We originally bought a VSmile last Christmas for our then-three-year-old-son. He’d watched his older two siblings playing on their game systems, and seemed interested, so we thought this would be the perfect Christmas gift. One burned out set of batteries later, and the novelty of the VSmile had worn off. And realistically, most of that play time was spent by his then-six-year-old sister. A few weeks ago we brushed the dust off the VSmile, purchased a second controller and power adapter for the system, and I’m excited to say that the experience has been very different. It seems that four is a much better age to start playing a “console” game than three was, at least with the cartridges we have.VSmile was developed to be a combination of education and entertainment for young children; an edutainment video game system. The cartridges for the game are all specially designed for children in preschool and early elementary grades, as is the system itself. The oversized joystick works well with little hands, and the very large button on the side makes it easy for them to find. The joystick can even be turned around for use with left or right handed children. The only improvement they could have done that would make learning to control a joystick easier for young children is to “lock” the stick so it would only go up, down, left or right, not along a diagonal. Similar to the way beginner roller-skates have a “locking” feature that prevents them from rolling backwards, this would make it easier for kids to know when they were pushing the stick in the right direction, and it could be unlocked later when they are ready to play along diagonals. The cartridges themselves are also difficult to plug into and pull out of the system, which has both good and bad points. On the positive side, it means that kids can’t accidentally take a game out of the system in the middle of playing. The negative is that a parent or older sibling will have to swap cartridges whenever the little one is done playing. Since most preschoolers who would be playing with the VSmile have probably already learned how to swap a DVD in the family DVD player, or even a VHS tape, it might have been better to have some way to insert and eject cartridges rather than having to pull them out; but again, this is a minor design issue compared to how well the system works overall for young children.
The system itself is set up to teach colors, with four different color buttons on the joystick. And, of course, left, right, up and down, because of the need to move the stick in those directions while playing. The game system comes with a single game cartridge, Alphabet Adventures. Recommended for ages 3 to 5, this game does require some letter recognition in order to play. The game focuses on reinforcing ABCs and simple spelling words as kids play through the adventure. I think it is because this is the only cartridge we had for a while that my son didn’t initially play the VSmile as much as he might have at age 3. The game can be played in either Adventure Mode, where they are trying to help Grandpa build toys in the Adventure Park, or in a more “free play” mode where they pick what games to play. The main focus of the game is more about letters, alphabet order, phonics and vocabulary than colors and shapes, but some of the adventures in the park also help teach these skills as well.
If your preschooler is able to recognize letters, then just the starter system is probably enough. If your little one is like mine, and just learning ABCs, however, you’ll want to pick up some other games that teach rather than just reinforce ABCs. There are games available which reinforce other skills, and are probably better to start with for the youngest players. It does take a little while for kids to learn how to use the system itself, so look for a game that will reinforce skills they already have for the first game. One of the things that I like about the system itself is that the voice used is deep, feminine, soft and friendly. A parent can listen to it for long periods of time without it grating on the nerves, as some games made for young children do. Too often when a game uses a female voice it is high pitched enough that you can’t help but tune into it. With the VSmile games, the music is soothing “white noise,” and the vocals are encouraging even when a child makes a mistake.
While I don’t think that a parent is really going to allow a child to get out of going to bed on time, or not do the dishes as the current commercials suggest, I do think that a VSmile is a great way for reinforcing preschool and early elementary reading and math skills. I can’t say that the system really teaches these skills, so much as it reinforces them; but really, I don’t see how any computer game could teach the way a parent or teacher would. It is a great tool that helps children learn while having fun, but no substitute for real parent/child interactions. Before buying the system, you’ll need to know what your child’s skills are and what you hope they will gain from playing, so that you can make smart decisions when buying games. If you know that, then the system really should be fun for children from preschool through early elementary grades. While my second grader finds the games we have now incredibly easy to play, there are ones available which both appeal to and challenge her. As a parent and teacher, I highly recommend a VSmile gaming system for young gamers everywhere.
I’ve played computer games since college, addicted first to story type games like Might and Magic. I have 3 children who also love computer games. My oldest son is a typical kid who loves the challenge of pressing the right combination of buttons and levers on a joystick in just the right way to make something happens, and frequently gets frustrated with mom’s slow fingers. ;) We use computers for both education and entertainment, and sometimes even bribery for good behavior.
The “glory days” of computer gaming for me were when games like Spectre Supreme, Pirate’s Gold, the Might and Magic series, the original Prince of Persia… those sorts of games were coming out on a regular basis. Back then I owned a Macintosh and was a die hard Mac fan. I was one of the first in my area to buy an iMac and on it learned the joy of playing games on the internet like daily crossword puzzle and “mind bender” type puzzles. My first online RPG was given to me for Christmas the year EQ was released, and I was hooked from day one. I played EQ for about a year. I started playing DaoC during late alpha testing, and was hooked on it.. well, to be honest I still am. I’ve tried pretty much every MMORPG I can get my hands on, from big names like EQ, to more obscure ones such as Underlight. I’ve been writing for IMGS since the first DaoC guide, and find I love the challenge of learning a game and presenting what I’ve learned (and sometimes my opinions), to other players.
I’m not a very strong player as far as learning PvE or quick reaction times, so I tend to stay away from games where I’m pitted against someone else in a way that requires physical (rather than mental) response. I still enjoy story and puzzle games, and in a way that’s how I still approach online games. I would much rather spend hours working through a quest than 5 minutes in combat against another player. I still get lost in simulation type games, obsessing over them until I’ve gotten them beaten. And I like being able to sit down at the computer when I’ve got less than half an hour and playing through a few levels of a puzzle game. I tend not to like first-person shooter type games, or anything with person to person violence, so I steer away from them unless they are fantasy based settings. All in all, I enjoy computer gaming so much that my life feels incomplete somehow when my computer is down.
