![]() ![]() ![]() “I hook them with the gameplay, then bring them in and start show them the ‘nature of science.’ That’s a term you hear a lot, and it’s going to be a big part of science curriculum for years,” he said. That’s how science actually works”ĭemeo says the nature of science (NOS)- a pedagogical tenant that emphasizes the creative, social and malleable side of the “search to know” which sometimes gets overwhelmed by rigid scientific methodology and the gathering of facts - is usually overlooked in pop culture and watered-down in science class. “Jason is a loving father who not only looks for creative solutions to a science problem, but he also has to generate consensus among his peers. “How many times do you get main characters who you see holding a baby, have inspirational verses from the Bible in his office, or take risks to find scientific breakthroughs?” DeMeo said. When someone conjures the image of a scientist, it’s often a man wearing clear, clunky protective eyewear pearing gravely into a microscope or the mad scientist version, hunkered in a secret, underground lab, bent on unlocking the final obstacle to a nefarious invention. “For a video game they do a pretty damn good job,” DeMeo said.įallout 3’s main character and his father, a scientist named Jason, live in an underground bunker called a “vault” with dozens of others people 200 years after the human race has turned the earth into “an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation.” Once the player escapes the vault they’re free to explore the irradiated landscape and explore hundreds of different gameplay scenarios.īut in order to complete the game’s main narrative, the character must help his father create a water purifier to make the world’s water drinkable again, a storyline which DeMeo, who’s a chemist and professor of science education, said incorporates some surprisingly relevant skills that can be used as a starting point for student conversations that unpack the nature of science. The Hunter College chemist referenced the hugely successful commercial game Fallout 3, calling it a “masterpiece” in which the main character embodies many of the human traits of a scientist performing, engineering and emoting in the real world. And any developer should consider these more realistic portrayals of characters in STEM roles,” DeMeo said. But science is made by humans with real lives. “A science textbook is like a diamond, and the rough edges have been smoothed off, all the drama has been cut out. In turn, educators can look to these characters as discussion starters for kids. ![]() Instead, DeMeo and Robbins used their presentation at last month’s CUNY Games Festival to argue that developers from game-based learning and commercial industries should create STEM characters in games that actually “do science,” even if the gameplay surrounding them is contrived and driven by fantasy-based narratives. ![]() The Obama administration also hosted its fourth State of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Address, or SoSTEM, in which John Holden, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy said “science, technology and innovation are not just helpful, but essential to achieving every one of our nation’s top goals.”īut DeMeo and Robbins argue that educators can’t simply send kids to a website dedicated to George Washington Carver’s slew of peanut inventions, or, even worse, plop science textbooks down on their desks and assign homework. Two weeks ago, President Obama gave the issue a big shout out in his state of the union speech, saying we need more computer science in our schools because “the spirit of discovery is in our DNA.” STEM has been grabbing headlines for weeks. “Growing up, we often connect with as people first, through films, current events, TV and now, video games,” DeMeo told. Some advocates for the increased emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math in schools argue that digital games will be the key to getting young people engaged about STEM subjects.įor two Hunter College CUNY science professors, Stephen DeMeo and Dennis Robbins, game developers will play a major role in giving teachers the motivational tools they need to motivate student interest in STEM. ![]()
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