Autodesk, creators of software such as the popular 3D modeling software Maya, has announced a free “Vehicle for Games” web-based curriculum that will teach post-secondary students the ins and outs of game development.

Created in conjunction with game developers NCSoft and Double Helix, the curriculum was developed to “mirror the requirements of real-world game development,” and is currently in testing at California’s Laguna College of Art & Design.

The curriculum provides “an art director's point of view for various steps of game development.” An additional description offered:

As part of her Let’s Move campaign to end childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama is on the hunt for games that encourage kids to be more physically active and to make better choices about what they eat.

The Apps for Healthy Kids competition officially starts accepting submissions today and will offer up $40,000 in prizes to the winners across two categories—tool and games. Applications will be judged by both the public and an all-star panel that includes Entertainment Software Association (ESA) President Michael Gallagher, LucasArts Engineer Eric Johnson, Zybga’s Mark Pincus and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Judging ends on July 14, 2010.

Our man Dan Rosenthal is at the Game Developers Conference and filed this report from a lecture he attended last night:

The Serious Games Summit at GDC closed out its first day with a sobering presentation from Allan McCullough and Parry Aftab entitled "Violence Prevention -- Playing A Video Game Can Make A Difference." Sponsored by the Child Safety Research and Innovation Center, the session explained that while games often get criticized as being too violent, the games industry can actually work to lessen the real-world effects of violence and abuse against children through serious games.

Educators in the United Arab Emirates are attempting to push fledgling game developers towards making more socially conscious games and now one school will be able to create such applications using one of the most powerful game engines available.

The Khaleej Times reports that American University in Dubai has inked a deal with Crytek in order to use the developer’s CryEnginge as a basis for developing Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC “edutainment” titles. UAE teachers are trying to get students away from creating violent action games in order to “create content that imparts values, culture and critical thinking skills to digital natives.”

Dr  Basel Dayyani, Associate Professor of IT at the American University in Dubai on the movement:

The Pearson Foundation has released a white paper authored by Arizona State University’s Jay Blanchard and Terry Moore which gathers information on how digital media effects learning in children.

The Digital World of Young Children: Emergent Literacy (PDF) examines the impact of cell phones, television, videogames, smart devices and computers, with an emphasis on three to five year old kids in developing and least-developed countries. The report offers that, “digital media is already transforming the language and cultural practices that enable early literacy development, making possible a new kind of personal and global interconnectedness.”

A few excerpts from the section on videogames:

With the exception of a study of video game effects on first- and second-grade children in Chile, there is no research available on the influence of video games on emergent literacy skills development.

However, more and more video games are now tailored for young children, and some are targeted at emergent literacy.

The impact of this increased availability is unclear. It is known that video games can have both negative and positive influences on older children and adolescents. Benefits have been documented in terms of enhanced visual attention and perceptual-motor skills development among older users.

However, negative effects from video game violence and aggression have been a contentious issue, particularly with regard to young children even if they are just watching and listening.

On media that is not “intentionally educational” (i.e. television and videogames):

These types of media activate orienting and selecting processes as direct responses to the visual and auditory features of the content. However, it is not until young children engage and sustain their attention that actual encoding, or learning, occurs.

The white paper offers the following conclusion:

… until more empirical research becomes available, it is only possible to speculate about the effects based mostly on what the research has taught us about television and computer-based learning with older children, adolescents, and adults in developed nations. Factors that may be affected include attention, information processing speed, social collaboration, attitudes and digital literacy.

The Princeton Review and GamePro Magazine teamed up in order to rank the top U.S. and Canadian schools for game design.

Rankings were based on academics, faculty, technology and career assistance. The top 8 schools overall were:

• University of Southern California, Interactive Media Division
• DigiPen Institute of Technology
• Drexel University, RePlay (Digital Media & Computer Science)
• Becker College, Game Design and Game Programming
  
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences
• The Art Institute of Vancouver, Game Art & Design/Visual & Games Programming
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab

Additionally, a Top 50 list of game design schools was also assembled. The full list can be viewed here.

The Emergent Media Center of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont is working on a unique game to educate boys on the effects of violence against women.

What makes the in-development game different is that it involves soccer, which should make the game more palatable to youngsters. As users play a soccer match, the on-field action will be broken up with narrative sections which pose social decisions, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education.

A team of 50 students is working on the game, which was funded by a grant from the United Nations Population Fund. Aimed at boys between the ages of 9 and 13 years of age, the game is scheduled for an online release in March.

