There's nothing like playing some "Marble Blast" after a hard day of learning to type.
Between NFTs, deepfakes, internet surveillance, and brain-chip implants, technology these days feels more unsettling than innovative. I prefer to think about the time when being on the computer felt like a warm hug instead of a dystopian nightmare.
CNBC / Via giphy.com
Computer lab was the place to be in elementary school. I was thrilled every time I got to trade in my composition book for 25 minutes of gaming on that "sleek" and colorful 1998 iMac.
Kat Pickhardt
So, let's celebrate some of the most memorable elementary school computer lab games:
1. Zoombinis were little blue creatures who relied on a player's ability to solve puzzles in order to escape to Zoombiniville after evil Bloats took over their home.
2. Kid Pix introduced generations of children to digital art.
3. Marble Blast was like the dessert of computer lab – you only ever got to play after finishing the actual lesson.
GarageGames / Via youtube.com
If there was any educational value to this game, I would be shocked. Instead, Marble Blast was one of the more competitive games in computer lab. I used to compete with my classmates for the best times on the hardest courses.
4. iSpy was also a great way to burn time after finishing up an assignment.
Scholastic / Via youtube.com
Being told computer lab was ending before finding what you were looking for was simply devastating at age 8.
5. Oregon Trail was created back in the '70s so it's safe to say some variation of this game lived on your computer lab desktop.
6. Mavis Beacon Typing was a training system to help both children and adults with their typing skills.
The Software Toolworks / Via youtube.com
Sure, Mavis Beacon was a fictional character, but I like to think of her as my business mentor.
7. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? sent kids on a wild goose chase around the globe to find the thieving Carmen Sandiego.
Brøderbund Software / Via youtube.com
Learning geography from a textbook is way less cool than hunting for an international fugitive. Players would get to virtually travel the world, talking to bystanders and collecting clues on the search for Carmen Sandiego.
8. Math Blaster followed Max Blaster (naturally), Galactic Commander, and their robotic dog Mel through a variety of adventurous math challenges.
Knowledge Adventure / Via youtube.com
Math is boring, but math in space is super cool. I can't believe the snazzy graphics and fun characters actually fooled me into enjoying fractions...
9. Type To Learn was similar to Mavis Beacon, but set in space.
Sunburst Digital / Via youtube.com
Kids apparently couldn't get enough educational space content back in the day!
10. Bugdom allowed players to explore Bugdom (a kingdom of bugs) as a Pill Bug named Rollie in order to save kidnapped lady bugs from the evil red ants.
Pangea Software / Via youtube.com
If this game looks familiar, you probably had a fancy Mac computer lab at school. Bugdom came preinstalled on the second generation of iMacs in 1999. Or perhaps you're confusing it for A Bug's Life, which isn't too far off either.
11. The Incredible Machine had students building elaborate machines out of random objects such as ropes, levers, bowling balls, and even cats.
Dynamix / Via youtube.com
Eat your heart out, Rube Goldberg.
12. Putt-Putt isn't just a fun way to play golf. It's also the name of a purple convertible who is the protagonist in a series of adventure based games.
Humongous Entertainment / Via youtube.com
New Putt-Putt adventure games were put out every couple of years from the early '90s to the early '00s so there was never a shortage of challenges to try in computer lab.
13. Disney's Magic Artist Studio was essentially Photoshop for children, but with built in Disney settings and characters to create with!
Disney / Via youtube.com
This game had some rockin' tunes. There was something so satisfying about watching Goofy break it down on the beach, even if his dance moves were limited.
14. Word Munchers was a vocabulary game where a muncher roams a grid looking to eat any word that matches the given category.
MECC / Via youtube.com
I'm not the best at vocabulary, so I guess you could say my muncher was on a diet!
15. And, Crosscountry USA was designed to teach students about navigation through states and cities.
Ingenuity Works, Inc. / Via youtube.com
The invention of the GPS certainly made the hours I spent planning truck routes across America seem pointless.
