Even video games can be educational

By René Hill

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | midnight

Rene Hill

Children love video games. Teachers and parents both attest to the fact that the biggest challenge in the battle of homework is the video game. Students would rather play their favorite game than do their homework.

Forward-thinking game designers are harnessing the video game for educational purposes and are developing alternate-reality games that incorporate world events and challenge players to solve real-world problems.

One such game is "World Without Oil," which came out more than a year ago but remains relevant today. An oil crisis, says the game's designer, Ken Eklund, is impossible for one person to imagine.

"But with a community of people we are able to achieve a rich and really very strikingly real situation of what a real shock could be like," he said.

Over the course of 32 days, with each day representing one week, 1,800 participants sent in thousands of blog posts, videos and images simulating the crisis and what they were doing to cope with it.

Eklund believes "World Without Oil" is an example of the curriculum of the future, and he is not alone in his beliefs.

Eric Klopfer, the director of the Teacher Education Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of the book Augmented Learning, researches the use of computer simulations and hand-held technologies in science education. Like Eklund, Klopfer believes alternate reality games have educational potential.

Games that center on real problems have educational potential. They can develop important skills ranging from working in a team to problem solving to understanding relevant content.

In many ways, says the developer, these games are classroom friendly, because they don't require any special technologies or extensive training.

Although alternate reality games have been, up to this point, only developed for entertainment, "World Without Oil" has inspired others to develop educational video games.

Since the conclusion of the "World Without Oil" simulation, several teachers in California have teamed up to build a series of lesson plans around the game.

Allowing teachers to take on the role of "game master" says Eklund, is a natural progression.

As education evolves to fit the needs of the student, there is a possibility that alternate reality games could become part of the teaching future.

Rene Hill is a special education and former English teacher in the Clark County School District. She can be reached c/o The News, 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074 or editor@hbcpub.com.