Ann DeMarle, Director of the Emergent Media Center, hopes that the game will have international appeal. She commented on why the game targets boys, saying “We need education of women, and we need to help victims, but at the same time, you can only go so far if you can't change the culture of the men.”

Researchers from Denison University in Ohio have published results of a study into how time spent playing videogames might dislodge other activities, such as studying, among young boys.

ScienceBlogs.com has a recap of the study, which was conducted on 64 boys between the ages of six and nine years old who did not already possess a videogame console. Researchers Robert Weis and Brittany Cerankosky gave half the group PlayStation 2 systems, while the remaining boys continued through life console-less.

All the boys in the study kept a diary on their daily habits. The group with consoles averaged 40 minutes a day playing games and 18 minutes per day on after-school studying, while the non-gamer group averaged nine minutes a day gaming (on a friend or relative’s game machine) and about 32 minutes a day studying out of school.

Four months into the study researchers found that ”the budding gamers had significantly lower reading and writing scores,” while the non-gamer group improved their reading and writing skills. It was also reported that addition of gaming to their repertoire had no effect on mathematical skills in the group of boys with PS2’s, which the author credits more to a lack of math-based leisure activities for videogames to displace.

The researchers concluded: “Our findings suggest that video-game ownership may impair academic achievement for some boys in a manner that has real-world significance.”

The author of the piece believes that more credence should be lent to the study because it was conducted as a randomized controlled trial (RCT). He writes, “By doing a trial, Weis and Cerankosky have clarified the direction of cause and effect.”

The Middlesex-London Health Unit of London, Ontario has launched an online game designed to educate teens and young adults on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Adventures in Sex City will have players assume the role of one of four characters—Captain Condom, Power Pap, Willy the Kid or Wonder Vag—as they take on penis-armed (literally) villain the Sperminator, who is hell-bent on spreading his brand of STD-infected love to everyone in town.

Players will be asked a series of STD and sex-related questions. Right answers result in the Sperminator’s seed being repelled back at him, while a wrong answer can lead to your avatar being infected.

Shaya Dhinsa, Manager of Sexual Health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit, on the game:

Reaching teens and youth is a huge challenge for us, that’s why we worked directly with them to develop a resource that would catch their attention while providing important information in a fun way.

The game was developed in conjunction with Mind Your Mind, a London-based, nonprofit organization, with support from the Perth District Health Unit.

Perhaps inspired by the likes of Ubisoft’s Jade Raymond (pictured), the Guildhall at SMU has reported that 20.0 percent of its January 2010 incoming class is female.

Compared to the percentage of women who currently work in game development, which the Guildhall puts at between 4.0 and 6.0 percent, this statistical anomaly has the school very excited, as Founder and Executive Director Peter Raad noted, “There has been a disparity between the number of men versus women in the video game industry far too long and we believe this increase represents a growing trend of more women seeking a career in game development.”

The Guildhall also shared that among the new students (cohort 14 is how the school refers to this latest class) are a pair of twin sisters studying software programming, a veteran of the Iraq War, a former NASA intern and students from Malaysia and Israel.

Raad believes that such diversity could lead, eventually, to better games being developed, “To create games that are compelling and games that appeal to an ever-expanding market of gamers, diversity must be cultivated within the development community, as well as within the individual teams that develop a single game.”

A new project co-founded by a Carnegie Mellon University graduate student is creating educational games for extremely affordable computers that are gaining popularity in developing nations.

PlayPower grew from an idea Derek Lomas had while attending a conference in India, where he noticed that families were snatching up $12 computer systems right and left. The 8-bit computers are not very powerful, but the processor that powers the PC (the MOS 6502, which powered the Apple II and Nintendo NES) is in the public domain, meaning that development is relatively easy and inexpensive.

Lomas told the Post Gazette, “It doesn't require a $50 million development budget to make a great game.”

The PlayPower team is currently at work on three games, two of which feature the Hindu deity Hanuman. One Hanuman-starring title will teach users how to type, with the hopes that such a skill could translate into better job opportunities, while the second is a multiple-choice quiz-type game. The third title in development will try to raise awareness of malaria.

Lomas added, “I think that many of the more powerful educational effects of the system can be in the way it changes a kid's interest and ambitions.”

Lomas anticipates that all three games can be finished this year. He also hopes to build a relationship with those selling the computers so that PlayPower’s software can be bundled in.

Over 1,000 volunteers from around the world are already on-board to assist in game development. PlayPower also hopes to harness the growing 8-bit retro community for assistance in future releases.

