The Fuel Cell Video Game Project

Fuel Cell Game Screenshot
I have a significant number of students working in Gamestar Mechanic to develop the “media component” of an environmental essay project. I have been modeling my own essay with students every day — pulling out paragraphs and making observations about my strategies — as a mentor piece, and I have been doing the same with the media pieces. My own essay is about fuel cell technology. Yesterday, I worked on, and then finished, a short video game about fuel cells that I shared with my students yesterday.

What I pointed out to them is how I used the text of the game (in the form of the introductions, rules, and even text messages within the game itself) to reflect the “stance” of my essay that fuel cells are a good idea and need more investment and research. I’ve really been pushing the ways to marry the media project with the argumentative stance of the essay, so that the two work together to create one single powerful message.

Interested in playing my video game called Fueling the Fuel Cells? Give it a try.

Peace (in the game),
Kevin

 

5 Comments
  1. My son loves Gamestar mecanhic, I see some potential for it in classrooms and beyond. It certainly helps with students thinking ‘outside the box’ to show authentic learning! Thanks for sharing your game here too!

  2. Pingback: Video Games and Essays « « DediCommDediComm

  3. I’d like to try it out, but alas… the game doesn’t seem to be working. The progress bar gets all the way to the right, but the wheel keeps spinning and nothing else happens.

    Random science note: Fuel cells aren’t actually an energy source the way oil and gas (and solar and wind and nuclear and coal) are. Fuel cells are just a way to store energy so that it can be used in small, mobile devices like cars. You still need a way to charge the fuel cells. The fuel cell advantages are that they don’t produce the kind of pollution at the point of use that current combustion engines produce and that they can be easily switched from being charged by electricity from, say, a coal-fired plant to, say, a solar facility.

    Sorry for the tangent. I’m a physics teacher. I couldn’t help it…

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