Can't See the Science for the Trees: Representations of Science in Videogames (original) (raw)

Playing at scientists: video games and popularising science

What differentiates video games from other audiovisual media for popularising science lies in their capacity to transmit knowledge of complex systems through experimentation and experience. Moreover, as a form of popular culture, video games constitute a particularly interesting vehicle to popularise science. The aim of this article is to analyse the potential and limitations of video games in terms of popularising science. To do so, the rules of play are analysed, as well as the player’s interactive experience (gameplay) in four commercial video games related to an area of science. The sample selected includes: Crayon Physics, a laboratory of classic mechanics; Trauma Center, where the player adopts the role of surgeon; SimCity 4, on town planning, and Civilization IV, a journey through universal history.

Gaming science: the “Gamification” of scientific thinking

Frontiers in Psychology, 2013

Science is critically important for advancing economics, health, and social well-being in the twenty-first century. A scientifically literate workforce is one that is well-suited to meet the challenges of an information economy. However, scientific thinking skills do not routinely develop and must be scaffolded via educational and cultural tools. In this paper we outline a rationale for why we believe that video games have the potential to be exploited for gain in science education. The premise we entertain is that several classes of video games can be viewed as a type of cultural tool that is capable of supporting three key elements of scientific literacy: content knowledge, process skills, and understanding the nature of science. We argue that there are three classes of mechanisms through which video games can support scientific thinking. First, there are a number of motivational scaffolds, such as feedback, rewards, and flow states that engage students relative to traditional cultural learning tools. Second, there are a number of cognitive scaffolds, such as simulations and embedded reasoning skills that compensate for the limitations of the individual cognitive system. Third, fully developed scientific thinking requires metacognition, and video games provide metacognitive scaffolding in the form of constrained learning and identity adoption. We conclude by outlining a series of recommendations for integrating games and game elements in science education and provide suggestions for evaluating their effectiveness.

Gaming and the Scientific Mind: Designing Games to Develop the Scientific Mind

2009

The necessity of fostering learning and the development of the scientific mind calls for the exploitation of all the available means that may contribute to a life-long process of development and renovation of the scientific mentality, in both an individual and collective way, and in a situated manner, transcending formal educational contexts and scientific environments. Amongst such means, digital games deserve a specific attention. In fact, gaming and games (especially digital games) engender a huge potential to allow enhancing learning processes and contributing to the development of the scientific mind. Such potential can be approached and understood from two different perspectives: playing games and making games. From a player's perspective, playing videogames can be conceptualized as a problem-solving activity that requires learning in order to progress and achieve the goals of the game. In fact, players are engaged in activity that resemble scientific processes, since they...

Game Design Toward Scientific Literacy.

As global citizens grapple with complex issues such as human impacts on the environment, the need for a scientifically literate public becomes increasingly urgent. This descriptive case study examines the design decisions behind Operation: Resilient Planet, a "game for good," and how those decisions reinforce or limit play in the context of fostering scientific literacy. By uniting research from the fields of science education, game design, and situated cognition, I underscore several important elements for mapping specific game design restrictions and mechanics onto authentic scientific inquiry. This paper provides an argument for how game designers can utilize contemporary research in science education and educational psychology with game design literature to make informed design decisions and develop a content-rich game experience requiring players to master certain "habits of mind" that map directly onto standards for scientific literacy.

Game Design as Authentic Science: Creating Low-Tech Games that Do Science

Many students love everything about video games, so teaching them to use technology to design their own games around content is an assignment that can offer built-in engagement. The problem, however, is that teachers often don't have the time or expertise to teach computer programming, let alone content and process skills. On top of that, installing game design software can create friction between the teaching staff and technology department. That's where Microsoft PowerPoint comes in. Did you know you can help your students create-from scratch or from a template-a video game using PowerPoint? Although PowerPoint is not a true programming platform, there are elements of computational thinking in the design of a homemade PowerPoint game. Linking a story to questions, creating and debugging multiple and nonlinear paths of the slides, and creating a logical flow to a game (checkpoints, increased difficulty, etc.) are all tasks that are complex, open ended, and ambiguous, and that require persistence, especially in the debugging process.

Video games as inspiration for scientific software

This paper presents a study on challenges and opportunities for the gamification of scientific software, with the purpose of investigating methods for the transposition of design elements from games into that particular type of software. This investigation was based on action-research methodology, reflecting on the collaboration between participants in addressing practical issues, as well as inferring theoretical insight from that experience. Based on deliberations about low and high-fidelity prototypes, the research suggests that design elements from games could improve usability and insight , if adapted to scientific software specific needs and, more importantly , adequate to its development environment. We propose that video game design elements have the potential to improve scientific software, as long as implementation is feasible – in which case we recommend a conservative mindset during design stages, informed by a clear understanding of system requirements, development time, and human resources.

Public Engagement Through the Development of Science-Based Computer Games

Science Communication, 2013

New developments in digital technologies are enabling scientists to explore novel avenues of engagement beyond face-to-face approaches. “Gamifying” science through the creation of computer games based on scientific research is part of this trend. Recently, the Wellcome Trust held a competitive “hackfest” called “Gamify Your PhD.” Six finalists were selected to develop their research into a computer game with the help of professional games developers. I was able to observe this event with the aim of exploring the collaboration between scientists and games developers and observing how science-based computer games can be used to engage the wider public.