INSERT COIN: This Week in Kickstarter
A 3D Biology Video Game for the Kinect by Blair, Laura Lynn, & Rachel
Fundraising Deadline: Wednesday May 30, 2012 @ 8:47 PM EDT
Fundraising Goal: $27,500
Project Type: Educational Video Game (Cellular Biology, Motion Control)
Platform(s): PC, Mac
Estimated Project Completion: January 2013
Project Description:
We are scientific animators and game developers and we’re making a biology game that could revolutionize high school science learning. We’ve begun one level of the game, and you can see us playing it in our video. With your help, we’re going to turn this demo into a game that will be used in science classrooms around the world to teach students in a visual and kinesthetic way.
This game will also be totally fun for our fellow science nerds to play!
We’re planning on spending 3-6 months creating a game that contains a fully-immersive world inside a cell with at least five distinct mini-games. As we’re working, we’re going to test the game with local teachers and students to get feedback that will help us make the game as useful (and as fun!) as possible for biology education.
Why is it on our radar?
Personnel is a very important consideration when deciding whether to back a Kickstarter project. In this case, what this one lacks in creative nomenclature, it makes up for in sheer credibility. All three members of the team are professional scientific animators working with museums and educational institutions creating visualizations and games. Among them, there is a National Science Foundation (NSF) finalist and award winner for the 2011 Visualization Challenge. Yes, they know what they are doing.
They’ve also already got part of the Kinect-enabled game working, as you can see in the pitch video. Is this the kind of thing that hardcore gamers are going to back in droves? No. But it’s the kind of thing that hardcore gamer science nerds should be paying attention to. This is a very cool project that will have long-lasting application and help show the value of gaming in the classroom. Interactive experiences, in conjunction with traditional classroom learning, will help cement knowledge for students. Being able to “see” the inner workings of a cell will help elucidate these complex biological processes by engaging multiple senses.