I'd like to outline a game that was first suggested to me by Ed & Dan.
Game Outline
It is a single-player game for an Astro 101 class. You play a character that has to master astronomy skills in order to solve problems and overcome obstacles to be able to advance to the next area where you learn new concepts and master new skills. The game follows a storyline that starts with introductory concepts in a primitive village setting. As you progress and the concepts gets more advanced you would move on to a more advanced setting and solve more advanced problems (eventually the fate of the universe will be at stake).
Game Outline
It is a single-player game for an Astro 101 class. You play a character that has to master astronomy skills in order to solve problems and overcome obstacles to be able to advance to the next area where you learn new concepts and master new skills. The game follows a storyline that starts with introductory concepts in a primitive village setting. As you progress and the concepts gets more advanced you would move on to a more advanced setting and solve more advanced problems (eventually the fate of the universe will be at stake).
Progression
All video games have progression. You start as a character with limited abilities, you solve problems and are rewarded with new abilities that allow you to solve more complex problems. For example: in World of Warcraft a mage starts as a level 1 able to cast only one spell and completes quest to gain experience to learn new spells, and acquire new equipment which allows them to solve more advanced problems. When they reach level 85 they have reached a high level of mastery for a mage but most problems are now only solvable in groups. Group work is something I'd definitely like to work into the game but may start with single player modules.
Example Modules
This is the basic idea and I can imagine many additions and/or variations:
- An 'early game' example: Imagine a module designed to teach motion of the Sun, Moon and stars in the sky. Your character lives on an island and you need to be able to navigate between several local islands to complete quests to save your people. You would be able to explore the island and encounter people who teach new abilities the help you discover concepts and develop skills
- A 'late game' example: One discussion I had with Ian involved a module that involved learning about gravity. If you've completed enough gravity-related 'quests' you learn the ability to temporarily change the force of gravity of a star or planet. This has great potential for problems where you have to use this ability to guide an asteroid's path through a solar system by tweaking the gravity of planets and/or the star.
This is the basic idea and I can imagine many additions and/or variations:
- A multi-player version of this game where you have to work in groups to solve certain problems,
- Modularity instead of a set storyline. We develop modules for every conceivable astronomy subject and the professor chooses the modules they want for their class
What's the usage scenario, Sébastien? Individuals wanting to have some fun and perhaps learn a little astronomy? Teachers (what level?) looking for a brief drop-in to spice up their otherwise traditional courses? Students in an astronomy course looking, on their own initiative, for something to help them do better (á la Khan Academy)? A teacher looking to use it as a complete curriculum?
ReplyDeleteIt matters, and you won't be able to please everyone… at least not at first.
I originally though of it as an entire astronomy course built into a game. Ideally a student plays the game, discovers and applies concepts ranging from night sky observation all the way to expansion of the universe.
ReplyDeleteIt was during my discussion with you that I realized how big a project this would be. We were talking about funding and you suggested starting by creating an example module to show proof of concept. I believe this is the best approach, start small with modules people can use to supplement a class.
The entire-course-in-a-game can come later.