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Angry Birds in space

space.angrybirds.com

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Re: Angry Birds in space

#21

Post by rboyce »

jstepien wrote: post #9

Have you noticed that scientific organisations participating in the ISS project are promoting a game in which sounds in audible in vacuum ? Apparently the heritage of Star Wars et al. is still preventing the industry from marketing space-based games not making physicists laugh. Surely, it won't change soon.

For the purists, allow me to recommend adjusting the volume controls on your phone.

Re: Angry Birds in space

#22

Post by binarysolo »

jroes wrote: post #17

Something about this doesn't sit right with me. I feel like the kind of people I would ordinarily consider role models are selling out to a video game.

It feels like the other way around too me -- in order to reach out and inspire a new generation, NASA willingly collaborated with Rovio to show people that (an abstraction of) space can be all sorts of fun. Its relevant physics puzzles in much more palatable form!

'Sides, at least it's a game about space where, for once the aliens are not exterminating humans and blowing up everything.

Oh wait on the blowing stuff up part. :)

Re: Angry Birds in space

#23

Post by wavephorm »

jroes wrote: post #17

Something about this doesn't sit right with me. I feel like the kind of people I would ordinarily consider role models are selling out to a video game.

I came away with a different feeling. He never really said anything about going and buying anything. Lots of kids already play Angry Birds, they know this and want to reach out to kids. So they're making a little pro-science advertisement "hey if you like this kind of stuff you better study science so you can become an astronaut".

What he forgot to mention was the part where probably most Physics graduates do not find work in their field and a very small fraction go on to become astronauts.

Re: Angry Birds in space

#24

Post by andreer »

jroes wrote: post #17

Something about this doesn't sit right with me. I feel like the kind of people I would ordinarily consider role models are selling out to a video game.

I don't see how this is selling out. Something kids care about is being used to promote math and science (and perhaps even help them understand it, in the case of gravity). He even says, quite directly, "learn math and science and get a neat job, like me" (or something to that effect). I can't help but see this as a good thing.

Especially when this is a physics based videogame where you learn to explore different solutions, test and refine your hypothesis, assess the stability of structures ... Not too bad in itself.

Also, he seems to have a really stuffy nose. Is that a zero gravity thing?

Re: Angry Birds in space

#25

Post by eliaskg »

Awesome! This feels like, hey, an astronaut isn't an isolated individual living far away from us anymore. It feels more like he got a call from Rovio if he could do a video for advertising and said "Well why not? I put it in my Dropbox"

Re: Angry Birds in space

#28

Post by xinliang »

I think creating a game for the sole reason of inculcating the simple concept of gravitation into the kids is kind of inappropriate. It costs them more time to be wasted on the game that that takes for them to simply learn it from the textbook. If additional features like the extent of effect of gravitation in relation to the mass of the planet and the travelling speed of the bird are added, again, that will make the game complicated and less interesting to play.
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