NASA Lands Virtual Task Trainer on the Moon
On July 6, 2010, NASA released Moonbase Alpha. In this serious game targeted to teens, it presents a scenario where we have returned to the moon to open up a colony. In this twenty minute proof-of-concept scenario, a nearby meteor strike cripples the base’s oxygen production capabilities. Players assume the roles of astronauts who must repair the base’s power-generation and oxygen production systems before the colony runs out of oxygen. It’s a pretty serious premise, and it requires a team of players to collaborate to achieve the many tasks involve in the repairs – fixing solar arrays, reconnecting hoses, and repairing circuits. Up to six players can participate in the game at a time, and they’re competing against the clock to post the quickest repair job.
In many ways, NASA has produced a team-based technical task trainer. When you launch Moonbase Alpha, you instantly notice that this isn’t the standard video game version of space. The physics has been reviewed by an organization which has actually sent people there. While it’s easy to navigate with the mouse and keyboard, you feel the challenges of working in low-gravity. When you jump over a power coupling, your avatar hangs in the air longer than Michael Jordan charging the net.
I am significantly reminded of the project that Heartwood completed for Raytheon. This repair simulation asks technicians to repair a radar system which has been degraded due to malfunctioning circuit boards. Within the course of the virtual training simulation, the technicians must diagnose the malfunctioning components and identify the correct course of action to restore the radar system’s functionality as quickly as possible.
NASA’s Moonbase Alpha is designed for teens, and so it significantly simplifies the steps needed to diagnose and repair circuit boards. Yet, the game is essentially a timed virtual task trainer within a synthetic learning environment.
Moonbase Alpha allows us to make an important distinction between fidelity and authenticity within synthetic learning environments such as virtual task trainers. Researchers Jan Cannon-Bowers and Clint Bowers at the University of Central Florida describe the difference this way:
- Fidelity – Degree which the simulation is a faithful representation of the real phenomenon or task
- Authenticity – Degree which the simulation causes learners to engage in cognitive or emotional processes similar to those in the real world
NASA’s simulation in Moonbase Alpha significantly simplifies the process of conducting repairs in space. After 20 minutes of playing Moonbase Alpha, I had learned the game’s tasks, but I certainly would need years of training before I could conduct actual repairs during a spacewalk. As a result, this serious game had a lower level of fidelity.
However, when I played Moonbase Alpha, I felt three strong elements of authenticity. Unlike other games which were set “in space.” First, this game drew immersed me into a lunar environment. Second, within the game world, crew members asked for “status requests” on the repairs. It created an authentic feeling of working against a clock. Third, this game created an authentic team-task experience.
NASA launched this game on Valve Software’s Steam game platform and includes chat and voice capability, so I also played this game in its multiplayer format. I was part of a team of six players who were randomly put together as teammates to solve the scenario. If we all worked independently, we would move inefficiently. So, we needed to communicate and collaborate to conduct the in-game repairs quickly. This collaborative experience was highly authentic. When a teammate completed a task more quickly than expected, she drew cheers. However, when someone struggled, some criticized and others leapt in to help.
Moonbase Alpha serves as an excellent proof-of-concept project for NASA’s upcoming official MMO: Astronaut: Moon, Mars, Beyond. It also provides an excellent illustration of the differences between authenticity and fidelity.
When creating a virtual task trainer, instructional designers must choose how to balance competing interests of fidelity and authenticity. For a long time, the industry has pursued increasing levels of pixel fidelity; however, initial research shows that within the world of synthetic learning environments, authenticity may be as important as fidelity. It may even be more important in some cases.