A relatively new Chicago school that teaches digital media features a leader that calls traditional academic institutions a “joke.”

The New York Times takes a look inside the Flashpoint Academy of Media Arts & Sciences in downtown Chicago. The school offers two-year programs focused on Film & Broadcast, Recording Arts, Game & Interactive Media or Animation & Visual Effects. Tuition runs around $25,000 a year. Founded in 2007, Flashpoint currently houses 450 students and 26 full time faculty members.

Howard Tullman is President and CEO of the school, and is not a fan of more conventional schooling, calling professor lectures a “joke” and labeling most university film schools a waste of time, as they produce nothing more than “coffee fetchers.”

Flashpoint’s Game Development program serves up four areas of focus: Design, Art (3D Modeling & Animation), Programming and Project Management. Graduates are awarded an Associate of Applied Science degree.
 
One student labeled Flashpoint “the Julliard of digital technology.”

Tabula Digital, makers of educational videogames for K-12 schools, has announced that its software has been named as a recommended resource for the Dallas Independent School District.

Tabula’s DimensionM software is now an approved instructional material for the district’s 226 schools and 160,000 students. DimensionM has content that adheres to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and promises to engage students by offering “a series of first-person action adventure missions that incorporate three-dimensional graphics, sound, animation and storylines comparable to those in popular video games.”

Tabula Digital CEO Ntiedo Etuk was obviously happy about the news, stating:

Recent research shows that for many students, the challenges of learning math and algebra can be overcome simply by presenting it in a way they not only understand but appreciate – that is, through engaging, immersive educational video games.

Tabula also announced that it has recently conducted implementations of its software in the Texas school districts of Garland, Fort Worth and Austin.

While the embedded video at left might initially appear as a promotion for Microsoft's upcoming Project Natal technology, the spot is actually a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that attempts to impart the importance of learning science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) on today’s youngsters.

The initiative, dubbed Connect a Million Minds, is the brainchild of Time Warner Cable. The Project Natal video, just like the other non-game related videos included in the campaign, were created in part because of an overall declining interest in science and engineering from today’s children. It’s hoped that the movement will show kids that in order to have a cool job when they grow up—like designing or programming videogames for example—they will need to focus on STEM-themed studies.

The five-year program was launched in November of 2009 and Time Warner has committed $100.0 million to it.

Time Warner Cable’s Director of Philanthropy Tessie Topol stated:

We want to remind kids and their parents that many of the things they consider cool require a background in STEM to work on. You can’t build a flying car if you don’t know anything about engineering and you can’t be on the team that is creating the coolest and most advanced video game ever if you don’t study math and computer science.

Topol added that 80% of the jobs today’s children will apply for in the future will require a “high level” of STEM education.

The Connect a Million Minds YouTube channel has more videos available.

The DigiPen Institute of Technology will be moving to new digs this summer.

DigiPen will remain entrenched in Redmond, Washington, but it’s new location in North Redmond, in a former Microsoft building, will boast over 100,000 square feet of space. As noted in the Seattle Times, DigiPen currently splits its educating across two different locations.

The new location will be home for all bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and will also host DigiPen’s K-12 initiatives. It’s also hoped that the additional space will allow the school to churn out more graduates—from 900 currently to a goal of around 1,200 in the future.

DigiPen USA COO Raymond Yan commented:

The companies in Redmond feel like an extended family to us, so we are thrilled to stay close to them.  DigiPen is part of Redmond, and Redmond is part of us. It has been an honor to work with Arden and the City of Redmond on this project and we look forward to seeing how DigiPen grows in this community and beyond.

DigiPen degree programs include entries in both the Arts & Animation and Mathematics, Science and Engineering categories.

Created by a dozen Cal State San Bernardino students, Vector Force is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The arcade-styled shooter took two years to create and involved over a dozen students in all, who worked on the project under the tutelage of Professors Art Concepcion and David Turner. Student Mark Chapman took on the role of the game's designer.

Concepcion likened the game to “a stamp of legitimacy of our computer systems game development program."

He added:

If students are allowed to choose the project and be involved in the design and decision of what the project will do, they will rise to the challenge of hard work.

Vector Force can be purchased for 80 Microsoft points. A demo is also available.

Cal State San Bernardino students are already at work on their next task, a videogame called Mythic that is being developed in conjunction with students and faculty from Rim of the World High School and Riverside Community College. A $300,000 National Science Foundation grant is funding the new project.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Sesame Workshop have announced the launch of a national competition designed to find, and fund, digital media that will provide breakthroughs in children’s education.

