In recent years, video games, as a geoscience communication tool, have gained
momentum. Popular commercial video games see millions of people around the
world immersed in wondrous landscapes, many filled with real geological
features including volcanoes, mineral deposits, and dinosaurs. Even though
these features can be overlooked by many players as simple video game
tropes, if utilized in educational environments or scientific outreach
events, video games have the potential to encourage and stimulate teaching
of geoscientific concepts, both in the classroom or in their own time. Here,
we focus on the geo-educational potential of
Video games are commonly used to teach primary subjects for younger audiences (e.g. basic arithmetic and simple logic-based skills); however, video games have also previously been explored in various advanced educational topics for several years (Adams, 1998; Squire, 2005; Lenhart et al., 2008; Squire et al., 2008; de Freitas, 2008). In many cases, specifically designed games were developed to teach players about particular topics, focussing the gameplay on presenting players with information required to pass tasks and progress within the game (Shute et al., 2013; Mani et al., 2016; Kerlow et al., 2020). However, the teaching potential of such “educational” or “serious” games may be nullified by failing to hold players' attention through sufficiently engaging gameplay (Kerawalla and Crook, 2005; Van Eck, 2006; Floyd and Portnow, 2008). “Commercial” or “entertainment” video games on the other hand prioritize engaging and entertaining gameplay over educational learning. This may lead players to miss the educational potential by creating the perception of fictional content (Floyd and Portnow, 2008; Brown et al., 2014). As a result, the prioritization of entertainment over educational value is a deterrent for those wishing to use video games as educational tools.
The lines between educational- and entertainment-focused gaming are increasingly blurred as real-world events and locations more frequently form the basis of new games (Brown et al., 2014). Video games provide exposure and greater appreciation of base subject matter, with players exploring the real-world implications of the gaming subject (Brown et al., 2014). Because commercial video games capture the voluntary and undivided attention of millions immersed in rich landscapes for extended hours (Mayo, 2009), they are a logical tool for boosting geoscience communication and education efforts.
Video games can be used to achieve educational goals via four different
means: (1) using game mechanics to teach specific skills, such as map
reading; (2) expanding vocabulary with game narratives; (3) improving social
skills such as teamwork and communication; and (4) promoting tangential
learning, i.e. self-directed learning inspired by exposure to a topic one
already enjoys (Floyd and Portnow, 2008; Turkay and Adinolf, 2012). This
study examines only the affective realms of 1, 2, and 4, as area 3 belongs to
the realm of multiplayer or forum-based games, which
Recent work by Hut et al. (2019), McGowan and Scarlett (2021), and Clements
et al. (2022) illustrates how popular commercial games (including
Video games also have further benefits to those with learning difficulties (for example, attention deficit hyperactive disorders, ADD/ADHD, or dyslexia), who struggle to maintain focus using more conventional educational methods (Griffiths, 2002; Marino and Beecher, 2010; García-Redondo et al., 2019). In most cases, studies have shown video games improve a student's measured attention, as tested using the d2 test measures of attention and motivation towards formal learning (García-Redondo et al., 2019). Additional benefits also include improved language comprehension and mathematics skills (Franceschini et al., 2013), mental agility, strategic reasoning (García-Redondo et al., 2019), time management, and planning and organization (Bul et al., 2016).
Released worldwide on 28 January 2022,
Each series of video games in the Pokémon franchise is set in a
unique region, which is based on a real-world location. This not only
inspires the design of the explorable game map (including layout, geography,
and environments), but also the Pokémon (based on real and mythological
animals associated with that region), clothing, culture, food, and
architecture. The first four generations are set in fictional versions of
Japan, while later generations are based on other countries and states,
including New York, United States (
Part of
By comparing real-world and in-game features, this paper aims to explore and test if a single video game can be used for a variety of educational topics. By doing so, the apparent “realness” of the features can be assessed. This paper intends to be used as an example – in addition to the other “geo-gaming” literature – to highlight how commercial video games could be applied in an educational setting (facilitated learning) and encourage the player's own self-learning (tangential learning; Floyd and Portnow, 2008; Brown et al., 2014) of geoscientific topics (e.g. McGowan and Scarlett, 2021; Clements et al., 2022).
Authors identified geological and geomorphological features, including active volcanoes, crater lakes, and peninsulas, which were tied to key moments within the game's main narrative. This approach is inspired by McGowan and Scarlett (2021), where geoscientific features are identified in popular commercial video games and then compared to real-world examples. Features and areas that are a necessity for progression, therefore guaranteeing player interaction, are particularly addressed. Features encompass extremely visible landmarks, including volcanoes, or frequently referred to locations that contain geological context in their name.
Real-world counterparts of the in-game features were identified based on geographical location and physical characteristics. Comparisons between the literature content and in-game appearance were made to determine if they form suitable explanations for the inspiration behind each feature.
