Gamers Help Solve Medical Problems
This is really cool! It makes sense to use a game to solve a problem as problem-solving is a essential part of playing any game.
I have made several posts about using games to teach Computer Science and the benefits. I have been using basic games, complex games, and the theory and logic behind them to teach Computer Science and problem-solving concepts in my classes for a long time. Games, like bowling, are just good family fun. Games are interesting and get students excited and they require serious thought and planning to build. I have my students build a sliding puzzle project in GridWorld and use it as a stepping stone to talk about using priority queues and the A* algorithm to write an automated solver. The A* algorithm is a fun algorithm to learn and can be used for lots of different games and such. Yes, I did just use algorithm and fun in the same sentence and meant to do it! The games are the hook and the rest of the concepts just fall into place.
Sliding Puzzle Image