THE MYSTERY OF LEHIGH GAP: A VR EDUCATIONAL GAME

A watershed-based Virtual Reality (VR) game can have a positive impact on the learner’s engagement, so we designed and developed a VR game to enhance informal education at libraries, environmental centers, or homes in the Lehigh River watershed, PA. The Mystery of Lehigh Gap game focuses on the geologic formation of the Lehigh Gap, historical coal and zinc ore mining, smelting and landscape changes that resulted from a zinc smelting plant that operated from 1898-1980 at Lehigh Gap, PA. The game was designed for adolescent through adult learners and features interactive mini-games to improve outreach learning and the visitor experience. We used design principles that were derived from the literature including, situating the learning experiences locally with historically accurate content to creating a game designed for diverse populations, engaging learners in challenging tasks, and providing a strong narrative.

Games have potential to advance multiple learning goals including conceptual understanding, process skills and practices, epistemological understandings, and players’ attitudes, identity, and engagement with for example, individuals from non-dominant racial, ethnic, or economic backgrounds. Gamified VR focuses users’ attention on learning tasks using content, animations, video, and narration to create a highly immersive learning experience. VR lessons promote improved access to environmental content, especially when learning about anthropogenic changes. Users of our initial prototype found the games engaging and reported that the game helped them to understand how raw materials were mined and transported to a zinc smelting plant. The players noted that the games enhanced their understanding of the industrial processes involved with zinc ore.