Video games have been around for a long time, but how many of them have been successful and educational at the same time? This question intrigued us enough to compile a list of the best of the best that we believe accomplished this goal.

Without further ado, here are our Top 5 Video Games that Taught Us Something:

1. Star Wars DroidWorks

Created by Lucas Learning in 1998, this games purpose was to create a droid using the many different parts that were provided.  After the droid was created the user was to complete specific missions and that's where the educational portion comes into play.  The missions consisted of puzzles that taught the user energy, force, simple machines, light, magnetism, and motion.

2. Donkey Kong Jr. Math

Also known as Donkey Kong Jr.'s Calculation Game, Nintendo released this game in 1983 for the original NES console.  This was the main "educational" related game created by Nintendo for North America.  The game unfortunately was noted as one of the worst video game launches ever made.

3. Mario Paint

This game was created by Nintendo in 1992 and required the user to have a special SNES Mouse to play the game.  Mario Paint was very well known because it needed the extra device to play the game.  The game taught users to be creative while playing games in the early 90's.  Mario Paint was ahead of its time until Microsoft Paint came out.

4. Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space

Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space also known as BARIS, was a big feat for the MS-DOS OS in 1993.  BARIS simulated space exploration and was a strategy game.  The object of the game was to have a successful manned moon landing.

5. Acme Animation Factory

Created by Sunsoft in November of 1993 for the Super Nintendo console.  This video game taught children the skills to be creative and learn animation.  The game consisted of giving the user a series of tools for them to create his or her own cartoons from the Looney Tunes crew.
 

“Remember remember the 5th of November…” Students of Washington State University sure will. A student turned hacker, turned V from V for Vendetta, hacked the school’s academic media system which controls all the in-classroom presentations and distance learning technology. The still yet to be identified culprit(s), programmed the projector screens to automatically deploy and play the 5 minute video message every hour on the hour.

The V wannabe, brandishing a Guy Fawkes mask just like in the movie, used their 5 minute video to criticize the IT department and to encourage the student body to lead a revolt against the squirrels that live on campus grounds. “V” believes that the squirrels are freeloaders and do nothing but “eat, drink and breed”.  It is unclear at this time if his message resonated with any of the students in the 12 or so classrooms that were affected. The leader of the squirrels was unavailable for comment when asked about the incident.

Darin Watkins, a spokesperson for the University stated that the school administrators were not amused, and that “Childish pranks don’t have a place anymore”. He would go onto say that “What may have been seen as cute and clever years ago, really doesn’t get that kind of reaction today.” He also believes that the perpetrator(s) would face “serious charges” once they were identified.

In the movie V for Vendetta, “V” channels his inner-Guy Fawkes to lead a revolution against the sitting British government that that ruled the public with serious fascist undertones. V’s antics, which ultimately lead to violence against the government, made school officials fear that the hackers could possibly be up to more than just hacking a dozen projectors. In the post-9/11 era, they were not going to take any chances and went into full alert to bring an end to the hack. They were able to shut it down after a few hours and one official was quoted as saying that it “was a rather sophisticated program” and at some point they just started unplugging hard drives to get the video shut down.

It seems as if most of the students that saw the video were more amused than worried. In fact, it has brought about a spirited discussion about current issues on campus. Some of those topics include tuition increases, the cutting of courses and overall university governance. Whether or not the video message will evoke any actually change to any of that listed topics is yet to be seen.

The full fallout of this escapade has yet to be realized, but rest assured, the 5th of November will always be remembered on the campus of Washington State. Or as their resident V might say, “Remember, remember the 5th of November. The media projector hack, and plot. I know of no reason why the media projector treason should ever be forgot.”

To find a college where you can experience interesting occurrences such as this one, visit AnyCollege.com.

Conan O'Brien - Harvard University

This high school valedictorian went on to Harvard where he studied English literature and History and graduated magna cum laude. Maybe that’s why he has such a witty style of comedy. He would also go on to earn an honorary degree in Actuarial Science from Ball State University. Since then he has ruled the world of comedy and thank goodness for that!

