Earlier this year, Bridge 47 released the student-created video game "Realtopia" about a post-apocalyptic future in which students can learn from humanity's past mistakes in hopes of traveling back in time for a brighter re-do.
We are pleased to announce that we have also created a teacher's guide and learning manual to accompany Realtopia! The guide is chuck full of valuable exercises that can be used in the classroom to make the game more meaningful. You can find both the guide and the game here.
Maybe you've been wondering: Why do we see educational value in digital mobile games? Online games can be seen as a space for informal learning which allows for a political and educational dimension.
The following aspects of how online games are related to GCE motivated Bridge 47 to develop Realtopia:
1. Games are fun and make you happy. Games carry an intrinsic motivation to engage and do not require a decision or coercion to educate yourself. They show that learning can be fun and easy, and happen in informal ways.
2. Games can create epic narratives as alternative versions of reality. Real-world issues, complexities and values can inform the narrative and yet the imaginary possibilities of games allow you to playfully and boldly think, sense and imagine what lies beyond. Players can relate their actions and decisions to a bigger story and become part of that story.
3. Games can build skills, knowledge and competencies. They create challenges that are tricky but solvable. They motivate you to accept the challenge, to try again if you fail. They train problem-solving skills, creative thinking and endurance. They foster the agency of individuals to look for and be part of solutions.
4. Games offer space for experimentation and change of perspective. They create safe spaces for “playing out” hypothetical scenarios and taking somebody else’s role and perspective.
5. Online games give you the opportunity to be part of a bigger community of players connected by the spirit of the game. Apart from the abstract feeling of belonging and shared identification, many games provide for real interaction with peers and like minded individuals.