meaning of the reconstruction efforts that have gone on for centuries. You can also access a Documentation Zone that allows you to learn all there is to be known about the Earth, Time, People, Pharaohs and Gods in ancient Egypt at the time of Ramses III.
So what does Cryo know about an audience for "edutainment" games in Europe that is not so apparent in the U.S.? A large enough population of mature Europeans evidently like adventure games and have a tolerance for extending their cerebral energies beyond the plot, mystery and logical thought processes of the game itself and into the world of educational refreshment and learning that is centered on important cultural times and events of the past.
Does an audience of this description also exist in the U.S.? Of course it does. ... Where does the mature adult audience in the U.S. go for "edutainment?" Well, a couple of places come to mind, and the buying power represented by these "edutainment" areas is tremendous.
First, there are the movies, where adventure stories of many classifications (mystery, history, science fiction, detective, etc.) abound. Second, there are books, where the same type of adventurous and historical experiences can be enjoyed with increasing releases of new works.
The overwhelming majority of buyers are mature adults looking for "edutainment" or simply the pure adventure of entertainment. What's missing in movies and books is the opportunity to interact with the story and the characters and maybe even in so doing to affect the plot and the outcome of the story. What we have here in the U.S. is a very large "untapped" audience for interactive adventure games on the computer that can be made, promoted and marketed in the same manner as the movies and books and in many cases can be made as continuations of the experiences that the audience enjoyed with the viewing of the movie or the reading of the book.
So what are the U.S. developers and publishers of computer games waiting for? They can't be waiting for an audience ... it's already out there, and it has the buying power.
That's edutainment.