Gaming Evolves - Will Science Classes Follow?
September 2, 2008
Gaming Evolves – Will Science Classes Follow?
Summary
Spore, a new game by Electronic Arts, allows players to take a single-celled microbe and evolve it into complex, intelligent creatures. Though the process through which Spore’s creatures change does not accurately reflect evolutionary processes, it is strongly influenced by biology and aims to give players an experience of evolutionary forces that have shaped the universe.
The game’s creator, Will Wright, is known for creating games that simplify complex systems to give a feel of reality. His first popular endeavor was SimCity, launched in 1989 that allowed players to create and manage their own cities – including struggling with tax rates and traffic jams. Spore
My thoughts
Games can’t replace accurate, quality education, but they can go a long way towards driving curiosity, creating a passion for a field of study, and getting kids to ask great questions.
If Spore can create an interest and deeper awareness for science in the way that SimCity did for running a city, I am all for it.
A quote from Neil Shubin, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago, sums it up. “Playing the game, you can’t help but feel amazed how, from a few simple rules and instructions, you can get a complex functioning world with bodies, behaviors and whole ecosystems.”
With an educational system that continues to primarily use 19th century methods for teaching 21st century students, games like this give a hint as to how that could change.
Click here to learn more about the impact of the Internet on our students lives and what we need to do to prepare them for the future.
Linda