It should be noted that
When comparing the in-game map of Hisui and that of Hokkaido, Japan,
including topographic and geological maps (Ayalew et al., 2011), striking
similarities in the topography and coastal outline are seen (Fig. 1).
Therefore, players can identify locations within
Topographic maps of Hisui,
Summary of author interpretations of the geological and
geomorphological features selected within
The first open area players may explore is the Obsidian Fieldlands: a lush grass land, with hilly ground in the centre, a large, forked river cutting northeast to southwest, and a dense forest in the south. The locality's name suggests obsidian naturally occurs on this part of the island.
Indeed, obsidian is a common volcanic material found on Hokkaido, having at
least 21 confirmed primary sources of the glass across the island (Izuho and
Sato, 2007). In contrast to Hisui however, the majority of sites are located
in the northeast of Hokkaido, around the Kitami Mountains, over 100 km from
the Ishikari Lowland (Fig. 2a; Izuho and Sato, 2007; Akai, 2008) – where the
Obsidian Fieldlands are paralleled in
The obsidian of Hokkaido was an important resource to Palaeolithic
inhabitants on the island, where it was shaped into microblade tools. Such
tools were created between 26 and 10 ka (Akai, 2008; Yakushige and Sato, 2014) and were widely transported across the island, including the Ishikari
Lowland and Honshu, Japan's main island (Yakushige and Sato, 2014). X-ray
fluorescence analysis of the obsidian microblades from the Ishikari Lowland
allows individual tools to be traced back to their primary origin, including
Akaigawa,
An additional homage to Hokkaido obsidian is in the newly released
Whilst the name, Obsidian Fieldlands, suggests obsidian would be naturally present in this region, this is false. Instead, obsidian was likely transported from elsewhere on the island, suggesting the name is more of a homage to the once important resource to the Palaeolithic inhabitants.
The Cobalt Coastlands, found on the east coast of Hisui, is another open-access area (Fig. 1a). As with the Obsidian Fieldlands, one could expect cobalt to be found in this coastal region. However, cobalt is mined in the central regions of Hokkaido, not on the east coast (Khoeurn et al., 2019). This draws into question the use of “cobalt” in the area's name. Is it purely a catchy use of alliteration, or is there greater geological influence?
The area's name could be related to the popular tourist destination known as the Blue Pond (Fig. 1b), a human-made pond famous for its “cobalt” blue waters (Biei Tourist Association, 2017; Smart Magazine, 2018). Following the 1988 eruption of Tokachi-Dake volcano, concrete dams were built to divert volcanic mudflows (lahars) away from populated areas (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, 2016; Smart Magazine, 2018). Lahars are amongst the deadliest volcanic hazards, ranking third (primary lahars) and fourth (secondary lahars) out of 13, based on the total number of fatalities (Brown et al., 2017). Not only can they flow tens to hundreds of kilometres from the flanks of a volcano, but secondary lahars can occur years after the primary event (Brown et al., 2017). An unexpected result of the hazard mitigation was that aluminium-rich spring water from the volcano was also diverted, leading to formation of a pond with a distinctively blue hue (Smart Magazine, 2018).
While the Blue Pond is in central Hokkaido, not near the east coast where
the Cobalt Coastlands are in
Comparison image of in-game and real-world inspiration.
One of the most prominent geomorphic features in the Cobalt Coastlands is the Veilstone Cape, a tall, narrow rocky headland (Fig. 1a). On Hokkaido, the comparable feature is known as the Shiretoko Peninsula (Fig. 1b). The real-world peninsula is the result of several overlapping volcanic complexes (Neogene to Holocene in age) that form the Kuril volcanic chain, running NEE–SWW from central Hokkaido to the eastern end of Shiretoko Peninsula (Minato et al., 1972). The volcanic chain constitutes part of the Kuril Islands arc system – a 1175 km arc system produced by the subduction of the Pacific Plate along the Kuril Trench (Khomich et al., 2018) – and through submarine volcanism, uplift, and continued terrestrial volcanism resulted in the steep topography along the Shiretoko Peninsula (Chakraborty, 2018).
Along the Veilstone Cape in
The major inaccuracy of Veilstone Cape is the size of the headland. In the real world, the Shiretoko Peninsula is much longer and wider and has a gentler profile. However, this is likely a calculated resizing by developers to ensure the headland remains visually impressive without making it feel like a chore for players to traverse, something for which games with large maps can receive bad reviews for (Tassi, 2018).
