What's been going on at DESQ? The latest news on e-learning and learning game projects we're working on.
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We've been beavering away in our very own science laboratory for the last few months. Science education is an area we think will benefit from a gaming approach and we're putting this to the test.
There is some hefty research that has compared the scientific process with the way people play games and we're using this to back up the games we've been developing. Here's some info on the science games we've done:
Doomed
Doomed is a self-funded research and proof of concept learning game that uses the First Person Shooter (FPS) Half Life 2 ‘mod' engine to create a compelling game that incorporates Science and History content with FPS gaming mechanisms. Working with University of Wolverhampton, the game has given us some compelling feedback from mod gamers about developing successful learning games.
Science Supremo
Science Supremo is a free 'edu-game' learning resource that offers young people studying GCSE Science an opportunity to experience what scientist do and to better understand the interplay between science and society. Students take on the role of scientists working in modern drug development and conduct a clinical trail on a developing drug.
SimSpace
In SimSpace earth is overdue for a civilisation-wrecking impact from an asteroid or comet. Players are leading the effort to detect Near Earth Objects (NEOs) which may be on a collision course. It's a game of increasing tension, as players are faced with evaluating many collision candidates, trying all the time to collect more data to establish the level of threat more precisely.
The game mirrors the processes that scientists at NASA's Near-Earth Object Program use to track real NEOs. Simspace was commissioned by the Institute of Physics.
Reality Check
An engaging game cum quiz that helps inspire young people to write sci-fi. The game explores quirky and weird science and gets players to spot science fact from science fiction- its not as easy as it seems!
Set in outer space, players interrogate 'factoid' space probes that they find floating in a 3D environment. Each factoid contains a chunk of weird science, that they need to decide whether its science fact or fiction. Once a factoid has been decoded, a 'story starter' is released to inspire creative writing on that particular science theme. Reality Check was commissioned by BBC Blast.
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