Gone are the days of sitting around and marveling at an 8-bit or 16-bit console like an NES or Sega Genesis.
A new class offered at the University of Kansas could help shape how we use things like Fitbits in the future.
Level Up and Game On: Gamification in the Professions is the course, and Genelle Belmas is the professor.
“I think the biggest takeaway is how much gamification affects our lives,” Belmas said.
In this course, students like Harrison Rosenthal learn about video game theory, as well as propose and develop games that can possibly change lives.
“You have games centered around food shortages or water shortages and how society can learn to maybe work around not having gas,” Rosenthal said.
Belmas said the ideas her students have are amazing.
“A student has a cousin that’s diabetic and wants to help that child make good food buying decisions,” Belmas said. “So it’s something called Grocery Rush, where the products fall off the shelf and the kid picks the best things for his diabetic diet.”
In addition to traditional video and board games, there are elements of gaming in classrooms, online, fundraising initiatives and much more.
This class is the result of a grant given to three faculty members to develop certain academic projects.
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Kevin Holmes can be reached at Kevin.Holmes@KSHB.com