Off the coast of the Cobalt Coastlands, in the northeast of the region, is Firespit Island (Figs. 1a and 5a). This is a fictional location without a real-world equivalent in Hokkaido. Firespit Island is a large volcanic edifice, likely to be a stratovolcano due to its steep, conical slopes and tectonic setting and this being the most common type of video game volcano (McGowan and Scarlett, 2021). It has a distinguishable crater rim that is taller in the east, presumably the product of a violent explosive eruption that destroyed the rest of the cone (Fig. 5a). To the west is a gap in the outer slopes and a shallow fan reaching into the sea. These pieces of evidence suggest a sector collapse and/or lateral blast modified the morphology of the main edifice and produced a debris avalanche (Romero et al., 2021).
Images of the volcano, Firespit Island, located in the
Cobalt Coastlands in
Lava pours out of the vent of a new volcanic cone within the centre of the collapsed edifice (Fig. 5b), which is one of the most common volcanic attributes seen in video games (McGowan and Scarlett, 2021). Post-collapse volcanism is common in volcanoes around the world, including Anak Krakatoa (Indonesia), Mt St Helens (United States), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), and Bezymianny (Russia) (Girina, 2013; Watt et al., 2012; Watt, 2019). However, lava produced in these post-collapse craters is typically highly viscous and does not “pour out” of the vents (Carr et al., 2022). After progressing further through the storyline of the game, the lava ceases and solidifies into a mass within the vent, forming a plug (Fig. 5c).
Even though it is typical for mafic stratovolcanoes in arc settings, like
that of Hokkaido, to rapidly build themselves upwards, producing steep
slopes, typically between 21 and 40
The storyline takes players to three lakes found across Hisui (Fig. 1a). Upon reaching the islands in the centre of Lake Verity in the Obsidian Fieldlands (Fig. 6a) and Lake Valor in the Crimson Mirelands (Fig. 6c), a character named Volo explains that many believe these lakes formed after volcanoes erupted and craters later filled; the geographical locations of the two Hisuian lakes suggest they are the in-game versions of Lake Tōya (Fig. 6b) and Lake Kussharo (Fig. 6d) respectively.
Comparison image of in-game and real-world inspiration.
The description of Lake Verity's formation (in the game) mirrors the series
of six continuous rhyolitic caldera-forming eruptions which produced Lake
Tōya and the
Lake Kussharo (Lake Valor equivalent) is also situated within Kussharo Caldera (Fig. 6d). The last major caldera-forming eruption is estimated around 30 ka (Fujiwara et al., 2017). Like Tōya Caldera, a post-caldera dome complex formed, producing a dacitic to rhyolitic island (Global Volcanism Program, 2013a), alongside an additional caldera complex, the Atosanupuri Caldera, within the eastern half of Kussharo Caldera during the Holocene (Fujiwara et al., 2017).
In both scenarios, the geomorphology of the Spirit Lakes and the descriptive
dialogue in
The centre of Hisui houses a large mountainous area known as the Coronet Highlands, where the tallest mountain on the island, Mount Coronet is located (Fig. 1a). It can be presumed that the real-world equivalent is Mount Asahi, a 2291 m stratovolcano within the Daisetsuzan mountain range, part of the Daisetsuzan volcano group, a complex of numerous stratovolcanoes and lava domes (Global Volcanism Program, 2013b).
The Coronet Highlands are a barrier of progress in the modern-day setting of
The Coronet Highlands also contain a “special magnetic field” that allows
for the evolution of certain
Lake Acuity is the third Spirit Lake found within Hisui (Figs. 1a and 7a).
Unlike the two previously mentioned flooded caldera Spirit Lakes (Sect. 3.5), Volo does not say this lake formed due to a volcanic eruption. Instead, the character states it contains seawater but does not know whether this is related to its geography or a
Comparison image of in-game and real-world inspiration.
The origin of Lake Acuity is difficult to determine from in-game visuals alone because it is similar to the previously mentioned lakes (a topographically circular lake with an island in the middle), so it could be assumed it is also a flooded caldera with a central lava dome complex (Figs. 6a, c and 7a). However, when consulting a geological map (Fig. 1c), no volcanic features are found in the real-world region, supporting the hint that Lake Acuity did not form in the same way as the other two Spirit Lakes and instead has a non-volcanic origin.
The lake is the most northern in Hisui and therefore can be assumed that its real-world equivalent is Lake Onuma, Wakkanai (Fig. 7b), the most northern lake in Hokkaido (Fig. 1b). Due to Lake Onuma's proximity to the ocean at Soya Bay, tidal inflows can bring seawater into the lake (Ministry of the Environment, 2015). Despite none of the literature directly stating the lake's origin, it is more akin to a coastal lagoon than a volcanic lake and explains the change of descriptive dialogue.
While not every topic covered was explored in detail, this is realistic of the expectations for a player to do online searches to quickly understand more about features they have seen in the game. At the same time, these seem to be sufficient to gain a basic understanding of this region's basic geology and geomorphology.
It is not logical to expect every player to share enough interest in
geoscience-related topics to stimulate any desire for tangential learning.