The Cooney Center Prizes for Innovation in Children’s Learning offers prizes in the mobile learning category, where a winner will receive $50,000 towards their entry’s development, and a literacy learning category, from which a winner will receive $10,000, in addition to the possibility of their project being used as part of Sesame Street’s revival of the Electric Company television show.

Cooney Center Executive Director Dr. Michael H. Levine added:

Billions of dollars are spent every year by parents on the growing plethora of digital games, toys, mobile devices, and online experiences for children.  However, research demonstrates that the vast majority of these products have only tapped a minimal amount of educational value. The new prizes are intended to offer real incentives to digital media entrepreneurs who would like to do well by creating new ways to help children learn.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and submissions are due by midnight, April 1, 2010. A jury will select up to five finalists in each category, who will then be invited to this year’s E3 Expo in order to pitch their idea.

The jury includes ex-Electronic Arts CEO Bing Gordon, Activision SVP of Production (for Guitar Hero) Laird Malamed, Apple’s Vice President of Education John Couch and Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell.

A 15-person student development team from DePaul University has released a PC game inspired by artist M.C. Escher.

Created over five months by members of DePaul’s Game Dev program, Devil’s Tuning Fork utilizes sound visualization as a means to guide players through interactive environments, echoing perception techniques used by dolphins and bats.

The student developers were assisted by a group of advisors, led by former Bungie Software President, and DePaul “game designer in residence” Alex Seropian.  Other advisors included ex-Midway Games Senior Producer Bill Muehl.

Devil’s Tuning Fork is one of 192 entries in the 2010 Independent Games Festival Student Competition. The full title can be downloaded at no charge from the game’s website.

OK, so it is the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and there is no school. But if you want to consider expanding your horizons, you may want to take some online courses.

Examiner.com has an interesting feature on 100 online college courses, ranging from Harry Potter Lit to History, Politics and the Taste of Chocolate. There are even several that deal with the medium of videogames.

Culled from the course selections:

• The Strategy of Starcraft: Fans of this game say it’s one of the most difficult to master, but this course at Berkeley aims to help students learn the game better through lessons from one of its creators. [UC Berkeley]
• Games and Civic Engagement: Learn about the role video games might play in the future of education and community programs through this course. [MIT]
• The Art of Warcraft: A Closer Look at the Virtual World Phenomenon: Through this course, nerds and artists alike can learn about the aesthetics of the video game world. [Oberlin Experimental College]
• Video Game History: Rise of a New Medium: Whether you loved your NES back in the day or can’t get enough X Box, this course teaches students about the history of games and where they’re headed in the future. [Oberlin Experimental College]

Other courses that might be of interest to geeks and gamers:

• Invented Languages: Klingon and Beyond: You don’t have to be a sci-fi nerd to appreciate the subject matter in this course at the U of Texas focusing on the reasons, rules and social realities of created languages. [U of Texas, Austin]
• Elvish, the language of "Lord of the Rings": This course was taught by the world’s foremost expert on this language, who was even a consultant to the makers of the films. While not practical, it certainly speaks to super fans of the series. [U of Wisconsin]
• Age of Piracy: Johnny Depp’s kooky but sexy Jack Sparrow has gotten many students interested in learning more about the pirating arts, and this course offers them the chance to take a look at the much less appealing, real-life lives of pirates. [Arizona State]
• The Science of Superheroes: While it might sound like fun and games, this course takes superheroes as a means to teach students real lessons about physics. [U of California Irvine]
• Philosophy and Star Trek: Students who take this class will not only get to watch Star Trek, but delve into the issues the show discusses like time travel, a sense of reality, free will and more. [Georgetown]
• Star Trek and Religion: Look at religion through the lens of the Star Trek world, with discussions that address both supporting and criticizing religion. [U of Indiana]
• Myth and Science Fiction: Star Wars, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings: Explore larger issues of myth and speculative fiction through these popular movies. [Centre College]

I wish I had the option for some of these courses when I was in college.

Following President Obama’s recent push to increase the use of videogames as a teaching tool comes results of a study that gives high marks to one such implementation.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Watson School of Education conducted a 26-week study into the aspects of using a first-person adventure game that reinforces math skills. Tabula Digita’s DimensionM series of games were the basis of the study, with 250 middle school students and 10 middle school teachers participating.

The results were overwhelmingly positive: 90 percent indicated that some or most of the activities were fun; approximately 67 percent felt the activities were just right in their level of complexity, and about 89 percent believed DimensionM allowed them to demonstrate some or most of their mathematics skills and knowledge.

