Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-state-of-childrens-interactive-media/5017962/
While the words ‘amazing’ and ‘hair-raising’ could sum up the feeling after teaching your teenage daughter to drive a stick shift, they also do a nice job of describing the past year in children’s interactive media.A glance at the 625 titles released this year reveals new ways to learn, create, and in some cases jump around the room. The good news is that the five-year software drought has ended.
The bad news is that these new titles are scattered over ten platforms instead of just two (Macintosh and Windows). Some of these, like the ClickStart: My First Computer (Leapfrog) or the EyeClops are designed to plug directly into a TV, replacing the computer and monitor altogether. Others are stand-alone platforms like the Leapster, or free web sites, like Kerpoof.com.
So why the increase in number of new platforms? You can blame the steady improvement of microprocessor power �" aptly predicted back in 1965 by Intel’s Gordon Moore (aka Moore’s Law). The resulting products have led to an upswing in interactive innovation for both young children and adults alike, to the point that terms like ‘computer’ and ‘software’ themselves are in need of a facelift. Here’s what I mean.
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