Nintendo DS for Schools and Times Journalist Needs Education
And video games journalists are supposed to be the blogging hacks?
David James is a bloody good bloke.
During a good news story about how the a pilot scheme in Scotland that will see Nintendo DSs braintraining young pupils, Rupert Murdoch's The Times managed to invent the Nintendo DS in 1997 (let's try, 2004).
At the bottom of the DS-based story, the newspaper printed the following:
Aside from the fact that the DS didn't exist, David James or 'Calamity' as he was known then before we realised what a great keeper he was, actually played PlayStation games. How do we know? Well, let's say that when The Times says, "Tekkon II" it actually means Tekken 2? and let's say that that Namco title was only released on Sony's format? So, what of this Teamraider game? We looked, assuming it was a footy management sim of some sort.
But no! Someone yelled at us, "They mean Tomb Raider, innit!"
David James did play for Liverpool in '97 though - so the paper got that right. Phew.
Makes you wonder that if a national newspaper such as Rupert Murdoch's The Times can get a story about video games so horribly wrong, what else we might be missing.
Read the full hilarity here at The Times 'newspaper'.
In terms of the Nintendo tale - we know this is true, because this is what the organisation responsible has press released:
"Learning and Teaching Scotland, the body responsible for the development of the curriculum and for exploring the use of ICT in education, is to widen its research project looking at the effect of Nintendo's More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima on pupils' maths ability.
"More than 900 pupils and 32 schools across the country will be involved in the project, which will begin in April.
"A small-scale study carried out with P5-P6 pupils in Dundee's St Columba's Primary School by LTS last year found a daily dose of the computer game helped improve pupils' attainment in maths and their concentration and behaviour levels.
"The pupils were given a maths test at the beginning and then they used More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima on the Nintendo DS for 20 minutes at the start of each day for 10 weeks. It featured challenges including reading tests, problem-solving exercises and memory puzzles designed to exercise the brain".
You can see the full, true press release over here.
At the bottom of the DS-based story, the newspaper printed the following:
"In 1997, David James, then the Liverpool goalkeeper, said the reason he'd let 3 goals through in a match against Newcastle United was because he had played too much Nintendo beforehand. "I was getting carried away playing Tekkon II and Teamraider for hours on end," he said."
Aside from the fact that the DS didn't exist, David James or 'Calamity' as he was known then before we realised what a great keeper he was, actually played PlayStation games. How do we know? Well, let's say that when The Times says, "Tekkon II" it actually means Tekken 2? and let's say that that Namco title was only released on Sony's format? So, what of this Teamraider game? We looked, assuming it was a footy management sim of some sort.
But no! Someone yelled at us, "They mean Tomb Raider, innit!"
David James did play for Liverpool in '97 though - so the paper got that right. Phew.
Makes you wonder that if a national newspaper such as Rupert Murdoch's The Times can get a story about video games so horribly wrong, what else we might be missing.
Read the full hilarity here at The Times 'newspaper'.
In terms of the Nintendo tale - we know this is true, because this is what the organisation responsible has press released:
"Learning and Teaching Scotland, the body responsible for the development of the curriculum and for exploring the use of ICT in education, is to widen its research project looking at the effect of Nintendo's More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima on pupils' maths ability.
"More than 900 pupils and 32 schools across the country will be involved in the project, which will begin in April.
"A small-scale study carried out with P5-P6 pupils in Dundee's St Columba's Primary School by LTS last year found a daily dose of the computer game helped improve pupils' attainment in maths and their concentration and behaviour levels.
"The pupils were given a maths test at the beginning and then they used More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima on the Nintendo DS for 20 minutes at the start of each day for 10 weeks. It featured challenges including reading tests, problem-solving exercises and memory puzzles designed to exercise the brain".
You can see the full, true press release over here.
Companies:
Nintendo
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