New Mars Forums

soph

Member

Registered: 2002-11-24

Posts: 1,492

Re: What about the children?

While the Apollo program was running, every schoolkid knew the name of Skylab, Neil Armstrong, Apollo, etc. Now, you ask a kid about our space program and they would have no clue. Space organizations should publish material for kids about space. A CD, distributed free of charge to children around the US, or any other country. It wouldn't be all that expensive to make a few hundred thousand CD's. If one student in every school became interested in the space program, the program would be successful.

Now, kids want to be the next Eminem, not the next Neil Armstrong. If we could get someone interested, without them having to stumble upon us, then they could get others interested, and so on. More people would bring more ideas to the table, and more could be done.

Maybe this could be a joint effort between organizations. How much is knowledge worth? Even if it takes 10 million dollars to spark our space program, I say its worth it, and doable.

Phobos

Member

Registered: 2002-01-02

Posts: 1,103

Re: What about the children?

The army made a high quality computer game and distributed it free of charge as a propaganda device to attract recruits.  Maybe NASA could make a couple of games of their own and leave out the obviously educational crap.  Maybe make an RTS game where your battling Chinese on the Moon.

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To achieve the impossible you must attempt the absurd

RobertDyck

Moderator

From: Winnipeg, Canada

Registered: 2002-08-20

Posts: 7,811

Website

Re: What about the children?

NASA is strongly about education; but most importantly NASA means no combat, period.

Actually I had this argument with a business partner a few years ago. He produced virtual reality systems and had a very simple first person shooter that he setup for a major beer company. The deal was a free play for each beer you buy. That sold a lot of beer, so the beer company paid him to setup his system at every fair or exposition. But he then had IMAX ask him to create a family oriented game to be played in the lobby of their theaters. He couldn't think of any so he asked me and my associates to design a game for his system. I came up with a space rescue: the ISS has been hit by a meteor storm and it's your job to fly the Space Shuttle and rescue the astronauts. As a competition, a second system could fly a Soyuz to rescue cosmonauts from Mir. He didn't like it because it didn't have shooting. I don't think he understood what IMAX meant when they said "family oriented". He didn't get the IMAX contract because he couldn't design a family oriented game. It turned out the scheduled release date was the same month as the accident on Mir. Now that would have gained some attention.

Number04

Member

From: Calgary Alberta Canada

Registered: 2002-09-24

Posts: 162

Re: What about the children?

You could make a game without any shooting. A sim city type moon colonization or something along that would work.