The low-threshold, playful communication of complex scientific content is a challenge. A team from the Game Lab Graz at the Institute of Human-Centred Computing at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has developed a solution for this. The learning environment Project Chimera, implemented as a computer game, enables gamified, story-based learning of more complex content from the fields of science and technology.
Funded by an Epic Mega Grant from software and games developer Epic Games (Fortnite, Unreal Engine), a team led by Johanna Pirker and Saeed Safikhani has created a virtual 3D world in which physics, mechanical engineering and soon also logic gates and gravity experiments are conveyed to users as part of a story with playful elements.

No classic learning programme
“What sets Chimera apart from other educational games is the gamification aspect and the story you experience,” says Johanna Pirker, head of the Game Lab Graz and initiator of Project Chimera. “Normally, learning programmes try to teach people something directly. We want the users themselves to develop the desire to get to know science better.”
One of the ways in which this is achieved is that the players in Project Chimera do not move through a classic learning environment, but through a damaged spaceship. There, tasks from various scientific disciplines have to be mastered so that the ship becomes functional again and the users can reach the bridge. To solve the tasks, which are designed like classic puzzles from computer games, players must first understand the necessary scientific principles and then apply them in practice.
There is also consideration of making the difficulty level of the game adaptable to different age groups, which means that Project Chimera could then also be used in schools.

Accompanying study shows motivation increase
The educational game has already been used at TU Graz with students in the field of mechanical engineering: “Working with a real engine is quite difficult in the classroom and it doesn’t always make sense," says project leader Saeed Safikhani. "With Project Chimera, we give students the opportunity to experiment with it in a very uncomplicated way." An accompanying study has shown that the motivation of students has increased through the use of the game.