Video game hopes to teach high school students about chronic wasting disease
With hunting season approaching in Minnesota, researchers are leaning on an unexpected tool to educate the public about chronic wasting disease: a video game.
Thomas Seiler works for the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach. He has spent the last year developing a roleplaying game called "Cofactor" that aims to teach players about the fatal neurological disease affecting deer in the Upper Midwest.
"Chronic wasting disease is a daunting threat and it's a complex topic," Seiler said. "For learning about it, it's great to have the least threatening mode of education possible, which is play."
In "Cofactor," players take on different roles and move through scenarios built around real-world data. Users begin as a hunter but can eventually unlock other perspectives, including a scientist, natural resource manager or even a deer.
"The game touches on aspects of public policy, environmental sciences, wildlife management, biology," Seiler said.
The game is still in its alpha phase, but interest is growing. More than 30 high schools in Minnesota have already expressed interest in bringing it into classrooms.
Although the initial rollout focuses on high school students, Seiler says he expects broader use.
"We're hopeful it can be used in hunter education courses and be accessed by the general public eventually," he said.
The game pulls region-specific data, so the experience changes depending on where in Minnesota the player is. The goal is to help players understand how the disease shows up where they live and hunt, and to ideally reduce its spread.
"The goal is to represent different areas of Minnesota so a player can experience the actual prevalence of an area," Seiler said. "The game can answer questions they might have that stem from their location."
Researchers hope that engagement through play translates into awareness, informed decisions in the field, and ultimately, fewer infected deer.
"Management strategies rely on an informed public," Seiler said.
The game was made possible with help from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund.