Something I've long thought possible

[mandru]

For several years a reoccurring conversational topic I've explored with my wife has been my opinion that computer games would be an excellent way to introduce core educational elements from many fields of study and through utilization of those principals as part of games mechanics.

There is no good reason a solid foundational understanding in something like astrophysics couldn't be taught through a game with quick muscle twitch action that introduces play that through applied steps as a player learns to navigate the game causes the player to grasp and utilize more and more advanced concepts to the point that without even realizing that they've had a master degree's worth of poured into their skulls.

Make the game engrossing enough, the action so mindbogglingly attractive and you'll end up with players that could argue the effects of electron claustrophobia as evidenced in stellar collapse theory with Stephen Hawking and give him a run for his money.

"Yeah old man?  You talk about it but I've done it so many times in game I can parse the quadratics in my sleep!"

I am delighted by the all the surrounding historical tie-ins that are laced through out AC2.  Real people, places, public perceptions, how the ruling class controlled the masses and in turn how they themselves were controlled, weeded and practically bred to be subservient to even higher powers and alliances.

My wife has taken to looking over my shoulder whenever I'm reading a data page on a person or place and the w@&k that has gone into creating a rich game play environment is even impressing her.

I'd like to see a lot more games moving in this direction.

[Art Blade]

Most of the time subjects that appear to be boring or difficult only appear to be boring or difficult because of the person who teaches or wrote the book(s) is boring or difficult to understand. :)

[spaceboy]

great though mandru.  The historical research and recreation of a place and time is one of the things about the AC series that I love.  Taken to another level, it could be even more educationally based.  It's like living history.  I've long thought the CGI animations of battles on the History channel are so much more engrossing than reading about it in a book.  Make that into a "game" based lesson and the immersion factor will really drive home the hiSTORY.   Can you imagine a history class where the class battles out famous battles in class.  It'd be the new favorite class of everyone!

[Fiach]

Well the US army uses games to teach their troops, I do remember playing Age of Empires and found it very educational, with regard to learning history, so its totally do-able I think.

I remember someone once said (about kids playing videogames) they cant add 2+2, but they would be able to fly and land a rocketship on the moon :)

[mandru]

I completely agree Art.  Unfortunately I'm one of those people that need to see how something has a real world practical application before I can even start to soak it in.

In the small high school I attended (my graduating class had 29 people) the teacher that almost exclusively taught all science, math, and physics classes (which included electronics and photography but unfortunately required trig to get in) was a retired air force pilot.  He'd been instrumental in creating a device for fighter jets called a vortex generator which sacrificed a small amount of the streamlined contours of a supersonic jet causing disturbances in the passing air that would fill into the envelope of space the jet had just passed through while the jet was at speed for a huge return on the reduced amount of drag.

It was in one of his classes I first encountered a computer and actually started learning to program in basic.  Unfortunately he was so smart that he would speak over the heads of anyone  trying to learn from him and unless you reigned him in and reminded him that he was teaching teenagers and not giving mission briefings to rocket scientists his classes could be pretty grim.

Once he realized you didn't get something he was always willing to step back and explain but you had to be able to word the question to show him what it was you were missing which was almost a skill that needed it's own class.

He always had the coolest tech toys and if we had an OWG off topic thread about the best practical joke we ever played this guy was the recipient of a couple of my most fiendish pranks.  He was probably one of the best teachers the school had but at the same time wasn't the best teacher for most students.

**A couple posts have come in while I was editing the above**

I think you hit a big bingo there spaceboy.  :-X

Fiach, I'm one of those that can't w@&k higher maths but give me the background and applications without those pesky numbers and I can hold my own.

This teacher I'd mention just above had me sorting a big bucket of resistors during one of his physics classes.  I was a library assistant that period and with a quick word to the librarian he'd pulled over on loan so to speak for a week.  It was penance for soldering his needle nose pliers closed.

He put me in front next to his desk to keep a close eye on me.  A couple days into the week he was addressing his physics class and had asked "2 upright poles A and  B, 10 feet apart with a plank spanning between them with a 200 pound weight  3 feet in from pole A.  How much weight is on each of the poles?

A few of the brainy students grabbed pencils and started scrabbling out equations, a couple others called out wrong guesses and when it looked like no right answer was forthcoming I (up to my elbows in resistors) muttered "It's a ratio.  140lbs pole A and 60lbs pole B."  The teacher pointed at me and said "He's got it!"  Then he asked me directly "How do you know that and why aren't you in this class?"

I'd shrugged and answered "it's like a scale it has to balance and you have to be able to do trig to get into this class."

The next thing I knew with no say whatsoever I was no longer a librarian's assistant.  The plus side was I got to stop sorting resistors and got that shot at photography.

[Art Blade]

hehe, cool  ;D :-X

[spaceboy]

That's a great story mandru.   :-X

[mandru]

I've got an action piloting game in mind I want to play that would subtly employ the play to learn principal.  I just need someone to build it for me.  ;D

I keep hoping that Spearhead_22 gets his shot at working for one of the big game companies.  If that happens I'll definitely want to have a long chat with him about concepts and details.  :-X

[JRD]

I volunteer for beta testing it!  ;D ;D ;D

[mandru]

 :-D  :-X

[PZ]

...My wife has taken to looking over my shoulder whenever I'm reading a data page on a person or place and the w@&k that has gone into creating a rich game play environment is even impressing her...

Before long, you'll have her playing video games! (or at least not vilifying them so much)  ^+-+

[Art Blade]

(or at least not vilifying them so much)  ^+-+

or those who play them  :-()

[spaceboy]

lol - that's my son, who learned from me, always exalting the benefits of Little Big Planet  - how he's learning about physics, and using his creative juices to make levels.  Of course, I actually agree with him!

[fragger]

Excellent :-X