Developing technology used in modern teaching resources herald huge advances in the range of learning games for children. But the cost of the equipment needed to play the new educational games will not only limit the scope to wealthier families, many of the historic learning resources designers will be pushed out by the major players entering the market.  The opportunity for children from poorer families and third world countries to capture the educational benefits will be significantly limited.

Educational games software as we know it may soon become a stronghold of a select number of major players. Developments are well under way with Microsoft, Sony and Apple who view the educational market with keen interest. Understandably they are primarily focused on the commercial opportunity which links the software to their branded products. But the arrival of these big companies could stem the flow of those great ideas that emerged from teachers and educationalists who previously developed the games for educational use.

In the distant past a key feature of “slate and chalk” learning was its very low cost. Education using this fundamental communication technique focused on the ability of the teacher and the commitment of the child. It was a level playing field for all. The onset of technology and computer development in education could become socially divisive. And the rate of change is accelerating. State of the art computers made three years ago have been replaced by vastly more powerful PCs, laptops, Netbooks, Blackberry and iPads. Educational software programs utilising the newer more powerful facilities should open the door to a wealth of new learning resources. But the cost to develop software to match the equipment capability is becoming beyond the reach of many historic suppliers.

A key feature of learning is the engagement of children especially outside the school gate. Turning homework into a fun environment captures a huge element of additional learning time, a function the bigger suppliers are targeting. As a consequence the commercial interest of these manufactures means the newer resources can only be accessed by matched equipment. This would inevitably exclude children from poorer families.

A recent UK government “Home Access” scheme provided laptop computers to poorer families allowing them to engage with the newer learning platforms. Unfortunately the recession has resulted in this activity being curtailed. An inevitable outcome of the current cuts to school budgets is the ICT budget is generally the first casualty. Subsequent lower sales of equipment will not provide the manufacturing scaling benefits of volume sales. Costs would stay high making the equipment accessible by parents with the requisite disposable income. Increased VAT and inflation will exacerbate the problem to further pressurise the divide between those using the newer learning resources; benefiting from the practice process in learning retention, and poorer children who could ultimately trail badly in their wake.

Educational games, and in particular video games, are developing exponentially. It seems only yesterday the games market comprised of space invaders and an amazingly simple game of tennis. Playing 3D games on line with an unknown party in another part of the world would seem incredulous yet it has emerged in a very short space of time. This rate of change in technical development, quality and sophistication will spearhead new educational techniques to emerge over the next decade. Ultimately we could see schools and children interlinked in lessons around the world. The original educational games content developed by teachers and educationalists were based on a perceived opportunity to support the curriculum. Inevitably developed on low budgets, the games are a little crude compared to the latest video games but were content rich incorporated teaching practices honed from years of front line teaching. The next generation of games governed by the need to become a commercial success may lack the pedagogy employed thus far.

Contemporary video gaming developments have raised user expectation and displaced developments from even the most resourceful teachers who see the cost of production now beyond their means. Specialist design is needed to construct the graphics and games format. Marketing muscle has grasped the market. A potentially critical loss of educational content exchanged for merchandising opportunities.

Other influences have also impacted on the sales of educational games. A scheme to induce schools to acquire educational ICT games came in the form of “e-learning credits.” Schools promptly bought software by the kilo. School cupboards were suddenly filled with game titles many of which remain in their supply wrappers. Once the e-learning credit scheme was exhausted sales dropped accordingly. Many games supplier faced hard times. In order to offset the loss of revenue many of the games appeared on free educational games websites. This seemingly altruistic move, in reality, was to gain income from the adverts that appeared on the site. There is no such thing as a free lunch! Although this gave a second life to many games titles a further blow waited round the corner. Sales volume has now been eroded with the introduction of the virtual learning environment. Schools and children at home are able to access educational games on-line through a central network serving the entire schools and pupils.

Children at this leading edge will have a significant advantage. They will be taught with support from systems using high quality graphics, large databases and a home interface allowing them to pursue schooling projects at home. Poorer children with limited or no access to the technology will inevitably miss out on these benefits, struggling on the sidelines, watching the focus of teaching unquestionably moving with technology and away from them. This growing divide does not bode well for children in poorer countries. Changes in society, ease of travel and developments in electronic communications mean children are already seeing vast changes in adult employment. Effective education will be essential in all candidates for employment irrespective of country of origin.

To match this ongoing demand all children should be provided with the requisite skills to survive and thrive in an international environment. This will require a massive philanthropic approach to provide the technological equipment needed so all children receive a common educational opportunity irrespective of their social background. But history has so far proven this to be an impossible dream even when considering education in the form of the basic “slate and piece of chalk.”