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    NASA game gives keys to virtual moonbase

    Shu
    Shu
    Celestial Council
    Celestial Council


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    Registration date : 2008-03-31

    NASA game gives keys to virtual moonbase Empty NASA game gives keys to virtual moonbase

    Post by Shu Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:51 pm

    by Jeremy Hsu





    NASA may not be sending astronauts back to the moon anytime this
    decade, but the space agency hopes to give virtual explorers a sense of
    what life on the moon would be like in a new computer game launching
    this month



    The game, "Moonbase Alpha," will allow players to work together in a
    futuristic lunar base. It will be available for PC download from Valve's
    Steam network on July 6. Players must tackle the challenge of restoring
    oxygen flow and critical systems after a meteor strike cripples a solar
    array and life support system.
    This comes as a precursor to NASA's massively multiplayer online
    game, called "Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond," where players would
    take on astronaut roles, such as a roboticist, and explore
    virtual versions of the moon and other extraterrestrial
    locations. (
    Video: Moonbase Alpha trailer)
    A game of their own

    Games that recreate real space environments inside a user's
    computer can entertain casual gamers and perhaps spread the word about
    space exploration activities. At least that's the hope among NASA's
    "Moonbase Alpha" designers, and the U.S. space agency isn't alone in
    trying to tap into that potential.
    Consider: If paying $200,000 for a real-life suborbital spaceflight
    on a Virgin Galactic space liner sounds like a hefty price, that ticket
    price still falls short of the $330,000 one gamer spent to buy a virtual
    space station in the online game "Entropia Universe."
    The company behind "Entropia Universe" has since created a demo for
    the European Space Agency (ESA) to show how online gaming could promote
    space exploration.
    The developers at MindArk used their "Entropia Universe" game engine
    to create a virtual base set on
    Jupiter's moon Europa. Their scripted demo shows players
    cooperating on in-game missions, such as repairing a broken-down rover


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    "(ESA) was expecting a mock-up, but not a prototype," said Christian
    Bjorkman, chief marketing officer for MindArk. "But for us to create the
    mock-up, we might as well create the environment and run around in it."

    But Joachim Fuchs, a technical officer and system modeler at ESA, had
    also seen examples of engineers holding collaborative work sessions in
    online games. He wondered if an online game could not only promote space
    exploration among gamers, but also allow engineers to play out
    scenarios for future space missions.
    "The next generation of engineers we're going to get in this agency
    is going to have grown up in a world dominated by (gaming) technologies
    and social networks," Fuchs told SPACE.com.




    To educate or entertain

    Massively multiplayer online games have attracted millions
    of players worldwide who are willing to pay about $15 per month to run
    around a virtual world with thousands of other people. Researchers have
    even looked into using popular games such as "
    World of Warcraft" to encourage group learning among
    students.
    That doesn't mean NASA and ESA can simply cram knowledge down the
    throats of gamers. Successful online games provide players with
    entertainment first and foremost a fact that both the U.S. and European
    space agencies have recognized.
    NASA has recruited the help of game developers such as Virtual
    Heroes, which created the free online game "America's Army" for the U.S.
    Department of Defense. The U.S. Army has dubbed the game its single
    most effective recruitment tool for reaching out to young people.
    "America's Army" works because most of it feels like any other
    action-oriented,
    shoot-'em-up game. Yet it also immerses players in virtual
    Army training, such as learning how to use different weapons on the
    firing ranges, or diagnosing and treating virtual wounded soldiers.
    Games that advertise their intent to educate players and promote
    learning have fared less well, according to the MindArk developers. They
    also emphasized the need to create a self-sustaining, profitable game
    that players would want to keep playing.
    "The absolute majority of these educational games have been a failure
    in terms of attracting the interest and keeping it among the kids,"
    Bjorkman explained. "This means that the fundamental criteria should
    always be to have an entertainment base in which learning factors are
    built upon and added to."



    Exploring the virtual frontier

    ESA considered many software and game developers to examine
    the idea of an online game, but ultimately chose MindArk based on its
    success with "Entropia Universe." The commercial game allows players to
    pay real money for better in-game guns or equipment, but players can
    also earn virtual game currency and then cash out for real money.
    MindArk already offers commercial partners the choice of adding on
    new planets to "Entropia Universe," making it easy to put together the
    Europa base demo.
    "In the ESA study our game developers could put together the
    prototype environment in a short time and publish the finished 'game'
    for ESA to access and evaluate; it is actually still online," Bjorkman
    said.







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    The study suggested several game development scenarios for an
    ESA-themed game, depending on the space agency's goals. An online game
    with fewer players could represent a more suitable choice for
    exploratory learning. Another game could reach out to more casual
    players through social media, but at the expense of education.
    ESA has yet to decide on a full-fledged game, and has not signed any
    developers on. But both ESA and MindArk representatives were
    enthusiastic about the possibility of pushing forward.
    "Increasing the awareness and knowledge about space are issues far
    too important NOT to be played out in a game," the ESA study concludes.

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