Today's students have grown up in a dual universe---real and virtual. Even though video games actually date from the 1950s and Magnavox's Pong caused a rage in the 1970s, most addicts date their introduction to a believable and responsive virtual game world from the release of the first Nintendo in 1985. Programming of mainstream video games has far outpaced the ability of educational publishers to keep up, and most products billed as "educational games" have fallen far below the expectations of today's gamer generation.
Nano Legends represents the first science education product to approach the programming and responsiveness of today's true video games. Developed with partial funding from NIH and the National Cancer Institute, it features both engaging action and high-level content. The adventure takes a user through a review of cellular and body systems, with emphasis on immunology and cancer biology at a level that generally corresponds to the standard secondary biology curriculum
The fantasy scenario includes a nano-sized scout cruiser with microscopic characters who seek out and destroy cancer cells. A student must follow directions, manipulate game action, and respond to content questions to move through the game. The game can be run with keystrokes, but it works far more smoothly with a game controller (an item that isn't standard in many classrooms). It also has a few procedural tricks that slowed me up as an adult reviewer, but they didn't slow up my middle school test subjects. An expert in mainstream games found the controls slightly cumbersome and the movement restricted. It's also less than ideal that the action stops when fairly traditional "lectures" on content occur; kids will quickly pick up on that discontinuity.
But there are many pluses to the package. The complete teachers' guide helps even amateur gamers like most adult teachers move quickly through the game, and it has plenty of information to support integration into the curriculum. There are assessments and clear links to National Science Education Standards.
Many teachers will be reluctant to allocate the time needed to effectively teach content through a video game; they believe that direct instruction is more time efficient. But the achievement that occurs with direct instruction can be quite deceptive, and students with diverse learning styles will find this activity highly motivating and constructive. So for those (like me) who find the virtual world somewhat foreign territory, this new game is well worth the trip.