My Avatar's Dog Ate My Homework

Why don't we use gaming more as a tool for education? This seems, to me, like a waste of an incredibly powerful medium just sitting there being used to farm gold or run raids with. This is something that

Here's my idea:

A child wanders into first grade. They are scared, unsure of whats going to happen. The teacher helps the kids to their desks where a laptop sits. On it is a program that lets each student create their own avatar. The avatars are human, about the same age as the kids creating them. They can design them as they want in whatever styles they see fit. These avatars are now the virtual representation of the student that will be used throughout their school years. Yup, you read that right, these are avatars that will follow the students and be a permanent tool that goes with them from First grade through high school. Hell, even college and beyond, why not?

Once the avatars are created they are used in a school run environment where the teacher controls the world, conditions, etc. Suppose the teacher wants to show what it was like when dinosaurs were around. The teacher could select a pre-made world populated with dinosaurs and have the students log in to explore the world. As the teacher is instructing verbally the students are seeing and interacting with the virtual dinosaur world. The dinosaurs could be scaled to show how big they are next to their avatar, watch as they hunted or roamed around. After that the teacher moves on to math, the students, still logged in and learns their math tables in in an interactive presentation. Almost all subjects are taught, partially , through the online site.

Homework can be assigned and uploaded in the "virtual school". Grades can be assigned and seen online. Students can get this info at home and if they wish to stay and explore the school world they can. I should note now that this world would be a closed environment, only registered students/parents and teachers/school personnel allowed. There would also be a lot of parental controls and monitoring of chat and actions.

Want to study the old west and try to experience what it was like? Maybe the teacher loads in an old west setting and tasks each student to try and survive as they did back then. American government could be taught by creating a virtual Congress and assigning each student as a virtual Congressman to learn how they pass bills, etc. How about learning to budget your check book while living in a virtual apartment with virtual bills? Students can select what they want (electricity, cable, food, etc) and see the consequences of overindulgence and learn to make their money work for them. Biology class could get interesting. Instead of using real dead animals, you could dissect virtually. Studying the human body, say the skeletal system? The teacher could load in functions so your avatar can be seen as a skeleton. Now I know what some will say, well what happens when they hit the subject of reproduction/sex/etc? Subjects like that would be taught offline, face to face with the teachers.

Is your school unable to afford field trips to museums, plays and such? Why not go virtual and explore it at your desk?

Moving to a new school...in another state? Not a problem! Student can log in and select the new school they are going to and explore the virtual campus, talk to other students and teachers and get the general feel of the real world school all before they even get there. Student administrators simply ask the parents for their students ID number, log in and can instantly see grades, homework and assignments that the student has done throughout their school life.

As the student moves on to higher grades the avatar follows you. You move to a new class, sit down at your desk and log in to your student. You may notice that your avatar has grown and aged just like you have. You continue your studies with your virtual self like nothing ever happened.

Look, the possibilities are endless folks. Space exploration, world religion, science, math, music, history, business, government, foreign languages, etc. Its all possible to teach and explore this in virtual worlds. So why don't we see anybody out there trying to do this? I've seen a few educational sites, and while some are good, they are all one way. That is the student simply sits there while the computer instead of the teacher lectures them.

It's time to get innovative. Time to really sink some serious money and thought into developing this. Its time to put our talents in game design and passion for virtual worlds in a very worthy cause..the education of our future leaders.

Hello old friend...it's been awhile

So, since I'm on assignment I don't have the opportunity to play on my PC or PS3. I've been chained to my laptop, which can't handle much. Wizard101, EQ2 (on lowering settings), and a handful of other games seem to be it. Walking around the BX (Base Exchange) yesterday I ran across an old favorite of mine...Battlefield 1942. For $8, it was mine.

Now, I have sunk some time into that game. Serious time. Maybe more than all my MMO's...combined, I mean I freakin' love this game. To me it was the perfect gaming mix. WW2 setting, all fighting, multiplayer with out the leveling for extra gear and most importantly COOP. Everyone has the same gear so it was all on a level playing field for the entire game. A day one player oculd take out the most seasoned vet within minutes. Another big plus for me when I first bought the game those many years ago was the ability for players to mod the game. BF1942 modders had some of the best news maps, skins and zones bar none. the mod "Desert Combat" was my favorites. This turned everything into modern day. instead of US vs Germany/Italy or Japan it was US v Iraq. Vehicles, weapons, outfits were all modern day. heck they even have helicopters which are a pain to learn to fly at first but alot of fun. The battles back then were massive and team work was essential to winning the round. I loved it.

So today I spent the better part of an afternoon loading the games, the maps and updates and getting reacquainted with this old friend. Some of my favorite servers still exist which makes the return even better. I'm amazed that there is still over 400 servers for this 7 year old FPS. It's nice to see so many others enjoying this fantastic game.

I can sooooo see myself getting lost in this game again.

PAXtra Life Party...Gamers helping others

You may have noticed the large picture to the right showing the link to the PAXtra Life Party. This is a gaming event will be to get gamers together, have a some fun and support Children's Miracle Network Hospitals around the world. Whether its great events like this or annual Child's Play Charity drives we gamers should use every opportunity to use our hobby to get the word out on great causes like this that help others in the world.

I highly recommend anyone who could can attend to do so. From the Sarcastic Gamer site:

"Tickets to this special evening go on sale on Tuesday, June 1st at 12:01am through the Sarcastic Gamer Store. For $30, gamers get access to the event, tons of great swag and prizes, open bar, the free limited-edition t-shirt designed by Nate Voss and several HUGE surprises that haven’t been announced just yet."

Get your tickets fast though, because once they are sold out, that's it. Don't miss out on what looks to be a great party.

Unfortunately, being in Europe, I will not be able to attend. However, that still doesn't mean I can't show my support for such a great cause and encourage other companies and gaming sites out there to follow in Sarcastic Gamers footsteps. We gamers can do wonderful things when we put our minds to it. Lets continue to use our hobby as a tool to help those that need our help, it's the right thing to do.

A quick "Hello" before I start...

Hi folks. I wanted to take a second and tell you a bit about this blog and myself. My thought for this blog was to use it as a place to discuss life, gaming and my thoughts on the future of gaming, where it is going and possibilities of where it could go. Now, I am by no means a gaming expert or knowledgeable on all things gaming nor will I pretend to be.

Right now, my time is split between MMO's, PS3 and a handful of PC games. I've grown up with gaming in my household in one shape or another. Whether it was Atari 2600, TRS-80 computer games I made up, Pong, Collecovision or just about every other console during the 80's and 90's I most likely had it or played on it. My favorite games are FPS's but I also enjoy MMO's and any other team based game.

A bit a bout me, I have been serving in the military for 18 years now. Currently I'm stationed in Europe and as of now plan to retire at 20 years and move on to a civilian life. I'm a husband and a father and love getting my family involved in my gaming hobby. We also travel extensively and have seen almost all of Western Europe.

As I post here I encourage discussion in any of the topics I bring up. If you disagree with what I say, great I would love to hear why. I ask that we remain respectful of each others opinions and treat each other with dignity. I will moderate spam, trolling or just plain abusive comments. If you want to do that, there are plenty of other sites out there for that.