Beam Me Up: NASA Gets Their Game On
With the last week’s release of the NPD Group report showing a more than 40% growth in the U.S. gaming industry over 2006, with overall revenues in excess of $17 billion — yes, that’s right… BILLION — it’s not surprising that even NASA would want to ante up to this high stakes table. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is exploring the possibility of developing its own MMORPG. The agency’s TL (Learning Technologies) Office posted a Request for Information (RFI) document on January 16th calling for developers to submit their ideas by February 15th. The request acknowledges that “the power of games as educational tools is rapidly gaining recognition,” and hopes to use that momentum to increase and enhance interest in the “STEM” fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.) The idea that video games can be used in more traditional applications will be the subject of several panels at ScreenBurn 2008. For instance, Patrick Sanchez of Enspire Learning will tackle this question in a session title Can Wii Learn? Using Wiimotes in E-Learning. Likewise, Michael Anderson, Course Technology team leader for the UT System TeleCampus, will also cover this topic in a panel titled Let’s Get Serious: Should Video Games Replace College?. One way or another, gaming is definitely not just for teenagers anymore!