OPINION
NATURE|Vol 466|5 August 2010
www.FAteOFthewORld.Net
Serious fun with computer games
the participant. They should go beyond ‘the
dancing clown problem’, in which students are
dazzled by digitized versions of pop quizzes but
Sophisticated multimedia experiments offer platforms for learning
don’t retain knowledge.
An increasing number of computer games are
about science through play, Aleks Krotoski finds.
achieving the desired balance. One example —
It is the year 2110, and the level of methane in systems in games that support learning. These described as effective and fun by educators and
the atmosphere has reached a critical threshold. include rewards, options that allow the user those in the trade — is McGonigal’s World WithYou have a decision to make: accept the risk of to navigate obstacles in a personalized way, out Oil, co-designed and written by Ken Eklund.
global catastrophe and continue extracting the opportunities to try out hypotheses and to An interactive online experiment that ran over
gas to meet the energy needs of an increas- fail in a safe space, iterative advance based on several weeks in 2007, it used realistic forecasts
ing population; implement a one-child-per- prior decisions and consecutive challenges that of our planet and asked people to collaborate on
household rule to reduce future energy unfold logically. These rules echo many char- responses and descriptions of future life experidemand; or fund a decade-long research pro- acteristics of scientific inquiry.
ences that stemmed from their beliefs about fuel
gramme to deliver technological solutions.
With good game mechanics, learning may scarcity and energy shortage. Another is Red
These judgements on climate-change policy result even when the educational material Redemption’s 2007 PC game Climate Challenge,
are central to Fate of the World, a computer underlying the game has flaws. The 2008 game the proof-of-concept title preceding Fate of the
game due for release in October. Through “a Spore, released by Electronic Arts, was criti- World, into which research-based scenarios
nail biting set of global warming scenarios”, cized by educators for its unrealistic portrayal were also integrated. It attracted more than one
players will explore geoengineering, alternative of evolution. Yet it was a critical and com- million players.
energy sources and other options for protecting mercial success, proving that there is a market
Multiple media can enhance the mechanics
the planet over the next 200 years. By incorpo- for mainstream games that tackle scientific of game playing. The alternate-reality games
rating realistic predictions from climate models theory. It encouraged the gaming community community keeps audiences enthralled outside
and advice from scientists, the game’s develop- to engage in debates about evolution.
a game’s boundaries by sending players e-mails,
ers, Red Redemption, hope to encourage playThe potential audience for such games is vast: instant messages and texts. They infiltrate the
ers to engage with climate-change issues and to two-thirds of US households play computer and physical environment with city-wide billboard
influence their attitudes and behaviours. Fate video games, and one-third of UK residents campaigns, live events and newspaper and
of the World is the latest commercial title in a consider themselves gamers. Yet few serious magazine advertisements. They fabricate blogs,
growing library of computer games that seek educational games make a profit — most rely video diaries and websites to further increase
to convey serious messages through play. But on funding from government departments, users’ sense of immersion.
how effective are they?
media organizations and science-promoting
This multimedia approach was used in
Over the past decade, evidence
Oil Productions’ award-winning
has grown that computer-based
ROUTES, which explored genetics
play can support learning in
through videos, stories and tradischools. Pedagogical studies and
tional web games between Januevaluations, summarized in a 2006
ary and March 2009. With more
joint report titled ‘Unlimited Learnthan 500,000 visitors and 4 million
ing’, by the UK government’s edugames played during the 3-month
cation department and a software
period it was live, and 675,000 viewpublishers’ association, found that
ers and 21 million players engaging
students whose lessons included
with the website since, its successful
interactive games were more
formula has been used by its sponengaged in curriculum content and
sors Channel 4 Education and the
demonstrated deeper understandWellcome Trust for other publicing of concepts than those who did
service campaigns aimed at teenagnot use games. Better exam scores
ers. These include Ada, an explorer
and teacher ratings resulted when
puzzle game still in development
computer games, both commercial Interactive games such as Fate of the World foster learning by simulating
but similar to Tomb Raider, that
and bespoke, were used as support climate-change decisions.
encourages girls to choose careers
materials. A plethora of organizain science, and SuperMe, a game
tions have sprung up to explore computer- charities. Attracting non-gamers is difficult: released last month that seeks to boost young
based learning; in the United Kingdom, these the word ‘game’ may alienate would-be players people’s self-esteem.
include Futurelab in Bristol and the Serious and devalue the serious messages within. As a
Games provide an alternative platform for
Games Institute at Coventry University.
result, some developers use alternative names communicating science. If their mechanics are
The success of computer games in engaging for their products, such as ‘behaviour-change well designed, game play could help us to make
students lies in the mechanics of how they are platform’.
better decisions about our future.
■
designed. Jane McGonigal, a games researcher
Broadening the appeal and effectiveness of Aleks Krotoski is a researcher and journalist
and designer at the Institute for the Future in educational games will require better products who specializes in the social applications of
Palo Alto, California, and Raph Koster, author and targeted marketing. The playing experi- technology. She is currently Researcher in
of A Theory of Fun for Game Design (Paraglyph, ence must be immersive, coherent and believ- Residence at the British Library, London.
2004), have each described several effective able. Games must not patronize or outpace e-mail: [email protected]
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