Adam Sandler - New York University

He may act silly in about every movie he plays, but Adam actually has a degree in Fine Arts from New York University. So just because he may throw a book at you, it doesn’t mean he didn’t read it.

Ashton Kutcher – University of Iowa

Source: Wikipedia

I bet you didn’t see this one coming. The King of Punk majored in biochemical engineering in Iowa, yes you read that right he has a degree in biochemical engineering! So he definitely has some brains behind those antics. Maybe he discovered the secret to attracting older women.

Reese Witherspoon – University of Texas

A crowd pleaser, Reese Witherspoon is just not all girl next door charm. She majored in English at UT, which I guess means she is legally blonde and well read. I am surprised she ever left Austin, have you ever been there? Why would anyone ever leave? I guess Hollywood was too tempting for her, but at least she arrived with a college education.

Christopher Walken - Hofstra University

Source: Wikipedia

Don’t let the cowbell fool you, Mr. Walken is a smart man. He can dance, he can sing, he can act. He also studied English Literature for a year or so while he was at Hofstra University, but was lured away by the bright lights of Broadway.

Gwyneth Paltrow - University of California in Santa Barbara

She looks good on the silver screen and probably looked just as cute while studying Art History at the University of California (Santa Barbara). I guess Hollywood was a little too close and a little too tempting as she dropped out before finishing her degree.

Madonna - University of Michigan

Before she became a world-wide cultural icon, Madonna studied drama and dance at the University of Michigan. She actually went to school on academic scholarships due to her stellar work in the classroom when she was in high school.

Renee Zellweger - University of Texas

Just like Reese Witherspoon, Renee attended UT in Austin where she earned a degree in English. I’m not sure if she attended at the same time as Reese, but can you imagine being in the same class as those two? I bet the grades for the guys in that class would have been below average.

Albert Einstein - ETH

Source: Wikipedia

The prince of physics wasn’t born with all the knowledge in the known universe, he actually had to acquire some of it at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. A few years after enrolling, he graduated with a degree in physics. A few years after that, he turned the science world upside down.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen - New York University

Source: FullIssue.com

These terrific twins have some brains to go along with their good looks. Mary-Kate's time at NYU was short lived due to her eating disorder, but Ashley is still attending and trying to get her degree.

Jennifer Garner - Denison University

Garner knows drama and chemistry? Well that’s what she studied at Dennison. She also studied drama there which probably makes her the most famous person in the world that studied those two disciplines at the same time. I wonder if she ever tutored anyone?

Natalie Portman – Harvard University

Life is good for Natalie, she can act, sing, make you laugh and psychoanalyze you too. That’s right, she majored in psychology at Harvard and as the keen ability to know everything about you in about 5 minutes. I would like to give the credit to Harvard for that, but I think it has more to do with the fact that Natalie is the type of person that people open up to.

Oprah Winfrey - Howard University

Source: Wikipedia

This coms major sharpened her journalism skills at Tennessee State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Speech and also a degree in Drama. She would also go on to receive an Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree from Howard University.

Mick Jagger - London School of Economics

It’s no surprise why this Rockin’ Roll Knight rules the stage and the business world. He learned all he needed to know from the London School of Economics where he studied accounting and finance. He didn’t graduate, music was too tempting, but he left with all he needed to know to become a very successful rock star.

Claire Danes - Yale University

It’s too bad Claire didn’t play competitive sports while in school, I would have loved to see her play Natalie Portman while she was at Harvard. I am not even sure they were in school at the same time, but it’s fun to think about, I digress. I bet you didn’t think that this beautiful actress was an Ivy Leaguer did you?

Martin Luther King Jr. - Boston University

Source: Wikipedia

He actually started his higher education at Morehouse College when he was 15 years old where he graduated with a Sociology degree. After that he attended Crozer Theological Seminary and earned a Degree in Divinity. Later in life he studied systematic theology at Boston University.

