Creating Video Games to Teach Curriculum

Designing and Evaluating Educational Video Games by Len Annetta (Sept/Oct 2008)

Today, educating children can be a challenge. Children are exposed to so much hi-tech entertainment that merely reading information from a textbook can be dull and boring. Len Annetta has addressed this challenge by forming a group to come up with some fun solutions that add technology (specifically video games) to curriculum to offer students an exciting and engaging way to learn. The group HIFIVES stands for "Highly Interactive Fun Internet Virtual Environments in Science" (http//ced.ncsu.edu/hifives/). HIFIVES began with a four year National Science Grant. 13 North Carolina teachers have been trained in the use of adapting a video game in the likeness of the popular game Half Life 2. Using a simple drag and drop menu, teachers are able to use one of 15 predetermined settings such as the desert, tundra, moon etc. They are then able to plug in characters, plots and strategies. The beauty is first, that the technology is user friendly allowing easy access and ability to plug in your own specific ideas. More importantly, the flexibility of the technology allows for complete adaptation to each teacher's own curriculum area, unit, chapter or topic of study. An example of this is a video game a teacher designed for her students to analyze biological concepts. Using the specially designed video game, the students solve the murder of an Egyptian pharoah. They find the pharoah's tomb and analyze the shroud and mummified corpse. They test ancient blood samples, analyze DNA and look for clues to possible suspects. Since the original team of 13 teachers began, they now have an additional 50 teachers being trained in the game design process. As the educators bring this knowledge and technology to the classroom, they are anticipating getting students involved in the process by designing their own games out of the curriculum or using it as an alternate form of evaluation. Students may use the video game design and process to cover all of the knowledge they may have previously written in a research paper to show their instructor mastery of their subject.

This was an interesting idea to me. I understand fully the thrill and enticement of video games to our students as opposed to a dry lecture. I think that this is an exciting idea and hope that the HIFIVES originators will be able to find a way to make their new classroom video game system available and affordable to teachers and students everywhere. One note is that the author is now teaming with SAS, a developer of business intelligence and analytical software services, to infuse software into the games that can be used to assess the student's knowledge and understanding. For instance, text logs, recording of events and pop up boxes that can be responded to would record data, then put together and analyze it so the teacher would be able to see student progress and acheivement without having to tediously research, analyze and organize the data themselves. I will certainly be keeping an eye on this website and hoping that in the future I could adapt this to my students so that they can have this alternative method to effortlessly and enjoyably soak in their core curriculum.