Augmented Reality Games
The MIT Teacher Education Program, in conjunction with The Education Arcade, has been working on creating "Augmented Reality" simulations to engage people in simulation games that combine real world experiences with additional information supplied to them by handheld computers.
The first of these games, Environmental Detectives (ED), is an outdoor game in which players using GPS guided handheld computers try to uncover the source of a toxic spill by interviewing virtual characters and conducting large scale simulated environmental measurements and analyzing data. This game has been run at three sites, including MIT, a nearby nature center, and a local high school. Early research has shown that this mode of learning is successful in engaging university and secondary school students in large scale environmental engineering studies, and providing an authentic mode of scientific investigation.
To learn more about the Education Arcade's Augmented Reality Games, click here. This will take you to the MIT Teacher Education Program site.
Any New Games for Handhelds?
Has anyone developed a simulation game for Planning and Zoning Board officials?
It pains me to see many decisions based on developers' bullying tactics. In many cases, high powered lawyers ability to intimidate many members of these boards affects the decision making process. When bad decisions are made (e.g., building condos or townhouses on a flood prone area) because of lack of adequate information or understanding of consequences, thousands of residents in nearby areas are affected. If we had a simulation game that members of both zoning and planning boards of most Eastern seaboard municipalities could play, things might be different. We would be preserving precious open space and revitalizing depressed areas through regional service sharing.
I don't know how zoning and planning is done in the south or on the west coast.
Any thoughts?