On the trail
Remember the game Oregon Trail? It is an educational computer game, from which I have many fond memories from my childhood. When I taught 5th grade, I had a lot of fun using it as a teaching tool when my students studied pioneer life and the westward expansion.
The concept of the game is that you assume the role of a pioneer on a wagon train headed west. You have to make lots of decisions before you embark regarding which supplies to bring with you, the way to get there, and the speed at which you will travel. Along the way, you have to make further decisions like how to treat snake bites and various other illnesses, how to find food and water, and how to maintain the morale of those traveling with you.
I recently purchased this game for Samuel to play (partly because I wanted to play it again and relive my own childhood but also because I thought he would enjoy it), and I must say that it has been quite entertaining. I don’t need to play. I just love to sit back and watch him go at it and learn a lot along the way.
On Samuel’s first try, he wasn’t ever able to leave Independence (the city of origin), because A) his wagon was too heavy and B) he didn’t have any draft animals to pull the wagon. Samuel went through his entire spending allowance on supplies. And by “supplies” I mean that he went into the general store and stocked up on essentials like 20 pounds of candy and three grandfather clocks. We tried to trade with some of the people in town to get a pair of oxen, but even in this fictional game, no one thought trading an ox for a grandfather clock was a good deal.
Samuel’s next go was slightly more successful. He purchased appropriate supplies and set out on the trail. He was very excited to get to the hunting portion of the game to increase his supply of food along the way, but wouldn’t you know it? He bought 200 pounds of bullets, but he forgot the gun. He had to go fishing instead.
Then Samuel learned the value of purchasing medicine before you leave on a long journey because he and those traveling with him (including his teacher, a friend, and me), came down with various sorts of illness that he had no capability to treat. It was all fun and games when one of us died and he clicked the choice to skip the proper burial (thanks, a lot). But soon enough, his character perished as well, so he had to begin again.
And now that Samuel knows to make sure he purchases a gun in town before he hits the trail, he delights in shooting bear (as in Baylor Bears) to eat when he goes hunting. Wait? Did I say I liked this game?