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By socratesOne
#4972
An MMPORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) for eduational use.

A role playing game usually consists of doing something (hunting monsters, casting spells, etc...) in order to gain "experience points". With those "experience points", you are able to defeat bigger monsters, travel to distant places, etc...

Well, how about the same thing, only, instead of killing monsters, you would have to figure out problems (quest-based). With each problem solved, you could get rewards such as money or XP, which you can use to purchase vehicles or equipment.

Reward: PLEASE let me know if you are interested in collaborating with me on this project. We could start a new project at sourceforge.
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By Mobius1
#5016
I have been thinking about your idea. How do you combine education with a computer game?

Well..

There is a popular series of strategy games out there called the Total War Series and they provide a suprisingly interesting ammount of education in world history.

Shogun Total War
Shogun Total War - The Mongol Expansion
Medieval Total War
Medieval Total War - The Viking Invasions
Rome Total War

I was pleasantly suprised at how much I was able to learn from these games, for example, I found out alot about Samurai Japan and how the Mongols failed to take over it. I was able to learn alot about the types of soldiers my own country had in feudal/medieval Ireland and likewise with practically every country in the world.

Along with all this, I was able to learn a little bit about the Crusades and the Popes truelly amazing influence in Europe. I didnt even know of the Golden Horde for example.

Perhaps if you look at these very popular strategy games, maybe you can combine brilliant historical education with the day to day living of a player controlled character in a gaming world that deals more in historical fact rather than myth and magic which by the way is usually the story when it comes to MMPORPG games

In creating a game such as this, you might be able to supply education, but most importantly enough action to keep players happy.

Rather than playing a character based on:

Human's
Orc's
Dark Elf's
High Elf's
Dwarve's

Put in its place

Irish, Scots, English, Welsh, French, Danes, Poles, Russians, Spanish, Italians, along with the Almohads, Egyptians and Turks, Golden Horde, Holy Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Japan.

I place money on it that 80% of people would learn something at the character selection screen as many people are unlikely to have any idea who people like the Almohads were.
By Rishi
#5017
Great idea Mobius1. While you are at it, why not bring it closer home? Like the TV soaps, one can have family dramas with plenty of action. Visiting in-laws, neighbours, the boss, all contributing to interesting variations. Probably solve day to day problems as well.

Rishi
By marsu
#5917
I actually have had a similar idea, but I always thought it would be too much for one person to make (or even design).

I think some strategy games like total war really do teach players something about history, but usually its just military- and warhistory. I for one would like to see a more peaceful approach. And teaching other things besides history.
By socratesOne
#6321
Every educational game is based on the same thing:

You are given a question. You have options. If you choose the correct option, you get rewarded.

Sometimes the options are practically limitless, such as being able to type out an answer, but you get the idea.

Well, let's take something like a "match" game, and combine it with, say, a first-person shooter.

The "bad guy" coming at you may be a problem. Lets say you have a choice of weapons. You have to choose the right weapon (the correct answer), in order to destroy the bad guy. There is a punishment for hitting the monster with the wrong answer (maybe he gets faster?)

Or, for instance, take carmen sandiego, which teaches kids about geography and history. They are given information, and them must use that information in order to find their next step. This could be applied in many ways. In the simplest way possible, you are given some info, then you get to a some doors. Each door has a different word on it. There is someone to provide a "hint" as to which door is the correct path. Taking the correct path rewards you and taking the incorrect path punishes you.

These are standard principals in educational games. The only difference that I'm talking about is making it more expansive. Each successfully answered question would give you "xp" in that area. For instance, if you stay in the "math" section for a long time, you work up xp, which increases your level, which allows you to open up new doors, which presents more difficult math questions, and so on all the way up to advanced calculas.

To teach geography, you could have a transport system that emulates the real world. When you start off, you might only be able to go to the capitals of each country on a certain continent (the easy levels) and be required to go to every capital and learn them in order to go to another continent or to go to other places within each country, to learn additional information about the region.

There are many more creative things that can be done with this idea. What would be needed, though is people. You're absolutely right in saying that one person coudl not do this. However, one person COULD create a schema for a database of questions that educators from around the world could add too. One person could create or implement an existing open source MUD capable of interfacing with that database. One person could create a database of "students" and an interface for that database to add, alter, or delete accounts.

After the basic elements are set up, you could let a wiki-style content addition system take place. As long as there are certain rules, as defined by the above mentioned schema, anyone should be able to add new things to the game.
By starcraftdude89
#6326
Well, actualy, i am a game programmer, so if you get something to work, let me know, and i could write you a net code.(runs the game, incase you didn't know!)
By grdavies
#9508
:-? I don't know how that would work, Why would you need equipment and vehicles and stuff if your not going to kill anything? Buy calculators and diagrams?
By Rajahman
#13565
This could be quite an interesting thing, if say you wanted to incorporate more real world skills such as mechanical / electrical assembly as well as primary skills such as cooking, as well as an economic element, the quests could be to find the needed components / ingredients and learning certain aspects about the subject as the quest proceeds until at the end the user / gamer will have a working knowledge of one or all subjects. theres even a possibility that something like this can be used in schools / colleges.
By Eugene
#15669
Are you thinking of something along the lines of a MMOAG (massivley multiplayer online adventure game)?

I have always liked the adventure games where they test your problem solving skills and really make you think. I am studying to become a game programmer and my experience with adventure games translates into real world problem solving. Many times when you are stuck in an adventure game you just try using everything in your inventory with everything around you. Same with programming, I have come across many situations where a bug just won't die and I have to try absolutely everything before I am able to conquer it.

The last post about including real world disciplines intrigues me because I have been thinking about making a MMO with real world skills involved. Things like doing a mechanics course which teaches you real mechanics and fixing cars in a virtual world for virtual money. Cars could be programmed to break down and people have to pay you to fix it. Also cooking because people have to eat, program a feature where you can go for no longer than 24 hours without food before your health begins to deteriorate. This would allow for more features such as hunting and fishing which would be simulated against their real world counterparts.

Many more opportunities abound and I could think of a lot more, let me know if you want to talk further :)
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