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create a team within our TED community working on ideas that can became educational games.
What do we want to teach our kids - globally?
Who can give us background information - facts and figures?
Do you want to became part of that team - and creating projects about educational games?
Topics:
computer games creativity games thinking
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Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Christophe Cop 500+
So anybody who wants to help me with it is welcome.
"Save the planet, save your allowance ; An integrated domestic edutainment game"
The basis is simple: we couple the energy that enters a house (the electricity meter, or 'smart grid' data) to a game-platform (like this Conversations, but with more level up and graphic things).
As such, any kid can play this game: the more energy he saves around the house (turning of lights & stand-by modes,...) the more XP he get's for his character.
As a bonus, the energy bills of the parents go down. As such, the kid can be rewarded with the money saved (he ought to)
=> While playing, one learns to understand energy use and conservation, becoming eco-minded. By earning the money, the kid becomes entrepreneurial. And planet and parents profit from it as well
We might need Jane Mcgonigal involved in this too ;-) http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html
This can be extended to gas and water consumption, adding 'things to improve' quests
Note: this game needs to be designed to be adaptable to multiplayer mode.
Any people ready for a startup?
Mark Meijer 100+
If you want to raise awareness of these issues in kids (and adults), instead of awarding XP, make it visible by some estimate of how many habitats, species, and human lives etc. were saved that day from exploitation and future disaster. "Facts and figures", as OP calls it. Isn't that what "we want to teach our kids"?
Make it the ultimate god-game: Show them how their energy savings impact the world. It is inherently massively multiplayer (everyone playing this game is on the same persistent world server called Earth). And in the process they are taught that, whether they know it or not, whether they are casual players or hard-core, they really can and do have a lasting impact on the world.
Briannin Gross
If its worldwide the participants in the game could connect with others throughout the world and come up with new ideas on how to save energy. They should be rewarded in some way for connecting with others and coming up with ideas. After all, real issues are not solved by one man alone. These kids should learn that early and have it built into them how to form communities.
Christophe Cop 500+
(all others too of course)
It does complicate the way of designing it, doesn't it? so how show the complexity of the 'real' positive impact you are having?
But if you could help me figure out the details: would be great.
(now I only need an entrepreneur, programmer, game-designer, electricity expert and some funding) ;-)
Dessislava Boshnakova 500+
SANTHIP KANHOLY
Ilhyun Jo 10+
Rasmus Andersson
What type of game it is doesn't really matter in initial steps of research of this form. In fact, I think that type of game is a perfect fit for early experiments, as it's cheap, easy to maintain and very barebones.
Ilhyun Jo 10+
Nobody really goes through an epic win very often. They might once in a while when they play strategy games but in games like world of warcraft you just play for levels, not epic wins. Plus you feel good while playing but bad afterwards.
Rasmus Andersson
Stating that "you feel good while playing but bad afterwards" is something that is completely alien to me, and to me seems that you have a really odd relationship to games and continue to spit out bold statements based on nothing (such as "You can't make a fun educational game", which in fact is wrong, as I've played fun educational games).
Ilhyun Jo 10+
You might be right about me having a wrong and weird view towards games but statistics show that it has a negative effect on the brain
Plus the education will most likely come in the form of hard facts, not critical thinking.
Ivana Korom 500+
The idea to use games in education is great and it is something that kids today use and understand more than just sitting at the table and reading from a textbook. I'm a trainer also, and my team and I use different kinds of games - both with kids and adults, and they really work, everybody likes them.
And games are not "just" games or entertainment. Jane McGonigal clearly pointed out that while playing a game, we experience a lot more than just fun. We just don't tend to look at it that way. While some of them may not be educational (although I wouldn't agree, even in the "stupid" games you learn something, or at least something about yourself), I don't think that formal (textbook) education is sufficient in the world today. What about social and emotional skills? Collaboration? It's not games per se that teach kids, it's the dynamics of games. And the content can really be anything we want to teach them.
I suggest another great talk on the subject: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/seth_priebatsch_the_game_layer_on_top_of_the_world.html