Lead researcher Albert Ritzhaupt, also an Assistant Professor in the Watson School of Education, stated:

During our post-research focus group, teachers were asked if they thought the relationship had changed between them and their students as a result of integrating the educational game. All teachers, 100 percent, answered that the relationship had changed, indicating that many felt that the students now saw them in a different way.

One unnamed teacher added, “Students find gaming exciting and the mere fact that I was offering it in my classroom made a connection. It made me ‘more cool’ to them.”

In a bid to improve science and math comprehension for U.S. school pupils, President Obama has launched an open competition designed to encourage the creation of digital media-based learning experiences.

Launching December 14, the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition is being undertaken in conjunction with the MacArthur Foundation, the Humanities, Arts and the Science and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) and National Lab Day. Two categories are offered in the $2.0 million competition—21st Century Learning Lab Designers and Game Changers.

Game Changers will task entrants with creating content, using the PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet, which incorporates science, engineering and math. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) are backers of the competition as well, with the former donating 1,000 PS3 systems and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community organizations in low-income U.S. communities.

Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA added:

“When leveraging the innovative technology of LittleBigPlanet and the PS3 system, both advanced and novice gamers have access to an open canvas to learn, build, and explore entirely new kinds of gaming experiences. There’s no better training ground for anyone interested in digital media.”

Winners will be announced next spring. Winning LittleBigPlanet levels will also be made available to the public.

A Member of Parliament in Ghana is blaming videogames, at least partly, for declining standards of education in the country.

Dr. Kofi Asarae, MP for the southern Ghana town of Akwatia, is pushing for a bye-law that would force such videogame centers to remain closed during the day, in order to eliminate their ability to lure students away from school and their studies.

Dr. Asarae, reports PeaceFMOnline, would like to see the facilities remain closed until 1800 hours every day.

A new Canadian study has tried to take an objective look at video games as learning tools, particularly since the medium is so popular among children and teens.

Under the headline "The Video Game Debate: Bad for Behaviour, Good for Learning?", the Canadian Council of Learning article cites several sources for its analysis, going back as far as 1991. It begins by acknowledging the popualrity of video games (citing U.S. numbers) as well as looking at whether video games can be helpful or harmful.

While some studies seem to go in with predetermined conclusions, this one seems to sit on the fence in its early analysis:

Frequent and unrestricted use of recreational video games may compromise academic performance. Several studies have shown that students of all ages who spend more time playing video games have lower grades than their peers who devote less time to video gaming. This type of correlation should be interpreted cautiously: while research implies that playing video games causes students to perform poorly in school—it could also be the case that students who do poorly in school are more inclined to play video games. Interpretive issues aside, devoting long hours to recreational video game playing clearly does not contribute to academic achievement. (Ed.: emphasis added)

While the study acknowledges the potential tie to violence and aggression, the opposite was also studied, citing video game advocate James Paul Gee's argument that video game players become engaged in powerful forms of learning because:

• They engage players in a problem-solving cycle similar to that in experimental science, based on hypothesis, experimentation, deduction and renewed experimentation.
• Players can customize games to suit their learning styles, encouraging creativity (e.g., designing new skate parks in Tony Hawk skateboard games).
• Players are able to view the world through multiple identities.
• Players are encouraged to take risks and try new things.

The study goes on to examine various types of video games and discuss their possible usefulness as educational tools. In the end, the article concludes:

The tremendous popularity of video games means they have enormous potential as learning tools that capture students’ attention and fire their imaginations. Harnessing that potential requires careful attention to design features and appropriate training for teachers. The understanding of links between video games and learning is still very much at a nascent stage both with regards to game design and effective delivery. As video games in education are gaining attention, it becomes more and more critical to understand why and how games can affect students.

The study comes at a time when Canadian Heritage has funded $375,000 for the creation of a video game and web site to teach "First Nation" youth about their heritage. Tracy Lavin, principle researcher for the CCL article, said:

"It is important to utilize all the resources at our disposal to enhance student learning in any setting. It makes sense to draw on students' fascination with video games in order to expand their learning opportunities and improve their learning outcomes."

The Canadian Heritage game is in open beta and is being developed by BlackCherry Digital Media.

An Oklahoma videogame developer is in the midst of creating a title designed to teach players how to manage diabetes.

Diagnosed himself with Type 1 diabetes at age 10, Adam Grantham and his company Game Equals Life just wrapped up a prototype of their first game, The Magi and The Sleeping Star. The title features a protagonist with diabetes, who must manage his carbohydrate ratio and insulin sensitivity in between battles against robot dragons.

