Science Chicago – LIFE’S A LAB!

Last week I wrote about Foldit, the computer game that makes gamers into citizen-scientists by letting them help to solve some of the complicated puzzles that researchers face.  This week, video games are in the science news again, thanks to Activision’s announcement of a new title for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS: “Science Papa.”

The game consists of over 30 mini-game “experiments,” in which the player acts as a member of Science Papa’s research team, intent on becoming the world’s top scientist.  In order to get there, players must prove themselves against a cast of rivals in tasks that include mixing chemicals, monitoring tests, maintaining lab equipment, and more.  There is also a multiplayer mode, in which scientists can face off against one another to complete experiments with the greatest precision.  Activision summarizes the game by saying that it “tak[es] real-world elements of science and giv[es] players the chance to interact with them in safe and creative ways.”

Unlike Foldit, Science Papa doesn’t aspire to solve pressing research problems or cure diseases.  According to the official press release, it aims to “stimulate interest and discussion about science,” although the main focus is clearly entertainment.  Still, if the goal is to “turn living rooms into virtual laboratories that will fuel kids’ curiosity,” that sounds pretty scientific–and pretty cool–to me.  One blogger has compared its goals to those of Mr. Wizard, the TV scientist who made science fun and accessible through on-screen experiments and demonstrations (and a precursor to Beakman and Bill Nye).

Even though Science Papa was just announced to the public last Thursday, it has already stirred up its share of controversy.  There has been understandable surprise over the fact that both the game’s style as a collection of mini-games and its title clearly are taken from the successful game Cooking Mama, though that game was released by Majesco and not Activision.  Whether or not this is legal, it seems more than a bit fishy.  Thus far, Majesco has shown a good sense of humor about it, releasing a statement on behalf Cooking Mama herself explaining that Science Papa is an ex-boyfriend jealous of her bestselling status and challenging him to the “real mind-bending science” of the kitchen.  Many have also pointed out that, in the same way as Majesco’s titles Cooking Mama and Gardening Mama, and especially when viewed alongside them, Science Papa has distinctly sexist implications. It’s unfortunate that Activision has seemingly ripped off Cooking Mama’s title and style of gameplay, and even worse that they continued its trend of stereotyping by gender, especially in science where this is such a sensitive subject.  Still, the game itself seems like an interesting addition to the growing catalogue of science-related video games.

For a good rundown of video games which advance scientific research (like Foldit) and teach gamers about scientific facts and methods (like Science Papa hopefully will), check out this Seed magazine article from last fall on how video games are reshaping how we perform and promote science. In another article from the same issue, game designer Will Wright, the man behind The Sims and Spore, and a number of other game designers and scientists talk about the connections between video games and science communication.

-Tim