the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The Potential for Using Video Games to Teach Geoscience: Learning About the Geology and Geomorphology of Hokkaido (Japan) from Playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus
- 1School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
- 2Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- 3Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- 1School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
- 2Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- 3Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Abstract. In recent years, the concept of using video games as a form of geoscience communication has been gaining momentum. Popular commercial video games see millions of people around the world immersed in wonderous 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 utilised in educational environments or scientific outreach events, such video games could be used to encourage and stimulate the teaching of geoscientific concepts, both in the classroom or in their own time. This paper will focus on the geo-educational potential of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the latest game in the popular Pocket-Monster franchise, Pokémon. Released at the start of 2022 on the Nintendo Switch, the game saw over 6.5 million players in its first week explore the virtual open-world landscape of Hisui. Unlike several popular commercial video games that are set in a fictional landscape, Hisui is directly based on the real-world island of Hokkaido, northern Japan. From an educational standpoint, Pokémon Legends: Arceus could be used as a powerful tool to help younger students engage more in their learning by utilising their natural affinity to the popular game and showcasing the many geological and geomorphological features found across the landscape of Hisui. This paper showcases how geological and geomorphic features can be identified in the game and researched using formal (peer-reviewed literature) and informal (online websites) resources to learn about the geological origin of their real-world counterparts on Hokkaido. Applications for this study could prove to be extremely useful for not only increasing interest and facilitating the self-learning of geoscience worldwide, but also for teaching in educational environments.
Edward G. McGowan and Lewis J. Alcott
Status: open (until 02 Aug 2022)
-
RC1: 'Comment on gc-2022-10', Jamie Pringle, 20 Jun 2022
reply
General Comments:
Firstly well done for generating and submitting a manuscript, always an effort so congratulations for getting to this stage. I enjoyed reading the article which is well structured and follows on from a 2021 paper on using video-games for education. I think the paper would benefit from an extra figure or two and a summary table, see below. Id love the next paper to include a pedagogic research project questioning students who have played it their experiences and awareness/understanding of applied geoscience before/after. Specific comments are below.
Specific Comments:
Abstract: this needs to be tightened to read more sequentially through the typical background/rationale, aims/objectives, results and implications style. For example L16 ‘this paper will focus.’ And L24 ‘This paper showcases..’
Introduction: This was mostly good, but the last paragraph L111-117 tries to give the project aims/objectives? This needs to be more clear, maybe separate into sequential aims and then objectives you are going to do to achieve these? Don’t have strong views on separating these though.
Methods: this needs a bit of expansion, for example L119 geological and geomorphological features are identified but what were they? Should a summary table of these be given as per the volcanoes in the closely-related https://gc.copernicus.org/articles/4/11/2021/ paper?
Results: This isn’t named, presumably section3? Should each section have an illustrated figure? E.g. 3.1 Obsidian Fields doesn’t have one? You should also cross-reference more the different sections with either the location map or the figures more and see preceding point.
Discussion: L307 you mention use of this for volcanology, hazard-mitigation, economic geology and more but you don’t really explicitly state this. Is it worth adding a table listing these and where they can be found in the game or indeed in this ms? L340 You mention about some of the drawbacks of direct comparisons of gaming versus reality in this paragraph but this could be expanded I think.
Conclusion: This should be re-ordered into the more conventional sequential paragraphs of summary, limitations and next steps.
Appendices: Im surprised you haven’t included a web-link or similar to the game for readers to find out more information about it? Im presuming that you cant record short clips and have these as Supplementary Resources to the paper for readers? Would be useful to include I think.
References: Havent cross-checked that all present in ref list and vice versa can you do so please?
Table – see the 2021 reference paper for a summary table of features found in the game and their subdivision of realistic/unrealistic subdivisions. This would be useful for you to reproduce here Im thinking?
Figures: see technical comments below to add more detail to respective figure captions and cross-reference to sitemap (which should have the respective named sections annotated). Also – have you permission to reproduce the respective photographs in your manuscript?
Technical Comments:
Suggested edits:
L24, should this sentence be back with L16? Needs tightening
L52, comma after ‘matter’
L119 ‘Authors identified geological and geomorphological features’, what were they as you weren’t explicit? Worth adding a table as per https://gc.copernicus.org/articles/4/11/2021/?
L140 ‘striking similarities can be seen’ – of what? Please be specific, topographic? Element type? Similar to actual island? Etc etc.
L175 2 spaces after ‘cobalt’
L198 space after ‘Cape,tall’
L210 ‘as the fictional cape..’, cross-reference to a figure?
L28 add ‘the’ after ’at’
L314 delete ‘extreme’
L355 geosciences
Figure 1: Topographic maps comparisons of Hisui Pokemon Legends and Hokkaido, Japan. (A) Annotated in-game map of Hisui from Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Note the non-traditional angle of viewing and artistic style © The Pokémon Company (2022). (B) Terrain map of Hokkaido, Japan (Bourrichon, 2019). (C) Geological map of Hokkaido, Japan (Ayalew et al., 2011).
Figure 2: is (b) upside-down? (B) Photograph of dead larch trees,..
Figure 3: (B) photograph of coastal..
Figure 4: this is the only one without showing a photograph of an actual real volcano, is it not based on one? Would suggest to add that to this image.
Figure 5: add ‘Japan’ at end of caption?
Figures 2-5 – can you cross-reference these in the captions to positions on Figure 1 so readers can see where each of these are in relation to the map(s)?
-
RC2: 'Comment on gc-2022-10', Jazmin Scarlett, 22 Jun 2022
reply
General comments
An enjoyable and well-structured paper that is good case study to follow on from previous work on the similar topic of utilizing popular videogames for geoscience education in the fields of paleontology and volcanology.
I recommend the following suggestions, some of which have already been covered by Jamie Pringle, therefore I shall not duplicate them here.
Abstract
Less on the background of the videogame, leave this to the main body of the paper. More on the outline of the paper e.g. background, aims, objectives, results and conclusion.
Results
As not everyone would have played Pokémon Legends: Arceus, provide a map and highlight where each of the regions are for each section (section 3.1-3.7). Perhaps pinpoint exactly where each key feature is (similar to a GPS reference point), so people can find it if they play the game.
References
Line 549-550: The Nintendo link in the PDF does not redirect to the website correctly. Similarly, is the Pokemon Legends reference link the same? If so, remove the Nintendo reference and use the Pokemon Legends one.
Suggested edits
- Section 1.2, lines 111-114: Make the aims and objectives clearer.
- Section 2, line 128: mention what physical and geological characteristics were identified. Jamie’s suggestion is good here.
- Section 3.2.2, line 200-201: add numerical age range for the audience who may be less familiar with geological time.
- Section 3.5, line 249: if possible have a side by side comparison of Lake Kussharo and Lake Valor.
- Section 4.1, line 310: I would expand with examples how the game can teach about volcanology, hazard mitigation and economic geology and mention hazard mitigation and economic geology in relevant result sections.
Edward G. McGowan and Lewis J. Alcott
Edward G. McGowan and Lewis J. Alcott
Viewed
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 238 | 54 | 8 | 300 | 2 | 1 |
- HTML: 238
- PDF: 54
- XML: 8
- Total: 300
- BibTeX: 2
- EndNote: 1
Viewed (geographical distribution)
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1