A NASA researcher came to Winnipeg on Thursday to promote the virtues of often-maligned online video gaming.
Daniel Laughlin said rock 'n' roll and comic books were treated with as much suspicion in their day and accused of corrupting youth. However, he believes video games hold the key to a resurgence in learning.
"Since 1993, violent crime in Canada and the U.S. has declined by 50 per cent and during that time the video-gaming industry has exploded," Laughlin said. "If video games were really linked to crime, then we wouldn't have seen that decline in violence."
NASA's learning technologies project manager at the Goddard Space Flight Centre in Baltimore said video-game software has been successfully used in training and simulation programs and NASA hopes to develop the most successful, fun, online video game ever.
Laughlin detailed NASA's plans to a local group of academics, government officials and industry representatives who met at the University of Manitoba's Smartpark for a half-day workshop on video-gaming technology and how it can be used in training environments.
Laughlin wasn't kidding about NASA wanting to develop an online video game that would rival some of the industry's most successful, like EverQuest, World of Warcraft and Dark Age of Camelot. In January, NASA issued a request for information on how it could work with the gaming industry to develop a learning game. The space agency received 168 detailed responses and, after reviewing them, released at the end of April a formal request for proposals. NASA is looking for a partner who would develop a fun and popular game that would help hone the science and mathematics skills of high schoolers and college students -- and some really, really smart 12 to 14-year-olds.
"I'd love to see a space-based game where the players are placed in real careers -- astrophysicists, aerospace engineer," Laughlin said. "It would be a game where you need the expertise of real science to succeed."
Laughlin was speaking to about 100 people with a vested interest in online technology. The group included representatives from the health-care industry, software companies and game developers.
Laughlin said online video games are a $40-billion annual industry seeing growth of between nine and 10 per cent every year.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
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