However, as noted by Floyd and Portnow (2008), even if only 0.1 % of
players conducted online investigations into a single feature mentioned
herein,
Even in situations such as understanding the use of “cobalt” in the name of the Cobalt Coastlands, where the outcome was not as conclusive as others (e.g. the flooded caldera lakes with direct real-world equivalents), players are presented with the opportunity to learn about both mining on Hokkaido and lahar risk management, while critically analysing the in-game evidence to draw a conclusion.
There is also the possibility that the opportunity to learn about the real-world equivalents of game features could stimulate further interest to pursue additional tangential learning. For example, learning that Lake Verity and Lake Tōya formed due to a caldera-forming eruption, players could continue to research the volcanism of Hokkaido by investigating Firespit Island due to its very prominent volcanic features (crater, active vent, molten lava, etc.), or the similar-looking Lake Acuity and discover its non-volcanic origins. This could even expand into players conducting tangential learning on features not specifically found in the game, or on a larger scale (e.g. plate-tectonics and island-arc formation that resulted in the formation of Hokkaido).
Caution is warranted when using video games in educational settings as the potential for learning misinformation is high. For example, players are informed that two of the three caldera lakes formed via volcanic activity; however the third lake is suggested to be possibly formed through different, unmentioned means. A caldera lake is defined by the volcanic activity that led to its formation; however due to the lack of volcanic activity in northern Hokkaido, there is merit to the change in descriptive dialogue.
In addition, over-exaggeration is often found in popular media including
video games to provide a more entertaining experience through “speculative
fiction” and artistic liberty (Shaw, 2014; Politopoulos et al., 2019). Such
evidence was found in
Furthermore, tangential learning through commercial gameplay can also be
conducted using other games. For example, numerous mineralogical items are
considered resources in video games that can ultimately lead to players
better understanding the real world. A case of this was presented by Robb
(2013) when interpreting mineral deposits in
Despite professional instructors rarely utilizing video games to teach geological concepts (Jolley et al., 2022), this example illustrates how they can be used to teach about a wide range of topics in an engaging way. Compared to other literature on the subject matter that investigates a single topic across numerous commercial video games (McGowan and Scarlett, 2021; Clements et al., 2022), the focus of this paper shows how one game can introduce several geoscientific topics and potentially spark additional interest. This should reassure geoscience educators that they do not require access to multiple different video games to provide sufficient examples for their course.
The shift to online-based and hybrid learning following the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increasing reliance on newly developed teaching methods including virtual field trips (MacKay, 2020; Bond et al., 2021) and other digital resources (Pringle et al., 2017; Jeffery et al., 2021). Video games can augment this new education paradigm. The use of virtual learning, including video games, holds numerous benefits, including increased accessibility for students who cannot attend field-based teaching due to costs or physical disabilities, as well as the ability to visit high-risk locations (Stainfield et al., 2000; Pringle et al., 2017).
The high standards of graphics, gameplay, and internal functions of commercial video games take considerable time and funding (Mayo, 2009) which educators cannot be expected to invest themselves. However, specific areas or features can require significant amount of gameplay to reach, meaning that alternatives should be investigated. YouTube or Twitch streams have access to thousands of video game walk-throughs, meaning one could select the appropriate video that covers the desired location or feature to show students in the classroom, without needing to own or play the game. The downside to this is reduced control over what is shown and no opportunity for students to directly engage in gameplay. Educators could also set homework to investigate the geology observed in a video game (either through direct gameplay or via videos), with further prompts and questions to help guide the students learning and promote tangential learning at home.
Though care must be taken, either through using resources such as this one
or a prior demonstration of the game to ensure appropriate information is
being taught. The exposure potential of geological and geomorphological
concepts through video games could be widespread. If only a small fraction
of the player base conducts such learning, because the game is so popular
and sold millions of copies,
Furthermore, the popularity of commercial video games within the wider
public could be leveraged at outreach events to enhance general
understanding of and engagement with regional geoscience topics.
Specifically,
All data were collected through playing
This research was conceptualized by EGM and LJA. The methodology, investigation, formal analysis, resources and data curation, original draft, and reviewer edits were completed by EGM and LJA. Visualization was produced by EGM.
The contact author has declared that none of the authors has any competing interests.
The work presented is original and reflects the authors' views. Ethics approval and informed consent were not sought; this study does not deal with sensitive data or human participants.
Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
We would like to thank Marc Reichow for taking time out of his busy schedule to review this paper during the draft phases. Additionally, we acknowledge the funding from the NERC CENTA DTP and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.
This project has not been funded directly. However, Edward G. McGowan has been funded by the NERC CENTA DTP studentship. Lewis J. Alcott has been funded by a Hutchinson Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.
This paper was edited by Leslie Almberg and reviewed by Jazmin Scarlett and Jamie Pringle.