User:Scichick/History of Biology

History of Biology is a browser based scavenger hunt style educational game created by Spongelab Interactive. It is designed to teach high school students and general interest groups about the history of biology covering topics such as early microscopes, classification, taxonomy, heredity, genetics and evolution.History of Biology was released in 2010 and is available for purchase at home or school, or as a free 7 day trial.

Game play
Players take on the role of a research assistant given the task of a solving a series of puzzles and clues left by a prominent scientist Dr. Walden Shyre, who has mysteriously disappeared. The puzzles that players solve are connected by a rich story line that progresses through a series of emails that are displayed once the player has solved a mission. There are 14 missions in total and each mission has one or two puzzles to solve. There is an introductory email for each mission that lays out the purpose and goal. Along with the email interface, is another area where the puzzle is described and instructions are given. Players can refer to the email and see the mission puzzle at the same time; making the steps of each mission easy to follow.

Included in the missions are interesting objects users can explore, such as a disassembled microscope, an interactive painting, fictitious web sites or an ancient book. Players investigate objects within the game to find clues or uncover the answer by surfing the internet. The emails from Dr. Shyre also contain clues and hints.



The purpose of the game is to help students learn about the discoveries and research of over 20 scientists, as they carry out interesting and compelling missions. For instance, in the first mission called, "The Art of Imitation", players learn about Zacharias Janssen, who is credited with inventing the compound microscope. The scientists highlighted in this game are: Anthonie Van Leewenhoek, Robert Hooke, Matthias Schleiden, Theodor Schwann, Rudolf Virchow, Carl Linnaeus, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Gregor Mendel, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, Johannes Friedrich Mieschner, Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, Maclyn McCarty, Alfred Hershey, Martha Chase,  James D.Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Fredrick Sanger, and Kary Mullis.





It is interesting to see how various discoveries from the 1400s all the way to today are handled in a game format. Cell theory is explored by analyzing letters and a stamp. Finding the answer to this clue means researching terms such as metabolism, nerve cells and pepsin. Players learn about DNA in two missions that cover nucleic acids, genetics and DNA structures and models. To introduce mechanisms of diversity and the work of Charles Darwin, players explore maps, find GPS coordinates and read about Darwin's research with finches.

The clues in each mission are randomized so every player has a different path to determining the solution; although the overall mission is the same for everyone. This allows for players to use a variety of methods to complete a mission and move on to the next level. The final mission culminates with a choose your own adventure, ending style that really gets to the heart of many ethical debates happening in science right now.

This games provides an interactive way to learn about historical events in biology.

Rewards
As players complete each mission, they are sent a victory email from one of the game characters. This email usually contains a teaser about what the next mission will entail. Moving to the next mission unlocks objects and tools that can be used in subsequent activities.

Additional educational features
A notepad is visible in all missions to make notes along the way, create a progress journal and ask questions. This feature aids and encourages communication.

Supportive features for teachers
The notepad feature in History of Biology, which is visible to teachers, allows the teacher to answer questions or deal with specific content students may be interested in or struggling with, in class. Also for the teacher, is a detailed teacher's guide with a walk through of each mission, along with tips and hints. The back end administration area gives teachers the option of controlling which missions are available to students. This is ideal if the teacher wants to use the game to either introduce a concept or reinforce material covered in class. This flexibility in design means teachers have a choice in how they use the game.

Reception
History of Biology by Spongelab Interactive  has been well received in the serious gaming community and has been mentioned in a number of articles.

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