Science, Fiction and Games

Posted: January 26th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Education, game-based learning, games in the news | Tags: game design, game-based learning, Games for Change, Mass Effect, science fiction, STEM | No Comments »

With Games For Change’s recent inclusion in the White House’s STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) initiative, this seems like a good time to talk about games and science. Scientific American has a short article today on the use of dark matter as a plot element and weapon in the Mass Effect video game series. According to Casey Hudson, the project director for Mass Effect 2, it was important to the developers to incorporate science into the game in a way that “that didn’t offend people who know about science.” While the designers didn’t consult any scientists, they did read all they could about dark matter, and intentionally chose it because it remains such a mysterious phenomenon. There was room to fudge the science in the name of fun gameplay because there is still so little known about dark matter.

Science fiction writers have always taken liberties with their use of science but for serious game developers, or those using games in education it’s not always clear how to strike a proper balance between science and fiction. As an article from the sci fi blog I09 points out, so called hard science fiction that focuses on scientific accuracy, often presents unrealistic social situations because authors neglect their character development. The result can be glorified science textbooks with lackluster casts. Science games that aren’t fun won’t get played, and then they can’t help anyone learn.

Even worse, as another I09 article discusses, sci fi that plays fast and loose with its facts while focusing on a strong plot can actually contribute to misconceptions about science. One geologist quoted in the article laments that the TV show CSI is science fiction disguised as cop drama and when viewers of the show sit on real juries they have unrealistic expectations for the prosecution to produce magical evidence discovered by imaginary technology. In this case, educational materials too focused on being fun or engaging can end up ingraining misconceptions. For game designers working on STEM education projects, then, there are a few important constraints that can lead to engaging, educational games.

First, STEM games must use solid science. A game can have one main subject, core principle, or idea it’s trying to explain or explore, and it must be presented accurately. It’s neat the Mass Effect uses dark matter in the plot, but (without having played it) I’m pretty certain it doesn’t teach anything. This doesn’t detract from the game because it’s only meant for fun, but educational games can’t be so cavalier.
While being totally accurate, the material also needs to be age appropriate. I found a free game online that seems to be aimed at middle schoolers, but is teaching a random collection of concepts from Einstein’s theory of relativity, to teleportation (admitting this may be impossible) to the Higgs-Boson particle. Why a ten year-old should be learning about relativity is beyond me, and I highly doubt that any substantive information can be delivered by a wacky platformer-shooter game.

Second, games teaching STEM can’t become so mired in factuality that they neglect to be compelling, engaging or fun. Granted, there is an audience for hard core simulations, but it is limited. Any game that’s going to be used in-class, out of class as an assignment, or as part of an informal learning environment needs to have mass appeal. That means less Eve Online and more Auditorium or Flow. Yes, Eve Online is a highly developed economic simulator set in a sci fi world, and my latter two examples aren’t STEM focused at all, but they could be easily tweaked to educate and engage (instead of just engage) while Eve is simply too intimidating for most people.

Finally, STEM games have a constraint that applies to no other educational medium: the mechanic must be the message. In the relativity game I referred to earlier, the site in which the game is embedded has a list of scientific concepts that are referenced in the game, but the game itself doesn’t involve science exploration at all. I played a different game about geology that could be described as Galaga + rock collecting + rock-related quiz questions. The gameplay was completely disconnected from the the subject matter.

For an educational game to really be successful, what the player does in the game must  connect to the subject matter. In the geology game, learning the geological processes that cause different rocks should be the key to progressing in the game. It should feel relevant. I think Crayon Physics Deluxe and World of Goo are good learning games that could be great if they integrated metacognition into the gameplay. If Goo were a learning game, it could encourage players to reflect on their design process (how was the solution developed?) or consider tensile strength, cohesion and adhesion, etc. as they build.

Designing a good educational game is enormously challenging. I can think of very few that effectively integrate factuality and fun into meaningful gameplay. Most educational games lapse into rehashing tired tropes and painting science themes onto old mechanics. Developing effective, engaging STEM games is an exciting challenge though, and I look forward to working on this problem more in the future.

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