Another participant argued that what should be measured is whether the player can solve the same problem in multiple interesting ways. Another thread was open exploration versus constraints. Some claimed that it is hard to mesh education and entertainment. To be entertaining, only a small amount of time is spent on curriculum material. And making a game is too hard for this market.
Entertainment wins when there is a conflict with education.
Some participants thought it was very important to match the approved curriculum since that is what both schools and parents demand. Others claimed that parents were more forgiving and are happy if their child has more physical engagement with the software or if their children create something they can be proud of. Many discussed how very good software that is open-ended, encourages creativity and independent thinking, and the like have had a very hard time in the marketplace. And things are worse now than a few years ago. One reason given was that discount stores like Wal-Mart are now big sellers of consumer software and they are very conservative in what they carry.