Oregon Trail Games
The "Oregon Trail" video game series was initially published by Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) games in 1974. It was designed to teach young children about the harsh reality of pioneering life on the Oregon Trail. Currently there are seven "Oregon Trail" video games on the market.
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"Oregon Trail" -- The Original Game
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In the first installment in the "Oregon Trail" video game series the player assumes the role of leader of a wagon party. The game begins in Independence, Missouri, where the player must purchase provisions for the journey ahead and assemble a group of settlers. The game adjusts to every decision the player makes, for instance, purchasing too much of an item, such as food, will overload your wagon and slow down your group. The game was revolutionary because it implemented a severe consequence system that punished a player for making poor decisions. Additionally, the game earned success as an educational tool because it successfully balanced fun mini-games like hunting with an instructive subject matter. The first installment of the game had minimal graphics but proved popular enough to be re-released in 1992 with visual enhancements.
"Oregon Trail 2"
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The second installment in the "Oregon Trail" game series was published by MECC in 1996. The game improved upon its predecessor with graphical enhancements and complexity. Instead of taking place over the course of only a year, the second "Oregon Trail" took place over the duration of 20 years. It was designed to show how traveling on the trail evolved as development and technological advancements were made. The game also featured a larger selection of occupations to choose from when creating your convoy in the starting town. Moreover, the interactive mini-games played more fluidly and looked better, and the consequences of decisions were more realistic.
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"Oregon Trail 3rd Edition"
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In 1997 MECC sold the publishing rights of "Oregon Trail" to The Learning Company, which promptly released the series' third edition. Besides upgraded graphics, not much changed between the second and third editions. The biggest feature added was an interactive guidebook filled with information about plants, wildlife, native populations and historical facts about the original pioneers. In addition, players were able to walk into buildings and have a look around to get an idea of what construction was like 1848. "Oregon Trail 3rd Edition" continued to challenge players with decisions having major consequences in a more-detailed, fully realized virtual world.
"Oregon Trail 4th Edition" and "Oregon Trail 5th Edition"
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The Learning Company released the fourth edition to the "Orgeon Trail" video game series in 2001 and released the fifth edition three years later in 2004. Both games feature more of the same "Oregon Trail" experience. The fourth edition improved graphically but retained the 2-D look, while the fifth edition brought the game into 3-D graphics. Basically, each edition added more details to the environments and people the player met along the way. Conversations were more fleshed out, and decisions made had an even larger impact. The core elements of fun mixed with education were left intact in both editions.
"Oregon Trail Mobile Edition"
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"Oregon Trail Mobile Edition" was released in 2008 by the mobile games developer Gameloft. The mobile edition is much more streamlined than its predecessors, focusing heavily on mini-games. The player still begins in Missouri and must assemble a crew before the trip begins, but the interactions among the characters are nowhere near as detailed. The mobile edition re-imagines the original in a more action-packed, fast-paced experience. Currently, Facebook games is in production on its own version of "Oregon Trails" to be released in 2011. It features a more streamlined game play in tune with the mobile edition and is available to play in its beta version.
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