Grantham told NewsOK that his plan was to flavor the game with educational bits in a bid to stealthily provide the ability to learn about the disease while being entertained, "Usually, education games don’t feel like regular games, they seem too academic. But with this game, we’re kind of sneak-teaching them the fundamentals of diabetes.”

Two principles the game teaches are the importance of testing blood sugar and patience—gamers must wait for food or insulin to take hold before the game’s character powers up.

Grantham is seeking additional funding to complete the game. A trailer and game demo can be viewed on the game’s website.

Cheating is always a problem in school, and one that most educational videogames are not immune to.

In creating its latest title—a game designed to teach the history of biology—Toronto-based Spongelab Interactive was concerned about walkthroughs being posted online by those who had already completed the content. Their solution was to hire programmer Alex Maslov, a Centennial College graduate, to make the game dynamic and randomize content.

Maslov’s task took him four months and resulted in a “cheat-proof” educational title. He also landed a new job—Maslov is now employed by Spongelab’s sister company InViVo Communications.

The unnamed title is due to enter beta testing next spring towards a 2010 mid-year release.

ITBusiness.Ca has a video and short story on the subject up on their website.

Developer Epic Games has released a free, Unreal 3-powered development kit that will allow students, schools, researchers or fledgling game developers the ability to experiment with 3D game technology.

The Unreal Development Kit (UDK) can be downloading at the UDK website. The UDK is free for noncommercial or educational use, and a variety of licensing options are available—including a revenue sharing model—for anyone creating commercial content. This specific development kit is for the PC platform only, though Epic is considering console support in the future as well.

Epic notes that over 100 campuses already make use of Unreal Technology as part of their curriculum, including University of Pennsylvania, North Carolina State University, The Art Institute system of schools, Drexel University, Westwood College, DeVry University and Atlantic College.

A game has replaced textbooks as a means of learning at a Florida-based online learning center.

Florida Virtual School offers online virtual education for students in the K-12 range and now teaches the subject of History using a videogame called Conspiracy Code. Created by 360Ed, the online-game based course features ten stages and evolves over two semesters, testing students on their knowledge of American History as they attempt to stop a conspiracy.

Florida Virtual School and 360Ed are working on a series of games, “mostly in the humanities and math,” writes TampaBay.com, and are streamlining the courses to meet other state’s standards, as both Florida and non-Florida residents can enroll for classes at the school.

360Ed CEO Ben Noles, a former VP for Origin and Electronic Arts, added, “In 10 years, you won't even be saying 'virtual school' or 'bricks and mortar school.’  You'll just be saying school.

If you happen to be a thermal engineer with a specialty in low temperature, cryogenic applications and you’re feeling a little out of practice, a new interactive training simulator can get you back up to speed.

Cool-It emerged from The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Information Technology department. Users choose from a selection of jobs for the Navy or NASA—overseeing a variety of minesweepers or space depots—before being tasked with building the object so that it falls within tolerances.

The Flash-based sim is rather polished and the explosions resulting from failed engineering attempts are neat as well… trust us.

A school located in the Sengkang area of Singapore has added the Nintendo Wii to its physical education repertoire.

North Vista Primary School is using the videogame technology to help teach sports to its students, with two weeks out of each five week session utilizing the Wii. Asia One reports that the high-tech means of physical education is a way for the school to connect with its students, who principal Phua Kia Wang called “digital natives.”

The indoor PE classes also overcome the problem of oppressive heat in the region. Outdoor PE classes were previously limited to early mornings to avoid the heat, now PE classes can be scheduled with impunity throughout the day.

The school has also invested in heart rate monitors for older students to ensure they do not over exert themselves.

The article further notes that researchers from Nanyang Technological University are eying the effect videogames can have on children’s attitudes towards exercise.

Kokori is the title of a new educational game in development by the Unersidad Santo Tomas in Chile.

Designed to teach high-school level biology, the title will have players man a nanorobot in order to defend a single cell against an onslaught of viruses and bacteria. Kokori has already received backing from the National Commission of Scientific and Technological Research to the tune of $424,000, reports the Environmental News Network.

Virginia Garretón, project director, stated:

We hope that the video game will motivate and get the player more interested in Biology, as well as all the processes present in everyday life that can also be explained through Biology, and of course that it will become a useful tool for teachers and professors

Beta-testing will be conducted in 70 schools throughout Chile, after which it will be distributed to all seven regions of Chile. It will also be available to play for free on the Internet.