[kidsgames] Re: Kids Game Builder version 0.0.1

[Jeffery Douglas Waddell <jeff@smluc.org>]

Hello Tom,

On Tue, 28 Sep 1999 thudson@cygnus.com wrote:

> aleris@iag.net wrote:
> > 
> > Quoting Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>:
> > 
> > >
> > > Should we be trying to create the "engine" for all these games from
> > > scratch?
> > > I know there are a few GPL programs out there that are designed for the
> > > creation of graphical adventure games.  We ought to investigate those and
> > > see
> > > if any are close enough to what we're looking for to give us a substantial
> > > head start if we modify them rather than duplicating work that's already
> > > been
> > > done.
> > 
> > Seems as good a time as any for me to jump in.  I gotta agree here.  The whole
> > point of the GPL is to make available a huge body of previous work without
> > having to be directly concerned with stepping on any patents or copyrights.
> > What we should probably be doing at this point is deciding exactly what the goal
> > of this project is (in technical terms) and then survey available GPL'ed
> > software to see what can be used.
> > 
> I know of several cross-platform gaming API's that may or may not be
> overkill. There is probably not a great need for 3D rendering, but
> a lot of the work done on synchronization of events would be useful.
> 

hmm event synchronization, I wonder if the RTLinux stuff would be
overkill?
 

> I found out recently that the quality manager at Cygnus wrote the 
> cross platform API for Reader Rabbit,

Wow!

> as well as major portions
> of the first product.

Cool!

> I won't be in to work until Thursday, but
> I will give him a call and see what suggestions he can give as far
> as what to look for.
>

Thanks.
 
> > In that spirit I guess I have a non-technical question.  What do we want to use
> > as authoritative sources of information?  Generally math and the sciences are no
> > problem, because those subjects naturally scale with difficulty.  History
> > strikes me as a little foggier of a subject - a lot of what I was taught in
> > school about history turned out not to be true, but only convenient myth.  (Or
> > as one of my teachers told me once, "it's easier to teach this way")  My
> > background isn't in education.  How do we want to proceed about this?
> > 
> 
> As Napolean said "History is a set of lies agreed upon."
> 

hmmm ;)

> History hasn't gotten on my radar screen yet, I'm still trying to teach
> my three year old to read. Seems like something tough to teach in a computer
> based environment.

You need text to speech, and it's not there yet.

> The best history classes I took all involved discussion
> and speculation to get everyone involved.

hmmmm, what about history for 5 year olds?  I know my daughter is
insatiatable about being read too, and is very into the American Girls
series of historical fiction.  Sure brings up tough issues like slavery
quickly.

animated storybooks based on historical storylines could be one way of at
least scratching the history surface.

> Sort of "form your own opinions
> about these events." Of course this gives me the idea of using a more 
> web-based, community discussion forum.

I believe jabber (www.jabber.org) might be the product to do that with.

> This would certainly work for me,
> I don't know about younger age groups. This would definitely be a great
> way to leverage the net, imagine classrooms all over the world discussing
> historic events from their own county's lies^H^H^H^Hperspective ;-)

Are you familiar with the how Encarta's different version's have different
"historical facts" depending on language and region.  It's kind of scary,
how fluid history really is.

> And this is an area where no educational software I am aware of is 
> even attempting.
> 
> I will add a memorable story about a freshman history class with a wonderful
> history professor I had. We spent a couple of weeks talking about "How the
> west was won." Everyone was encouraged to give their opinion; guns, law and 
> order, pony express, cattle ranching vs. farming, etc. When we finally asked 
> her for her opinion, she solemnly opened her desk drawer and produced a piece 
> of barbed wire. She went on to explain her reasoning. I think everyone
> went away with thoughts about how all the pieces fit together. Much more
> than they would have with a lecturer saying "This was how the west was won."
> 

I'm worried that the same is going to apply to "how the internet was
won" with "software patents, and copyright" being the "barbed wire".

I sincerely hope that is an unfounded worry.

> 
> Thomas
> 

Sincerely,

Jeff Waddell
jeff@smluc.org


-
kidgames@smluc.org  -- To get off this list send "unsubscribe" in the
body of a message to majordomo@smluc.org