Rolling on a whole new world
Tyto Online's concept began when Immersed Games CEO Lindsey Tropf was playing World of Warcraft with her husband. When she asked him about a specific item he quickly rattled off the stats and where it could be purchased. Clearly the level of knowledge they had learned about Azeroth was deep and vast, but couldn't there be a game that taught real-world concepts as easily?
Tyto Online was born from that mission and is set two-hundred years in the future. In spite of great technological advances, the Earth is no longer habitable. Having been evacuated, your job as a student of the highly prized Tyto Academy is to learn skills that will help restore Earth.
Tyto Online's Kickstarter with which they expect to make the first module of the game, based on ecology, is already underway. This focuses on exploring different biodomes and learning about biodiversity before creating your own dome to see if you can manage to keep the environment within balance. Players are aided by their trusty biodex, like a Pokédex, but for the fauna and flora within the domes.
Tyto Online's target audience are middle and high school students and the development team has tested this module to very positive feedback. As the game continues development, they'll add more modules with the idea of spreading practical knowledge that builds as the game progresses. You'll learn the steps necessary to progress while retaining what's necessary of older information. This would first involve finishing a middle school Life Sciences unit and potentially expanding to a high school level, or adding Earth and Physical sciences for cross-diciplinary development.
The development team's goal is to make an enjoyable game that teaches, and Immersed has worked closely with educators and ecology specialists, ensuring that the game meets Next Generation Science Standards so that the knowledge will be practical for students moving into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Fields. The next stage of the game's development may depend on on a variety of factors including grants, investors, and the vast number of educators and parents who are part of the community itching to get their hands (and their children's hands) on the game.
The game is built for both students and educators or parents to play social roles within and while it's intended for that specific target demographic, it also aims to be a fun game for everyone. Tyto Online's Kickstarter, at the time of this writing, is about two-fifths toward the goal with over twenty days left, though the more funds they get the more they can expand and diversify content. Tyto Online is a fascinating concept that could provide a great way for kids to learn sciences while playing, ultimately making it a great aid to classrooms for those fields. It will be fascinating to watch and see how it's implemented further.
For more, visit Tyto Online's Kickstarter page. Early game access can be purchased via donation of $25 or more.
