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  • MONDAY FEBRUARY 20 2006 9:20 AM

Professors Modify Neverwinter Nights to Teach Journalism Students

Submitted by baudot

Edited by WilWheaton

Journalism students at University Minnesota, Twin Cities are taking on reporter education in a new way: In simulation using "Neverwinter Nights", the Dungeons and Dragons computer game. Teachers at the school created a total conversion of the game, changing medieval scenery to smalltown USA and orcs, goblins, and demons to reporters, librarians, and informants.


In the modified game, the student plays the role of a rookie reporter at the Harperville Gazette. A train has derailed in town and spilled its load of anhydrous ammonia, and the rookie reporter is assigned to write a context piece to help Gazette readers understand the implications of the accident. In the game, the reporter talks to the paper's editor about a good angle for the story, such as the health effects of the ammonia, the potential environmental effects, the public safety aspects of the wreck, or issues of railroad safety, for example. Once players choose their story angle, they are free to go anywhere in the newsroom and anywhere in the city of Harperville to research the story.


The teachers in charge of the program are eager to prove that games, far from being dangerous or frivolous, are a useful educational tool. Results from the first semester of the course aren't available to judge it by yet, but the Orc Anti-Defamation League has already lodged protest against the school for the under-representation of goblinoids in the simulation. School officials speaking off the record indicated that the protest was without merit, and that opponents of the program had "9 hit points at most, regardless."

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Comments
Cassiel

Cassiel

Aurora, CO
September 2004

FEB 20, 2006 09:23 AM

nerds.

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

FEB 20, 2006 09:24 AM

Worst. Game. Ever.

wink

Lotus

Lotus

SUICIDEGIRL

Ontario, Canada

FEB 20, 2006 09:32 AM

you know what my professor makes us do? Go out and write stories. whatever
I don't understand sitting in a classroom writing about fake events. I prefer having to go out and harrass politicians myself.

MrNailbat

MrNailbat

Atlanta, GA
December 2002

FEB 20, 2006 09:49 AM

Everybody needs a gimmick.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

FEB 20, 2006 09:59 AM

Lotus said:
you know what my professor makes us do? Go out and write stories. whatever
I don't understand sitting in a classroom writing about fake events. I prefer having to go out and harrass politicians myself.


Does every unit of every course have to involve doing that, though? I mean, I understand that one of the most challenging things to do as a journalist is to actually get information out of people, but I'm not sure that one part of one class that focuses more on processing the information and forming it into a cohesive story is necessarily a bad thing.

alpha_hazard

alpha_hazard

Fort Collins, CO
April 2004

FEB 20, 2006 10:46 AM

Lotus said:
you know what my professor makes us do? Go out and write stories. whatever
I don't understand sitting in a classroom writing about fake events. I prefer having to go out and harrass politicians myself.



But real politicians are exceedingly boring...the archetypal ones written for the game, I'm sure, are evil dudes who try to have you assasinated at every turn! blackeyed

Volkov

Volkov

San Antonio, TX
OLD SKOOL

FEB 20, 2006 10:52 AM

Subrosa said:
Worst. Game. Ever.

wink




whaddya you know? you're a Pistons fan.


not that i just logged on after playing the first expansion of that game for an hour....ok I did. but I'm home sick from work and since the desktops broken all I've got is this 5 year old laptop to run games on.
tongue

using games for simulations and education are nothing new, really. military has been doing it for a while and I still remember the old Oregon Trail game from middle school. of course that was more of a history lesson than training us to be Pioneers. wish I'd known that at the time. I wouldn't have spent all my allowance on that stupid covered wagon.

TheFly

TheFly

Eagle Springs, NC
November 2003

FEB 20, 2006 12:40 PM

bean said:

Lotus said:
you know what my professor makes us do? Go out and write stories. whatever
I don't understand sitting in a classroom writing about fake events. I prefer having to go out and harrass politicians myself.


Does every unit of every course have to involve doing that, though? I mean, I understand that one of the most challenging things to do as a journalist is to actually get information out of people, but I'm not sure that one part of one class that focuses more on processing the information and forming it into a cohesive story is necessarily a bad thing.




I can see some merit but there is a desensitizing to using computer cames (c'mon, I play video games to get away from the boring, tragic news!!). Like someone mentioned about training combatants in the military, it gives experience where there is none to have. However, Learning to shoot another person and stepping up to a local official and asking his thoughts on the topic isn't exactly the same thing. And look at the number of troops that freeze up in combat situations though they had high marks in virtual training. What will be next, interviews done via Instant Messenger instead of face to face.

I'm all for video games in a good light but here I think real world experience would be better, be it the interview or polling services at the office.

BlastProcessing

BlastProcessing

USA
OLD SKOOL

FEB 20, 2006 02:15 PM

So have these people released the mod for general consumption?

malkav11

malkav11

Saint Paul, MN
July 2003

FEB 20, 2006 03:08 PM

That's some pretty amazing total conversion. Unless you have the same basic tilesets, in which case it would be...uh...humorous.

To put it mildly.

Otoki

Otoki

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

FEB 21, 2006 10:29 AM

Why didn't I know about this? Man, I should read the Daily more often. I'm totally out-of-touch with my school.

I can think of several nerdy friends who would find this conversion pretty cool.

Otoki

Otoki

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

FEB 21, 2006 10:29 AM

Why didn't I know about this? Man, I should read the Daily more often. I'm totally out-of-touch with my school.

I can think of several nerdy friends who would find this conversion pretty cool.

DireChocobo

DireChocobo

Fairburn, GA
July 2004

FEB 21, 2006 06:05 PM

Dude, thats awesome.

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