Gaming for life: How video games can develop ecological thinking and science skills

Background/Question/Methods

Video games are an important form of entertainment for the under 25 segment of society. Several lines of research summarized in Louv’s “Last Child in the Woods” show that television, video games, and other indoor activities are creating a population that has become disconnected from nature. Students’ best source of information about nature has become the Discovery Channel rather than any real world experience. None the less, the current generation of youngsters truly enjoys a wide range of electronic games. How can educators use this gaming culture to promote ecological inquiry and learning?

Results/Conclusions

A growing body of literature shows that educational electronic games are being used to enhance learning. The complexity of the games engages players with a diverse range of skills and experience. The structure of the games lets individuals proceed at their own pace, as well as to share experiences in local and online communities. We review a range of games, such as the SIM series, that currently illustrate ecological thinking and scientific skills. We then show how video games could serve as a critical tool that might be a surprising catalyst to get the next generation back outside. For instance the Cybertracker World (CTW) project is developing a first person video game based on the task of animal tracking. In the player’s quest to find and learn about animals, they record their observations about animal tracks, signs, occurrences, behaviors and interactions on a virtual PDA that simulates a real PDA running Cybertracker Software (CT). Cybertracker Software was created by Louis Liebenberg as a way for illiterate African bushman to record observations about wildlife. In CTW players will learn about species, environments and are actively engaged in doing science. We predict games like CTW will help people overcome fears about being outside, teach ecological observation skills, and spawn ecologically based citizen science projects.