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Entries are interactive activities that are educational and entertaining, and may involve competition or role playing.
Jury Chair: Jeff Williford, Director of Marketing
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina
 GOLD:
Waltee's Quest: The Case of the Lost Art
The Walters Art Museum
Judges said:
With a stated goal of "bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery and learning," the Walters Art Museum has devised an online avenue to expose adults and young children to the museum's collection in an enjoyable, engaging manner. The rich audiovisual content makes the user curious about what lies in each of the magic "worlds," and exposes audiences to the museum's eclectic collection. Several jurors commented that because of the game, they would now like to visit the museum. Terrific job.
Producers said:
Waltee's Quest: The Case of the Lost Art is an online interactive adventure for kids ages 5-12 and their families. This free web game is part of the Walters Art Museums' technology initiative and aims to engage new audiences and foster recreational, object-based learning. On a magical journey through imaginative worlds, users help Waltee, the museum's family mascot, search for missing art – revealing games, stories, and surprises along the way. Project goals include: supporting self-constructed, experiential learning; extending the time a user spends engaging with a work of art; fostering inter-generational learning; and supporting the Walters' mission of bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning. Users may play Waltee's Quest at home or at the museum, where they may also engage in a scavenger hunt through the galleries searching for treasures. Upon game completion, users are awarded certificates to display on Waltee's Wall of Heroes. Waltee's Quest was created by museum educators at the Walters Art Museum in conjunction with Planit, Inc. and Audience Focus, Inc. Special thanks to Walters Art Museum staff involved in the implementation, testing, and support of this site, especially the Board Technology Committee and all volunteer families who participated in site testing.
 SILVER:
Ethics Table
The Newseum
Judges said:
One judge said, "I would definitely have to stop and check out this game." The physical construction, the playfulness of the interface, the setting make this game hard to resist when visiting the Newseum. (I remember admiring the game upon my visit, but it was too crowded after my long day.) The core goal of creating group interaction, including among strangers, has been greatly achieved by this game. (Whether or not the ethics subject matter is conveyed to players was hard to judge from dvd, but as a stand-alone game, the project works very well.)
Producers said:
The ethics table is a group interactive experience targeting students that challenges two teams of players to answer a series of ethical questions. Using motion-tracking technology, players capture an avatar as it walks across the table. The avatar then reveals an ethical question. If the player answers the question correctly, one of the blank spaces on a newspaper front page is filled in. The first team to complete their front page wins. The questions are based on actual newsroom issues.
The goal was to get visitors to engage other players in discussing the questions and the game itself. It has been extremely successful and exceeded our expectations in terms of time spent playing the game and depth of interaction. Although it was designed to appeal to teenagers, it has proven very popular with adults as well. The most interesting aspect is that most visitors play the game several times. The first time they struggle to understand how to play. The second time they play to win, and the third time they enjoy themselves, and teach the new players how it works.
 BRONZE:
WolfQuest
Minnesota Zoo
and
EduWeb
Judges said:
This game format is appropriate and easy to learn for the intended audience. It promotes playing through instinct and trial and error, a goal of the designers. Once a player has completed the task of finding a mate -- a goal that requires about an hour of game play --the player has also learned a number of things about life as a lone wolf in Yellowstone. The "scentview" is especially interesting, depicting a wolf's heavy reliance on its sense of smell. In combination with the Wolfquest website, this game could be a valuable learning tool. On its own, the game creates a realistic impression of the everyday life of a lone wolf. The jurors look forward to future updates.
Producers said:
WolfQuest merges the natural mystery and charisma of wolves with the immersive, compelling drama and action of video games to create a new model for conservation education. Targeted at game-playing youth age 9-15, the game is distributed online as a free download for Mac and Windows computers.
In an immersive 3D game environment, players take on the role of a lone dispersal wolf in Yellowstone National Park trying to find a mate, or in multiplayer mode, join a wolf pack made up of friends or other players. Through trial and error, instinct, and experience, players must learn how to hunt elk, cooperate with packmates, interact with stranger wolves, and compete with scavengers. Gameplay encourages players to exercise critical thinking and inquiry skills as they develop successful strategies, and develop a strong emotional connection with wolves, influencing their attitudes toward wolves and habitat conservation in the real world.
With over 250,000 game downloads and 30,000 monthly multiplayer game sessions, the game has definitely found an audience. But what are players learning? Summative evaluation found that players do indeed report knowledge gain, stronger emotional attachment to wolves, and significant behavioral outcomes.
WolfQuest was developed by Eduweb and the Minnesota Zoo and funded by the National Science Foundation.
 HONORABLE
MENTION: Cretaceous Crime Scene: Web Version
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Judges said:
The Royal Tyrrell Museum has successfully adapted an on-site activity into a web-based activity, complete with a teachers' guide. Although it can be played by a single individual, the game works well as an activity for a middle school science class. The teachers' guide provides good suggestions for using the game as a way to teach the scientific method, and to encourage logical and creative thinking. The payoff at the end of the game is congratulatory and rewarding. If a player successfully completes the game, he/she very likely will have learned something.
Producers said:
The Royal Tyrrell Museum developed a comprehensive digital learning resource that helps students learn about palaeontology and the scientific process of investigation. Cretaceous Crime Scene – Web Version has strong science curriculum connections and provides an excellent learning challenge targeted for students in grades six and seven.
Upon observing the educational impact and enjoyment that students at the Museum have interacting with the on-site version of Cretaceous Crime Scene, staff decided to create a web-based version to share the knowledge gained through this experience with young people who are unable to visit the Museum. Working with focus groups and external consultants, the Museum ensured that the program met key learning objectives prior to being released. Now, students either at home on their own computers or in school computer labs can participate in this interactive educational experience.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum partnered with Alberta Education to make this resource easily accessible to students and teachers. The Museum would also like to recognize the Essential Communication Fund and Mentat Educational Consultants for their roles in the development and testing of this interactive program.
Jurors:
Skip Elsheimer, A/V producer and designer, Creator of A/V Geeks and avgeeks.com
Katey Ahmann, Museum public programmer, educator, Chair of Science Cafe, NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Steve Popson, Chair of Science Cafe, Museum Marketer, Public Programmer -- NC Museum of Natural Sciences
More 2009 Muse Award Winners |
