Back-To-School Time: Top 5 Educational Games

First of all, my college semester starts tomorrow and my daughter's school starts in a few weeks. As much as we love gaming, school is our priority. I'll try to update this blog at least twice a week, whether the post is by Mikey, my daughter, or myself.

Anyway, today's post is about our Top 5 educational games. My daughter and I worked on this together and it does not limit itself to any single platform.

Top 5 Nintendo DS games
Co-written by a 9-year-old girl
1. Jump Start series
I know that we normally try to stick to a single game, but with this category we decided that an entire series would be more valuable. I first purchased a Jump Start game when my daughter's preschool recommended one. She loved it then and she still loves the series now. It's available for Mac and Windows XP through 7.

"The games are always so much fun! I can play the games several times and not get bored with them. They have games for so many different topics!"

Review: Computer Game Coffee Tycoon; Is It Worth It?

Coffee Tycoon has to be the worst tycoon game of all time. It even has several spelling mistakes in the game and poorly worded events! Luckily, you don’t really need to read with this game.

Useful tip: To exit fullscreen mode, you need to Alt+Tab to another window. Coffee Tycoon will automatically change to windowed mode.

GAMEPLAY:
To win, you need to reach 1,000,000 customers.

You start the game by naming your store, picking one of logos, and selecting from a list which city you want to open your coffee store chain in.

There is hardly a tutorial, but the game doesn't NEED one. Arrange the percentage of work that the baristas, managers, and executives will be doing for the day; click the "Start Day" button; if you wish, read the random events that occur; click the "End Day" button when it's red and glowing; repeat until you have enough money to buy new recipes or upgrades (then buy them); repeat until you have a million customers or until you get bored and quit. There is no time management or strategy involved at all.

Become a Billionaire in Diablo III

Gaming is a one of many growing industries despite the current economic turmoil. Multiple games are released every year, selling countless copies worldwide as people look for fun ways to momentarily forget about their woes. Along with the physical games, there are also all the accessories being released: from guides to add-ons to licensed merchandise. Some of this year’s big releases are Diablo III, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, The Witcher 2: The Assassins of Kings, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, just to name a few. With a roster like that, gaming is indeed a very "hot" industry right now.

No matter their reason for playing a game, or how popular the game might be, guides can help even the most experienced of players. Most guides are written so someone just beginning the game can skyrocket to the end-game levels without missing a beat. Almost everyone likes to have all the information they could possibly want at their fingertips. Whether it's full-color maps, tips and tricks to playing the game not only successfully but profitably, the best areas for certain tasks, or detailed information about armor, weapons, enemies, and quests, walkthrough guides often have spoiler after spoiler. Revealing secrets is just in the nature of the walkthroughs and guides. After all, what would a FAQ be without all the frequently asked questions?

Free League of Legends Game Card

League of Legends has surpassed World of Warcraft and Minecraft as the most popular MMORPG in North America and Europe. What would you do for a free League of Legends game card?

There are many possible reasons for League of Legends sweeping success, but some people might place their bet on the price tag. World of Warcraft has a monthly subscription and only Minecraft Classic is available fee-free, while League of Legends is 100% free to play. League of Legends does, however, offer game cards up for sale for real money. These game cards are used to redeem Riot Points, in-game currency used to unlock characters, custom skins, and a wide selection of bonuses.