After years of application in the military and medical worlds, online and computer-based simulations and games are finally making significant forays into other disciplines. America's Army, a battle simulation used for training in the US Army, is perhaps the most famous of these applications, and many doctors practice virtual surgical procedures several times before engaging in a real-life situation. These sorts of training programs obviously hold value for other fields of study, though, as Enspire's own Mindy Jackson points out. And slowly, that dream of applying this educational strategy across the board is coming true.
These games take many different forms, from Flash-based linear programs to fully developed virtual worlds. The Nobel Foundation, for one, has put together a large suite of games designed to explain a number of the accomplishments in physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics, and international peace for which they have awarded their esteemed prize. Another company, Tabula Digita, recently created a first-person, 3-D game called DimensionM designed to teach math topics to grade schoolers. Less intended for educational purposes, but still within the realm of e-learning, are upstarts eRepublik and GoCrossCampus. eRepublik is a virtual world in which individuals can work, train for the military, join political parties, etc., but in order to be the most successful, the player has to periodically answer questions challenging his or her knowledge of a particular subject area. With some guidance from subject matter experts and instructional designers, this simulated world could be a fruitful avenue for e-learning. GoCrossCampus, on the other hand, is much like a massive game of Risk, professing to “build critical thinking, leadership skills, and teamwork” among groups of people.
