************************ S.N.A.G.G.E.D ************************
Serious News About Games
Generating Educational Development
The "SERIOUS GAMES" Related News Clipping Service
Subscribe @
http://listserver.dmill.com/lyris.pl?join=snagged-news
***************************************************************
ISSUE 1.0, 23 September, 2003
published twice-monthly
In this issue:
- Headline Roundup
- In-Depth: Good Games for Kids
- Playable: Fix Your Commute; Lemonade Inc.
- Books: Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design
- etc. Subscription info, bylines, license
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FREE TO REDISTRIBUTE IN ITS INTIRETY OR REPUBLISH ON YOUR SITE
===============================================================
Provided as a public service by The Serious Games Initiative
@ The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
Breakaway Games, Ltd., and Digitalmill, Inc.
Please visit our sponsors at http://www.seriousgames.org/,
http://www.breakawaygames.com/, and http://www.dmill.com/
Written & Edited by Justin Hall (justin@bud.com)
editor at Game Girl Advance
http://www.gamegirladvance.com/
Please email your questions/comments, and additional news
stories, links or press releases, to justin@bud.com.
_______________________________________________________________
Snagged from the Wires and News sites...
- "Hidden Agenda" Contest
Sponsored by the Liemandt Foundation, and advised by veteran game
designer Richard Garriott, this contest aims to award $25,000 to
a college student who makes a stealth educational game.
http://www.hiddenagenda.com/
- America's Army Judged a Success
The US Army's video game-based recruitment effort seems to have
passed muster, with flying colors. Over a year after its launch,
"America's Army" is encouraging a fresh batch of recruits and a bit
of controversy.
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/woolley090803.html
- Sim City on Steroids
In the advent of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, old technologies are
seeing some new uses. Los Alamos has adapted their "EpiSims" software
to model population responses to disaster. EpiSims is described as
being "sort of like the 'Sim City' video game on steroids."
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/091003_news_labsshtml
- Games Used to Study Cabby Navigation
Video games were recently used to better understand the way taxi cab
drivers make mental maps and plan routes. According to the BBC,
brain activity was measured as the drivers delivered passengers
in a virtual city.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3096572.stm
and http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030911072236.htm
- Serious Games Initiative in the News
The Portland Press Herald explores the world of Serious Games, by
way of Ben Sawyer and Dave Rejeski of the Serious Games Initiative.
This article appeared in the Portland Press Herald after the group
was awarded a Lounsbery Foundation grant to continue their research
into games that teach.
http://www.pressherald.com/business/stories/030914seriousgames.shtml
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The Main Attraction
Some good news about games for kids - there's been a recent spate
of efforts to use games to reach and shape young minds. Researchers
are increasingly realizing that interactive media can engage students
in positive and powerful ways.
In Edinburgh, games have been used to help autistic children acclimate
to more normal functioning. By simulating people in a city, allowing
kids to interact with them, and giving the kids feedback with the game,
the software helps autistic children understand social cues they often
otherwise miss or avoid.
Using a game to teach these lessons seems to be especially appropriate
for its intended audience; according to Robert McKay, national
co-orindator of the National Autistic Society Scotland, "It is
interesting that the test is computerised as we know from experience
that children with autism can perform better using computer-based
learning aids."
http://www.edinburghnews.com/index.cfm?id=1034732003
MindWeavers in the United Kingdom has had some early success with
their Phonomena game, teaching words and sounds to students.
Through a series of onscreen call and response exercises, the game
develops better fine listening skills. Faculty employing the
software have reported good results and eager students. The game
is slated for tests in Japan, to teach English as a second language.
http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS (con't)
&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:20802
and
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994093
A child advocacy group in Australia, Brave Hearts, has launched a
CD-Rom game designed to teach kids to avoid pedophiles. "Ditto's
Keep Safe Adventure" is for sale in retail stores, targeted at kids
under 12.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/10/1062902085770html
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Playable
- Fix Your Commute
The Snohomish County Herald in Washington State has launched a web
application simulating the traffic problems of the Puget Sound
area. Players can juggle roads and budgets to alleviate the stress
of gridlock.
Web App: http://fyc.heraldnet.com
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Books
Recently released...
Simulations and the Future of Learning
by Clark Aldrich
Published by Jossey-Bass (ISBN: 0787969621)
Clark discusses an outline for games and simulations for
use in e-learning as an antidote for the stagnation in
e-learning from instruction style text-heavy content.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0787969621/
Also...
Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design
Published by New Riders (ISBN: 1592730019)
It's a thick tome with a light touch that aims to be a textbook on
game concepts and architecture. Games are a large subject, this
is as close to comprehensive as you might want to get.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1592730019/
_______________________________________________________________
etc.
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This newsletter is provided, free of charge, by the Serious Games
Initiative, promoting games as a way to improve education and
citizenry. It is published twice-monthly.
http://www.seriousgames.org
This newsletter was produced by Justin Hall, editor at Game Girl
Advance, a web site devoted to discussion of cultural issues in
gaming.
http://www.gamegirladvance.com
Please email your questions/comments, and additional news stories,
links or press releases, to justin@bud.com.
The Serious Games Initiative is looking for paper submissions:
