Educational Software has been around since the early 1940s. The use of educational computer hardware and software is aimed to assist in teaching and self-learning. Educational software was derived from computer games and essentially shares the same concept of being fun but educational. Educational software can come in several forms to suit the individual or sense of purpose. There are classroom aids for a group of students that can be shown on a whiteboard or via a network of desktop computers for students to individually view.

Edutainment software is not incorporated into a school program as it does entirely focus on education such as numeracy and literacy. Edutainment software is mainly entertainment however it does have some elements of education throughout the software. Similar to edutainment software are computer games with learning value. As they do not promote themselves as educational tools and focus mostly on the fun aspect of the game, they do not classify as edutainment software. These computer games have potential learning as they offer the individual to discover historical, social and economic practices.

Then there is specially designed software and hardware that is combined into an individual product that’s sole function is to educate. The finished product is usually portable and its purposes extend no further than teaching numeracy and literacy. It is produced to be child friendly and include hand held consoles, electronic books, electronic devices and pluggable educational game cartridges. For corporate and tertiary education, there is specially designed software that focuses on this market.