Educational MMO

[Runzlikegirl]

So what does everyone think about using the power of an MMO for educational purposes? I hated Math so I am not sure how that will ever be fun!

This kickstarter has the potential to be pretty awesome!!!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...earning-mmorpg

Currently on Good as well....
http://www.good.is/link/harnessing-t...s-for-learning

(Started the first one in the WoW forums by mistake.)

[Reeve]

Classes:

The Conjugator
The Algebrator
The Chemist
The Historian

[Puupi]

When I scrolled through the page and saw the group picture of the team; I thought to myself "why are all of them wearing Star Wars shirts?".

Now that I got to the bottom of the page and saw this:

"FAQ
Why are you all wearing Star Wars shirts?"




Anyways, a nice idea of a game...

The best maths exercise is to get involved in WoW theorycrafting, though!

[Deleted]

Interesting idea (also cute lady in the video), educational games aren't usually recipes for success however, and I think there's a risk that this game becomes too much like a less popular Minecraft. There's also a risk of the game focusing too much on one subject - for example, the video focused very much on biospheres and nature, I don't think kids would enjoy a game which solely focuses on biology.

[Deleted]

Could be a good idea. I remember we used to play games on the computer once a week when I was in primary/lower school. Obviously back then it was point+click with limited graphics, usually history games, but the idea of taking something like that and making it a social learning environment could be good.

My main concern with something like this is the content delivery. If there's a lot of time spent doing not much learning at all (walking around, that sort of thing) it wont be a very time-effective way to learn. If it's delivered too quickly, the child wont absorb much of the information because it's too much at once and things get overlooked. Other players might also serve as a distraction if you're trying to look at/do something specific, and they're getting in your way somehow. Then there's the issue of funding ongoing development/server & team upkeep. I'm assuming they want to charge schools a fee to use the software (they may have addressed this and I missed it). That's already going to be impossible for budget-limited departments to buy into it.

Seems like there's a lot of potential for good, but a lot of problems too.

[Deleted]

LF1M CPS (calculations per second) to Tomb of Trigonometry HC. 565 CS (course score) reg!!

[murphy5]

thats amazing

[Endus]

It's going at it the wrong way. They're creating a learning experience first, and trying to make it fun second. Go the other way; make a kickass fun game. Then put learning and problem-solving in there. Randomized puzzle solutions, so you can't just Google the answer (the method, maybe, but not a direct solution). Gaming is already a decent gateway to a lot of mathematical concepts. It's better to pull them in with "Okay, I need more damage, which is better, +10 Power or +5% Crit?" That's algebra. If you try and make it "hey, solve this math problem", they'll get turned off. That's why you make it clear where the solution can be found, and let them apply the math themselves. It's more satisfying to the student/player, and is more engaging and fun.

The biomes, too, just look like a "dress up" kind of thing. If you wanted to do that well, have a complex balance system in place. If you put in critters and there isn't enough food for them, they starve and die. If there's too much food, it rots and spreads disease. Etc. Maintaining the biome as a stable and self-sustaining environment should be the challenge. If you want a way to make it rewarding, if they're self-sustaining, you don't need to hunt down and spend resources on providing food and such, and can focus on other things.

[Charmanderp]

Anything is better than the public school system.

[Deleted]

Classes:

The Conjugator
The Algebrator
The Chemist
The Historian

The Algebrator sounds like a wicked wrestler name.

[Reeve]

Interesting idea (also cute lady in the video), educational games aren't usually recipes for success however

Man, I loved playing Reader Rabbit and various math games on my Apple II. I was learning how to factor 3 digit numbers in 3rd grade using those programs, and they had me reading (along with help from my Father and Hooked on Phonics) at the age of 2. Educational games ftw.

Though honestly I think educational games belong more on mediums like iPads, and really are more for younger kids.

[Puupi]

Their motto is: "Harnessing the addictive power of video games for learning"

That's kind of problematic in a sense. Why video games are addictive? Because they are fun. Why are they fun? Violence. You smash things dead with a sword or shoot them with guns.

Now harness that violence for learning. That is a not an easy feat, and that is the reason why educational games haven't been successful.

PS. When I read their motto for the first time, I couldn't help myself to immediately read it with a Protostar voice "Harnessing the addictive power of video games..... for money!"

[Deleted]

Man, I loved playing Reader Rabbit and various math games on my Apple II. I was learning how to factor 3 digit numbers in 3rd grade using those programs, and they had me reading (along with help from my Father and Hooked on Phonics) at the age of 2. Educational games ftw.

Though honestly I think educational games belong more on mediums like iPads, and really are more for younger kids.

Yeah, there's an old series of educational PC games that I remember loving as a kid, I can't find any gameplay on Youtube (I seriously need to get a hold of a CD...) but here's some semi-catching music from the game:

[Reeve]

Their motto is: "Harnessing the addictive power of video games for learning"

That's kind of problematic in a sense. Why video games are addictive? Because they are fun. Why are they fun? Violence. You smash things dead with a sword or shoot them with guns.

Now harness that violence for learning. That is a not an easy feat, and that is the reason why educational games haven't been successful.

PS. When I read their motto for the first time, I couldn't help myself to immediately read it with a Protostar voice "Harnessing the addictive power of video games..... for money!"

Nonviolent video games are also fun. I love playing Sudoku or Tentacle Wars or Threes or any number of other nonviolent games, and they can be quite addictive. Games are addictive because they're challenging and give a squirt of dopamine when you succeed at something that wasn't easy. Brains like to find and solve patterns. They also like to improve their position over time. None of that requires violence, though violence is a convenient vehicle for those things.

[Deleted]

That's kind of problematic in a sense. Why video games are addictive? Because they are fun. Why are they fun? Violence. You smash things dead with a sword or shoot them with guns.

Pokemon proves you can make violence kid-friendly!

Educational Pokemon game... damn, now that's a great idea.

[Sunseeker]

I used to love puzzle games, especially the Myst series. I'm not sure they could make that into an MMO.

[Reeve]

Pokemon proves you can make violence kid-friendly!

Educational Pokemon game... damn, now that's a great idea.

And it wasn't really the violence that made Pokemon addictive, it was having that goal of trying to catch them all.

[Nihilan]

Stop and think for a moment about all the times you've been lurking/chatting/trolling in /2 waiting for something, anything interesting to do. Really think about it. How much have you learned about the human psyche by sitting there hour after hour and reading that?

Surprising isn't it?

[Deleted]

I used to love puzzle games, especially the Myst series. I'm not sure they could make that into an MMO.

they tried and it had not a pretty ending

Oh and btw: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cyaninc/obduction already funded <3 can't wait

[Deleted]

And it wasn't really the violence that made Pokemon addictive, it was having that goal of trying to catch them all.

Not for me, I started playing Pokemon when I was 3 and I've always played Pokemon for the battles, I've never been a collecting-person.