'Immune Attack' Video Game Helps People Get Familiar With Immune System

Students of immunology can now learn the basics of their subject in an interesting and amusing way, thanks to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), which is all set to launch

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has launched a game called 'Immune Attack' that teaches the facts of immunology and may prove useful for students who have opted for this subject.

This revolutionary game will help the students to learn how the immune system functions for defending the body against invading bacteria. The visual elements and simulations in the game will help students to grasp the complex interactions of the biological systems.

"My students were very engaged while playing Immune Attack. The video game provides great visuals and allows the students to interact while playing the game. The kids really wanted to master the game and to do that they needed to learn the immunology concepts," said Netia Elam, AP Biology Teacher at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, VA.

Immune Attack will be an added advantage to classroom learning. The game enables the students to use sights, sounds, and touch to get better acquainted with the immune system. It also encourages them to interact with each other and have problem-solving discussions to enhance their game-play and ultimately learn the subject.

According to the preliminary surveys, the students who play Immune Attack display an increase in knowledge as compared to those who did not play the game. In fact a higher interest in biology was also seen in students after playing the game.

"Immunology is a complicated subject to learn. The challenges in Immune Attack give those who might not otherwise be interested in biology the chance to learn in a fun, hands-on manner they won't find in a text book," said Michelle Lucey-Roper, director of the Learning Technologies Program at FAS.

FAS will be utilising Immune Attack with teachers and students across the U.S. to research how to improve the design of games for learning and how they may be used to encourage students to consider careers in bioscience, medicine and other health care professions.

"Games increase motivation, but it is not entirely clear why. For example, games typically include competition - either against a human opponent or a computer-generated one. The research challenge is to determine how these features contribute to learning," said Kelly.

Source-ANI
RAS/K