虚拟技术 and 设计 Students Strive to Lower Lead Levels in Idaho’s Silver Valley

The health risks associated with lead contamination — from developmental delays in children to reproductive complications in adults — have been a historic concern in Idaho’s Silver Valley. Once home to the largest smelting facility in the world, the area became a superfund site in 1983.

但铅含量正在下降. And students in the 艺术与建筑学院’s 虚拟技术与设计(VTD)课程 at the 365滚球官网 want to lower those levels even more. 从去年秋天开始, 他们在设计一款电子游戏, in collaboration with northern Idaho’s Panhandle 健康 District, to raise awareness about lead exposure for children in grades three through six.

Three U of I students took on the task as their senior capstone project. And under the helm of VTD 研究 Assistant Professor Roger Lew, 他们利用了《365体育滚球》的修改,” a survival-themed video game that requires players to gather resources that help save the world. The students then built an environment that mirrors the Silver Valley — mines, 山, all-terrain vehicles and all — and developed a storyline that sends players on a quest to determine why their friend is sick.

梅根Schleich, 自由湖职业培训课程的大四学生, 华盛顿, 谁将在2019年春季毕业, said she’s most enjoyed “having an impact on the community.” She also wants to disassociate video games from violence.

“我正在帮助打破这种耻辱，并说, “看看这些没有暴力元素的电子游戏,’”施莱希说. “这个项目的想法是，在我们完成之后, Panhandle 健康 will use it to teach children about lead exposure.”

When children playing the game — tentatively titled “Lead Ed” — accompany their sick friend to the hospital, 医生问了一些探索性的问题. He learns his patient recently swam in Lake Coeur d’Alene and has a dad who works in the mines, so he sends the player on a mission to collect soil and water samples — from the father’s work boots and the lake. It’s a quest Schleich hopes will result in increased empathy, an experience of emotional connection she thinks is missing from most video games, 尤其是那些带有暴力色彩的电影.

“At that age, kids are developing empathy from a psychological standpoint,” she said. “And the main character is the player running through the world, 所以孩子们可以把自己投入到游戏中, 帮助他们的朋友变得更好.”

I’m helping break that stigma and saying, “看看这些没有暴力元素的电子游戏.’ The idea for this project is that after we’re done, Panhandle 健康 will use it to teach children about lead exposure. 梅根Schleich

I’ve always wanted to use video games as a way to influence people’s lives for the better, 这是一个很好的实践方法. 阁楼劳

After acquiring the samples and adding them to an inventory, the player returns to the hospital and has the items tested. The doctor determines the lake has unsafe levels of lead and asks the player to inform the mayor, who will in turn take measures to safeguard residents.

But before embarking on the mission, the player wants some answers. 什么是铅中毒?? 我也会生病吗? 我该如何练习预防行为?

“We’ve done a fair amount of research on lead contamination,贾里德·克里斯蒂安森说, a VTD student from Boise 谁将在2019年春季毕业 after two semesters working on the project. ”We also sent our script to Panhandle 健康 so they could make sure it’s accurate. Our goal is to reinforce safe practices and teach preventative measures to help children be as safe as possible in the Silver Valley.”

Ensuring a game that is both educational and entertaining has been top-of-mind with the students. 为了增加乐趣, players get rewarded with a camping trip after creating a chelation “potion” — meant to remove lead from their friend’s body.

The reward doesn’t come without educational tidbits, though. Protective gear must be worn to prevent inhalation of contaminated dust, and shoes have to be removed before entering the house. Players also get notifications to wash their hands frequently in an effort to remove dust from the skin. And a diet of calcium-rich foods — through a community garden where players harvest food — is encouraged to strengthen bones and prevent lead absorption.

阁楼劳, 一名来自波尔斯波的职业培训学生, 华盛顿, who also graduates in spring 2019 and has been working on the project, hopes the game will “have a tangible impact by teaching children safe practices in a risk-free environment.

“I’ve always wanted to use video games as a way to influence people’s lives for the better, 这是一个很好的实践方法,他说.

Article by Kate Keenan, 艺术与建筑学院.

2019年4月发布.