Nerdcore – The Healing Blade
Although I spend a great deal of time featuring digital-games based learning, I have an interest in anything that makes learning more enjoyable. Here is an example I read about over the weekend (although I haven’t played the game myself).
Infectious disease is a tough topic to tackle in medical school, with a large number of organisms and an even longer list of drug susceptibilities / resistances to memorize. Enter Healing Blade–an infectious disease mastery game developed by two physicians, Francis Kong and Arun Mathews, the founders of Nerdcore Learning.
In this card-based game, each player chooses a side (either as Apothocary or Lord of Pestilence) and then attempts to conquer their opponent applying their knowledge of “bugs and drugs.”
The concept is quite interesting–definitely a novel way to learn about this important healthcare topic.
(Via Game Based Learning Isn’t Always Electronic | Upside Learning Blog.)
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
I loved this post. It’s also a great example of a topic we cover at the Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF) at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. LEEF 2011 will explore how games, simulations and virtual worlds change the learning experience and the nature of work itself. The event will explore implementation best practices, design and development considerations, and innovative examples of how games, simulations and virtual worlds are evolving as the work solution. The event will take place June 16-17 at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. You can learn more about this at http://www.GOLEEF.com