Guest Post: Tim (1 Hour Video Game Experience)

            Flash games are becoming more prevalent in American culture, whether it be on your smartphone or laptop almost everyone plays them. The games can usually be played for 5 minutes to 5 hours at a time and are presented in a form that is easily accessible to many audiences. As these games become more accepted by society the designers are beginning to create educational games in a format that people enjoy. I recently came across one such game which I found to be enjoyable and even forced me to recall Biology I had not learned in 8 years. The game teaches the functions of the cell in an entertaining format. I suggest you follow the link included and play the game before continuing so that you can form your own experience and opinions.

cell craft

            The questions that occurred to me after playing were abundant and especially after taking this class. First off I was curious why parts spontaneously “spawning” on the game field as if to suggest a creationist theme. This made me wonder who designed the game and their motivation to create it in this fashion. I research both of these questions and I found many people also had the same concerns as myself. The following link is a critical review of the game and the source of its genesis.
cell craft review

            In response to such claims the lead programmer of the game actually responded in a lengthy forum post which can be found on the game’s webpage listed below.

http://www.cellcraftgame.com/Home.html

            The question I pose to the class: Does the video game format (especially the prominent flash and phone formats) makes it easier to hide educational biases or more difficult.