MIXING FANTASY WITH REALITY
Video games take players to a world of their choosing, whether that means the middle of a soccer game (FIFA), the ladder of organized crime in a city (Grand Theft Auto), or a zombie-infested battleground (Fortnite) depends entirely on who is holding the controller.
UCSB’s Claudia Moser, an archaeology professor, and Christian Thomas, a writing lecturer, however, plan on using the power of video games for education. The pair received the $94,000 UCSB Innovative Learning Technology Initiative grant, and they will use the funds to create “Rome: The Game,” an interactive and educational game to be used as part of a class.
“We’re hoping the course goes live in winter 2021,” said Ms. Moser, who holds a Brown University PhD in her field. Ms. Moser has a personal connection to the city that was the base of an ancient empire.
“I love Rome. I lived in Rome for two years during my PhD,” said Ms. Moser. “I’ve gone back every summer since I was 15.”
Mr. Thomas has also spent time in Italy.
“I moved to Italy before I was working in the startup community,” said Mr. Thomas. “I got kind of burnt out working at startups in San Francisco. I was just taking some time and exploring Rome.”
His chapter of exploration and resting includes a stint in the tourism industry. Mr. Thomas told the News-Press that he started a tour company while in Rome.
The pair hopes that the game will arouse students’ curiosity about Rome, the city that they are both passionate about. To produce this interactive game, Ms. Moser brings her archaeology expertise, and Mr. Thomas, his writing skills and experience working in the startup arena.
“There might be professional coming in,” said Mr. Thomas when talking about the technical side of creating the game. He and Ms. Moser highlighted, however, that the goal is to keep the production to UCSB students.
“Right now, we’re hoping to put together a team of grad students that will be creating. I’ve reached out to some students in the game development,” said Mr. Thomas, adding that this technical process is yet to be determined.
The duo has already thought of ways to implement the game in the undergraduate class once it is ready. The game’s perspective, according to Ms. Moser and Mr. Thomas, takes place from the point of view of a graduate student working for a southern Californian museum. The viewpoint of a graduate student is not accidental.
“Part of the goal is to demystify grad school,” said Mr. Thomas.
The player will be put through challenges, such as determining whether an artifact is real or fake. The way to succeed in the game is to do the assigned readings.
“There’ll be a syllabus with assigned reading each week,” said Ms. Moser. Also, “there will be weekly written assignments.”
Mr. Thomas told the News-Press that hopefully, the students will get involved in the character.
“They’ll be more motivated to do the readings,” Mr. Thomas speculates.