Are scientists making our video games?

… and other important questions, answered by Kim Blake!

At the 2011 Science Communication Conference, I sat in on the Science and Games session. Kim Blake, of Blitz Games Studios, and Martha Henson, of the Wellcome Trust, gave talks. I caught up with them both to chat about science and games afterwards.

Blake had taken an industry-focused approach to the talk, outlining the need for science to engage more with the game industry. Computer games are bigger business now than movies, with enormous market reach and financial turnover. They are also a major employer of people with science skills, especially maths and physics. Think about your favourite game – someone had to work out how all the bits and pieces move in their environment, and to do that, they had to understand the equations and principles behind it.

More than that, though, Blake explained how the most effective game designers are often from a science, rather than computing, background, because they have the creativity and training to look beyond existing solutions and paradigms. She called for better accreditation for courses touting training for the games industry, and a better awareness for students of the opportunities in this large, and growing, area of employment.

Oh, and she’s got some good thoughts on gamification too! Have a listen.

(Note: please ignore my rather nervous introduction!)

She mentions TrueSim… patient triage simulation!