Dr. Seuss - Lincoln College in Oxford

Source: Wikipedia

Every kid knows Dr. Suess, but they probably don’t know his real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel. His path to becoming “Dr. Seuss” started at Dartmouth College 1925. He would go on to earn credits towards his Doctorate of Philosophy in Literature at Lincoln College in Oxford, but never finished. I wonder if it was because he was writing his amazing books? If so, I am glad he dropped out. We are all thankful for it.

Matt Groening - Evergreen State College

Source: Wikipedia

What would the world be like without the Simpsons? I shutter even to think about that. Matt wanted to go to Harvard but had to settle for a college closer to home. Maybe it was studying in the Pac-Northwest that allowed him to relax and not have to worry about getting into a Final Club at Harvard, that allowed him to come up with the Simpsons. If so, I am thankful he didn’t get into Harvard.

 Whether you are a future celebrity, or someone looking for a college, AnyCollege.com is here to help you find your perfect school.

A week after we posted about the Top 10 College Pranks of All Time, a group of students from the University of Michigan hacked a Washington D.C. voting site. What did they do once they were in? They programmed it to play the Michigan fight song. So why did they target this particular site? They didn't, the websites administrator sent out an open invitation for people to attempt to find vulnerabilities in the website. Well they obviously found one. The site was designed by The Board of Elections in Washington D.C. to give American Service Members and other Americans living abroad an easier way to vote from overseas. NPR has the full story if you would like to know more about it.

An article about the Most Legendary College Pranks of All Time was recently posted by the Huffington Post. Here are some of the pranks they uncovered and included in their list. It seems like college pranks are still around, but they are not quite as grandiose as they once were. I am guessing that has to do with the fact that you can be sued for just about anything now-a-days. Sneeze on a statue and you may be liable for destruction of private property. =)

Lady Liberty On Lake Mendota, University Of Wisconsin-Madison

In 1979, the student body government of University of Wisconsin was led by the infamous Pail & Shovel Party. Their platform? Use the school's budget for art projects and wacky pranks. Their masterpiece was putting a fake Statue of Liberty in the nearby (and, at the time, frozen) Lake Mendota, placing half of Lady Liberty's head and torch on top of it.

The Great Dome, Massachusettes Institute Of Technology

One of the most famous college prank schools, the Massachusetts school is famous for its history of jokes involving the MIT Dome. The most legendary case was back in 1994 when students installed an MIT campus police car on top of the dome -- which is 15 stories high. The clever pranksters built the frame of the car in pieces on top of the dome. It's now a tradition for copycats follow up the trick by putting all kinds of strange objects on top of it, like a firetruck and a piano.

VW Bug And The Golden Gate Bridge, University Of British Columbia

In 2001, a gang of Canadian engineering students tied nylon cables to a red Volkswagen bug and pushed the bug off the eastern side of the Golden Gate bridge, leaving the car hanging 100 feet above water for more than four hours, halting both car and ship traffic. Police cut the cables before the car plunged into the bay and sank.

Pink Flamingos On Bascom Hill, University Of Wisconsin-Madison

The Pail & Shovel party struck again in 1979 by putting 1,008 fake plastic pink flamingos on the front lawn of campus landmark Bascom Hill. By afternoon, students had plucked most of the flamingos from the lawn for their own keeping. Flaming-planting soon became a tradition on campus.

Theft Of The Sacred Cod, Harvard University

In 1933, staffers from the Harvard Lampoon managed to steal the Sacred Cod, a five-foot long wooden fish that hangs from the ceiling of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. As the Museum of Hoaxes reports, the theft of the cod of was quite simple: "Three Lampoon staffers walked into the state house armed with a pair of clippers and a flower box. They waited until a discreet moment when no tourists were around. Then they quickly clipped the wires holding up the fish, tucked it away in their flower box, and disappeared." To prevent the cod from being stolen again, authorities raised it six inches higher.

To see the rest of the pranks, please check out the original article at the Huffington Post. Use AnyCollege.com to find a college where you can learn about all of their heritage and traditions.
 

Everywhere I go, I'm overhearing talk of NCAA Tournament brackets and Final Four picks, March Madness upsets and obvious Championship choices. But one thing that's really interesting to me is how little I know about some of the schools that have made it this far in the basketball tournaments.

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