Generation Cures - make it better

Creating Caduceus: When Fantasy Becomes Reality

Can games teach? Scot Osterweil thinks so. Scot's inspiration was the driving force behind Caduceus, our interactive fantasy adventure game.

As Creative Director of MIT's Education Arcade and one of the creators of The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, an award-winning software game for 8-12 year olds, Scot has spent years crafting adventures for children that weave together compelling learning scenarios.

Scot's influence on Caduceus is clear. The key is authenticity. Characters are well-defined and believable. Plot twists reveal new challenges and increase the emotional stakes. And most important, even in a fantasy setting, everything seems real - real enough for kids to imagine themselves in the story and to invest themselves in solving the problem.

We asked Scot to tell us a bit more about the design process.

Q: Why do you think games work as a way to engage and inform kids?

Scot: Whether telling or reading stories or playing games, kids are fundamentally at play, and play is the way real learning happens.

Children at play are imagining themselves in the real world... trying themselves out in different roles and situations. Part of what makes them go deeper into their imagination is the degree to which they can see themselves in the world.

Q: How did you come up with the fantasy scenario in Caduceus?

Scot: We set ourselves the task of simulating the work of doctors in something that feels like a game, and not like "education."

Through the challenges and puzzles in Caduceus, we are giving kids an analogy about issues that face modern day scientists.

The real goal of Caduceus is for kids to project themselves in the fantasy world. By casting them as healers, we let them try out what it's like to be both a scientist and a doctor.

Q: In Caduceus, you model philanthropy in the story by having the hero give a donation to a cause of character that touches his or her life in the quest. How did you extend the concept in the game?

We offer kids the chance to give, too. After each puzzle, they can donate points to an unnamed worthy cause.

When they give, they get public recognition and help reveal the next chapter and puzzle. And, if kids give anonymously, their gift is doubled - but no one knows!

Kids can also play and advance without giving. It's their choice. In fact, we give kids incentives not to give since they can use their points to purchase items on our site.

Basically, we think kids are naturally empathetic. We hope they'll realize that the real reward of giving is intrinsic - it makes you feel good.

Q: How do you see parents fitting into the learning process?

We want kids to drive the experience and hope they'll use their game expertise to impress their parents!

On the other hand, parents can also help. We encourage them to play along with their kids. We've also included a "lifeline" button in every puzzle that kids can click to tell their parent that they need help. It initiates an email with details about the current game or story events.

Ideally, we hope that Caduceus will spark the interest of both kids and parents, and they'll share the learning experience!

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