Playing to Learn: Video Games in the Classroom

June 13, 2008— -- Learning how neutrophils attack infection in the bloodstream isn't exactly the most gripping topic for your average high school student, but the Federation of American Scientists hopes to change all that — with video games.

Advocates are enthusiastic about the promise of video games in schools, but some educators are wary.

Last month, the FAS launched "Immune Attack," a 3-D interactive video game designed by immunologists, teachers and learning scientists that aims to teach students how the immune system works.

The goal of the game is for the player to save an ill patient by navigating a "nanobot" through the blood stream to retrain nonfunctional immune cells. Throughout the game, players learn about the key aspects of immunology and must apply their knowledge in order to advance levels.

FAS president Henry Kelly thinks video games have enormous potential as teaching tools simply because they make learning fun.

"The goal is to hook you," Kelly said. "You can reach people who think they hate the subject. The minute you get swept up in the thing, you sort of forget that you hate science."

"Immune Attack" is still in its final stage of development and is not on shelves yet, but can be downloaded for free at their website. The game has already been evaluated in 14 high schools across the country with nearly a thousand more educators registered to evaluate it in the next phase of development. The reaction among teachers who have used the game has been positive.

Woodbridge, Va., high school AP biology teacher Netia Elam says the video game brought the concepts of immunology to life for her students.

"[With text books] they might read something, drag vocabulary words onto paper, or use their math, but they're not really integrated into it," Elam said. "Because they are playing video games, they were really engrossed in what they were doing. They took on more of an interest and more of an initiative to pay attention."