Gaming Makes the Grade — Yes, let the other countries develop the new medicines and genomes. We’ll do games! We rock!

Whether the cause is the dot-com bust, the off-shoring of software jobs, cutbacks in federal funding for computer science departments, tighter immigration laws, or just a cyclical shift in students’ interests, it’s a problem that colleges and universities — not to mention Microsoft and other U.S. software companies, which depend on a flow of talented computer-science graduates — are taking seriously.

In its latest effort, Microsoft is funding university projects that rewrite computer science curricula around something everyone knows students like: computer games.

This year Microsoft awarded six universities a total of $480,000 to create new kinds of computer science courses in which students learn programming techniques using gaming software models

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  1. Obviousman says:

    …and while they’re at it, why don’t they teach kids to count only to 13 for Chapter 11, 12, or 13 AND have them learn how to fill out unemployment forms early! A country that only consumes, & mostly lots of crap we don’t need, & makes few if any products is screwed. What other country do you know of that has a business model of “Storage Facilities” for people to store lots of crap they should throw away or donate! Let’s actually make “something.” Take, take, take & blow up defenseless countries is NOT an economic model for long-term success. I know the suckers that always fly the flag no matter what’ll join in in a chorus of BS, but it’s all about the bucks in the long run. Money goes where it gets the best return & if it increasingly becomes clear that it’s elsewhere, all the patriotic sloganeering won’t help when you don’t have a job. Wake up America, before it’s too late. A strong economy is the most important thing, not whether gays get married. Let them also have half of their assets taken in court too!

  2. R Taylor says:

    I think the biggest problems with Americans is the lack of patience. Individuals and corporations want to cash in and get rich quick. No one is willing to wait for anything to grow and develop. A young programmer wants to jump in with stock options and be a millionaire by 25. The Chinese has patience, and know how to be loyal to an organization. Someone said the Chinese play chess, while America plays checkers. That’s the competition.

  3. Dermitt says:

    I’m sure game marketing will be a part of this effort.
    Marketing used copies of recently published games will significantly harm sales of new copies of those games. I guess it’s like a big game of digital Monopoly and vast sums of play (virtual) money.

    Space Tycoon is a computer board game where you wheel and deal for domination of the galaxy. Google is playing Space Tycoon with vast sums of play (virtual) money and NASA.

    Let the games begin.

  4. NumLock says:

    “Take, take, take & blow up defenseless countries is NOT an economic model for long-term success.” I don’t know about that Obviousman, it worked great for the Romans.

  5. Tim Westby says:

    Games, movies, McDonald’s, and rap. Makes you proud, don’t it?

  6. Wizard of Odds says:

    Wrong … Gentlemen! …

    Easterners play GO (weiqi). … Westerners plays Checkers and Poker. … “GO (weiqi) is to Chess and Checkers” as “Theoretical Physics is to Arithmetic”. … Do not know many Chinese are playing Chinese (Star) Checkers. … Who is giving you guys lessons on Chinese culture? ..
    .


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