ON THE USE OF SERIOUS VIDEOGAMES TO PROMOTE SPACE AND EDUCATE ON SPACE SCIENCES

摘要

Science and its cultural and societal importance need continual communication and explanation for the general public. Space science and technology in particular possess a substantial public appeal and could be promoted in creative ways, being an appropriate subject for fiction works. Among the various established and emerging communication media, the videogame provides innovative and promising ways to promote space: the widespread popularity and unsurpassed sense of involvement associated with the gaming interactive experience actually makes the videogame an ideal medium to spread interest in space-related themes. The aim of this paper is to outline the potential of the videogame medium as a space-sciences educational and promotional tool for young audiences. Also scope of this paper is to present the edutainment space game concept that is under development within the Canale Web Aerospaziale project, a joint educational project carried on by Italian Aerospace Research Centre and the Italian Space Agency. An overview of existing educational project based on videogames will also be provided, and possible future developments for a wider space outreach initiative based on videogames will be proposed.