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The educational games of your youth have their own museum exhibit
The Minnesota Education Computing Corporation might not be the most recognizable game developer today, but if you went to elementary school in the US anytime in the eighties or nineties, then you've almost certainly played -- and probably learned something from -- one of its educational games. The company started in 1973 as an initiative to put more computers into classrooms across Minnesota and eventually created over 300 different software titles, including the version of The Oregon Trail that became the cultural touchstone it is today. Now MECC and The Oregon Trail are finally getting the recognition they deserve in a retrospective exhibit from the Strong, the National Museum of Play.
Found Footage: The Oregon Trail-er
Were you one of the millions of American kids who grew up playing MECC's classic educational video game The Oregon Trail? Several TUAW bloggers remember spending hours in front of an Apple II coaxing their pioneers ever Westward, only to have them die of snakebite, dysentery, or cholera. Well, the witty folks at Half Day Today! Films created a trailer for a "film adaptation" of The Oregon Trail, which takes a potshot at many of the quirks of the game. If you grew up with this game and want a good laugh, check out the video above. Just don't go into the brush; you may get bitten by a snake! Thanks to Al for the tip
