VIdeo Games teach Animal Health

I always find it intriguing how developers seek innovative and educational ways to appeal to children. They often attempt to integrate educational constituents that allows kids to further develop their minds while playing. I was recently talking to my friend in San Diego State, who is currently studying to be a veterinarian, and he was telling me about this new interactive game that was created for Nintendo ds. He was explaining to me how his school is considering adding the new device into its curriculum. The game is called 'Pet Pals Animal Doctors' and allows you to diagnose and treat over 30 medical cases that were created by real life veterinarians. The basis of the game is explained in this quote by vice president of oprations "Pet Pals: Animal Doctor is designed to provide players with a deeper understanding of the care and expertise required to keep pets healthy," said Gui Karyo. With Pet Pals you can diagnose and treat over 40 animals. My friend also mentioned he tested it and the realism of the actual program is quite impressive. I wonder if parents are more willing to accept video games if they are deemed 'educational' such as this one? are developers seeking to tap into this market? my guess is yes, but it has been proving to be unsuccessful.

I guess you can call it a tamagotchi meets animal ER or some weird combo like that. When I was younger I would love playing a similar game, the basis of it was to fish out the patients organs (any one remember the name of that game???); I quickly learned the location and size of organs proportionate to humans. In a way I feel as if Pet Pal serves the same purpose. After listening to Corneila Brunner I have a different approach to video games and the ideologies behind them. I hope this article can have the same impact on you as it had on me.
Link:
http://ds.vggen.com/news/news.php?id=7638

I also found this interesting, titled, The Evolution of the Controller:
http://www.axess.com/twilight/console/

My friend who is studying to be a veterinarian was telling me about this new device that they are considering working with to help raise pets at home efficiently