Nintendo Plans DS Invasion In Schools: The Future Of Learning Is Gaming

Uniforms, tighter schedules, banning of cellphones; could school possibly get any less organized? We're sure it could, but the higher-ups at Nintendo want to affect schools in a positive way by introducing their products into them, of course.  We have previously heard of Dance Dance Revolution being used in select Physical Education programs in order to get students to become active when they otherwise wouldn't, but we have yet to hear of any school making a sweeping measure to accept gaming consoles as a part of their teachings.

Nintendo Game Designer, Shigeru Miyamoto credit:  Associated Press

Shigeru Miyamoto, who has had a hand in some of Nintendo's most popular titles, recently offered that he is working hard to turn Nintendo's DS line of handheld gaming machines into tools for schools. The DS already has a nice line of educational software titles that help users learn, and he thinks that this could really be a huge benefit to schools looking for alternative ways to educate students of a new generation. The company has already managed to get them into Japanese schools (Junior High and Elementary levels) starting in the new school year, but that's obviously just scratching the surface.  Details about Nintendo's plan for the education sector were short, but it's not tough to envision the company making an impact.  The DS is a fun, interactive console that's relatively cheap and easy to grasp.

It wouldn't take long for the relatively small population of students that haven't had hands-on time with the system, to learn how to use it.  And of course, with so many brain games already out, the overall software model certainly wouldn't be an issue.


Personally, we love the idea. School has been the same, mundane process for far too long, and it's time for new technologies to enter in and shake things up. Wouldn't you be more inclined to pay attention if the teacher shoved a DS in your face and told you that your grade depended on it?  That could be just a little more interesting than yet another multiple choice, fill in the bubble exam.  Just make sure to keep that battery charged.