Before it’s release, one of Spore’s high points that many folks claimed is the fact that it would be a good learning tool for the classroom.  Now that it has been a year later, how did it fair out?  I don’t know of anyone that is currently in elementary/middle school, so I can’t exactly say.  Anyone here with siblings (or perhaps even you) with school computers that have Spore installed?  GeekDad takes a look at 5 reasons to use Spore in the classroom…but I have to agree with the comments left in the article about the fact that its not exactly cheap for schools to purchase and the DRM is a killer…Not to mention it doesn’t exactly demonstrate evolution correctly…

5. Cultural Studies

As they build your own tribe in the original game, or build entire tribes and cities in the Galactic Adventures extension pack, children gain an understanding and learn about the differences between cultures. They know not to approach certain tribes because they are hostile. They recognize that some cultures live off fish, or others hunt for food. They see how this can develop into different religions and the differences in cultures becomes very obvious in the Space stage where the many different encounters are quite rich and nuanced in terms of how they talk, engage and what they believe in.

For more reasons, please read on at Wired