MMOG Teaches Kids About Traffic Safety

[John Funk]

MMOG Teaches Kids About Traffic Safety

The UK Department of Transportation presents Code of Everand, an educational MMOG that teaches kids to look both ways before crossing the Spirit Channels lest they be devoured by monsters.


While one branch of the UK government is busy Code of Everend [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96266-UK-Government-to-Recruit-Soldiers-Via-Xbox-Live], a (seemingly) clever little way to teach kids proper traffic safety.

In Everend, the kids will be put into the role of Pathfinders, heroes whose job it is to navigate the treacherous Spirit Channels (aka roads, only with monsters and beasts instead of sedans and SUVs) that criss-cross the countryside in search of the mythical Code of Everend, which one can assume is a book of traffic safety laws or something like that.

As silly as the premise seems (and as easy as it would be to make fun of it), I can't see this as being anything but a good idea - it's a presumably fun way to get a useful message across to children, it's a creative take on how to make something mundane something fun and exciting, and while I can't exactly see how the game intends to work beyond "Don't run into the roads Spirit Channels," that's probably because I didn't develop the thing.

In England, do the monsters run on the left side of the Spirit Channels?

(Edge [http://www.edge-online.com/news/department-for-transport-launches-mmo])

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[mr.aravaro]

do they use spirit cones to control traffic?

 

[Johnn Johnston]

In England, do the monsters run on the left side of the Spirit Channels?

Generally, but every now and then you hear a terrible news story of a beast that had a head-on collision while drink-prowling.

 

[Abedeus]

In England, do the monsters run on the left side of the Spirit Channels?

Generally, but every now and then you hear a terrible news story of a beast that had a head-on collision while drink-prowling.

Don't forget those Ameri... I mean, Western Monstahs that don't know how to drive our awesome roundabouts and get stuck in infinite loops.

 

[Johnn Johnston]

In England, do the monsters run on the left side of the Spirit Channels?

Generally, but every now and then you hear a terrible news story of a beast that had a head-on collision while drink-prowling.

Don't forget those Ameri... I mean, Western Monstahs that don't know how to drive our awesome roundabouts and get stuck in infinite loops.

You're telling me. Although you can tell if you go to Euro... I mean, the continental kingdoms who is a tourist. A minotaur pulling out the wrong way and having to avoid a crowd of angry warlocks is such a giveaway.

 

[Skandis]

I can't exactly see how the game intends to work beyond "Don't run into the roads Spirit Channels," that's probably because I didn't develop the thing.

Kids play a lot. I know I sure did.
Point being is that they're gonna transfer things they saw in games into the real world. Instead of associating looking in both directions with "Mah muh told meh tu du so" they're instead going to pretend the cars are spirit monsters.

What scares me though is that in order to stop the spirit monsters, you cast spells and SET UP TRAPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

In England, do the monsters run on the left side of the Spirit Channels?

Only if the All-Seeing Eyes of Fine'ing aren't upon them.

 

[dietpeachsnapple]

You're telling me. Although you can tell if you go to Euro... I mean, the continental kingdoms who is a tourist. A minotaur pulling out the wrong way and having to avoid a crowd of angry warlocks is such a giveaway.

Wait... what happens when they run out of gas... I mean astral energy on the road... I mean spirit channel?

When you hit an overpass are you transcending to another plane, or are you upgrading the monsters?

Is the final boss an 8 lane... spirit channel?

 

[Swaki]

thats nice, good to know that the government wants to give gaming as an educational tool a new go, when i was a kid we had text based games, and that was actually just math on a pc whit a score in the top corner, oh and this awesome platform game where you had to spell certain words at the start and then we find the thing we spelled, that was rad.

but then again an online multiplayer game filled whit kids young enough to need to know how to pass a street, sounds like a how to catch a predator trap.

LFP for 8wheeler of redneck doom, need speed controller and traffic guard.

 

[Credge]

"While one branch of the UK government is busy trying to turn gamers into soldiers, another is using online games as a source for good..."

Whether this was implied or not, you're stating that soldiers are bad, or recruiting soldiers is a bad thing.

:|

 

[Capo Taco]

Hmm... Sounds like a waste of time and energy mostly. If you want kids to know about looking both ways on a road, teach them to look both ways on a road. It's not nearly as hard.


Although I am very curious to how successful they'll be.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

Surely, rather than making kids cross roads safely they will instead jump out in front of monsters...sorry cars and try to hit them with a big wrench whilst a fox looks on.

Either it will make kids try to attack vehicles or it will make for a really dull game in which you have to wait for traffic, sorry monsters, to stop before moving on. Sort of like Frogger in MMO form. But with big wrenches. And foxes.

 

[The DSM]

They get points for creativity, lose points for it probably sucking though.

 

[tk1989]

This looks AWESOME! I with i could have played this when i was at school!

 

[Altorin]

In WoW, the Frogger sections in Naxx and Ulduar can teach you to look both ways. Especially in Ulduar.

 

[Abedeus]

In England, do the monsters run on the left side of the Spirit Channels?

Generally, but every now and then you hear a terrible news story of a beast that had a head-on collision while drink-prowling.

Don't forget those Ameri... I mean, Western Monstahs that don't know how to drive our awesome roundabouts and get stuck in infinite loops.

We Canadians happen to have and know how to use traffic circles thank you very much.

Are you an American? No? Then I wasn't refering to you Canadians.

 

[iamnotincompliance]

So the UK DOT spent untold thousands, maybe millions, of pounds to create "Frogger"?

And here I thought we Americans knew how to waste taxpayer dollars. Well, at least your [a href=http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/bt/guruandwez/retroco/13750-gro]game rip-offs[/a] are improving.

 

[Kollega]

Pretty damn clever if you ask me. It can teach only not traffic safety, but to be aware of your surroundings and careful in general.