NASA Funds Serious Games Minor at University of Nevada

An effort to create an interdisciplinary minor in serious games at the University of Nevada, Reno, has received a $20,000 grant from the Nevada NASA Space Grant Consortium. The grant will fund development of a serious games program aimed at University of Nevada students in art, journalism, and computer science and engineering. Students will work together using existing serious game applications, and will create original projects that cover real-world topics in a gameplay context. "We learn by playing," said Sushil Louis, University of Nevada professor of computer science and engineering. "Just like pilots learn by 'playing' on flight simulators, we can design fun games that teach complex skills." The minor's program requires a collaboration between professors of multiple disciplines within the University of Nevada. Professors from the computer science and engineering department will cover engineering topics, while communication-related expertise will be provided by communications professors from the University's Reynolds School. The University of Nevada's computer science and engineering department and Reynolds School will receive $10,000 each from the NASA grant. Future funding for the University's art department is currently under consideration.