Video games in a teacher’s toolbox

S Satish Kumar

We, as teachers are aware and have experienced that learning becomes simple and fruitful as we move from a lecture method to audio-visual stimuli to hands-on activity. In physics too, teachers explain the concepts and try to make the classes more interesting through demonstrations, activities and lab experiments.

How about teaching physics concepts through something that children love, say, through stories, movies, or video games?

In this article, we are going to explore how physics concepts can be easily understood in interesting ways through two popular video games – Angry Birds and Lazors.

Angry Birds
http://www.angrybirdsgames.com/

For those new to the Angry Birds game, it requires you to shoot angry birds from a slingshot and target the bad pigs that have stolen the birds’ eggs and are now holed up in a fortress like structure made of wood, concrete, and ice (see pic 1). This game has evolved from a basic fun filled first episode called ‘Angry Birds’ to more innovative and aggressive ‘Angry Birds – Star Wars’ and ‘Angry Birds – Transformers’. When one plays the game, one is able to hit the target through trial and error. However, if the basic principles of physics – such as projectile motion, collision, and rigid body structures – are taught, the game becomes more meaningful.

The principle of projectile motion can be explained through this game, i.e., applying the right amount of force, angle of launch, range of the projectile to launch the birds of different sizes, shapes and abilities and make them collide with the target. It also requires an understanding of the strengths and weakness of the structure of the pigs’ fortress and where to target the birds so that the entire structure falls. One also learns about the distribution of load, balance of the entire structure and the points where the structure is vulnerable.

Instead of playing this virtual game, try building a real setup of the Angry Birds game in your class by using a few objects like a slingshot, a number of plastic balls of various sizes and weight, and Jenga and/or wooden blocks.

Students are divided into two teams and they play against each other. One team builds the fortress using Jenga and/or wooden blocks. The team is given a set of 30 such blocks that must be used to build a fortress and must accommodate all the pigs. The fortress must be built keeping in mind the overall stability of the structure, the height to width ratio and balancing the load of the structure.

The opponents shoot the Angry Birds using the sling shot at the fortress. They must take into account the projected surface area of the ball, air resistance, and the ability to impart momentum upon collision to knock the fortress down.

To increase the difficulty level, one can increase the distance between the fortress and the sling shot and also provide more blocks to strengthen the fortress.

Lazors
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.pyrosphere.lazors&hl=en
Lazors is another app based game that is based on the concept of light – reflection and refraction. In this game, a laser light has to be directed against a particular target using a set of cubes that are made of mirrors or of solid glass. A grid template is provided and the cubes are to be placed on the grid so as to direct the laser to the target.

It is simple to play this game in the laboratory. One requires a laser pointer or a laser source, a target screen, cubes made of mirrors and plain glass and incense sticks. The cubes can easily be made by sticking together square shaped mirrors and plain glass sheet.

The game is played by first fixing the laser source, the white screen with target, and an empty grid template fixed to a wooden board. The aim is to place the mirror or glass cubes on the grid template in such a way that the laser from the source hits the target. The students must be able to analyze the angle of incidence, angle of reflection off the mirror, and the angle of refraction through the glass cube so as to direct the laser light to the target. We can continue to play the game by changing the position of the target each time. The game is played in a slightly dark room and the students can trace the path of the laser source using the smoke from the incense stick. The smoke scatters the laser light thus making its path visible.

Both the games provide hands-on experience and lots of fun. These can be played by students without any prior knowledge of physics concepts. The students themselves can explore the concept while playing the game and understand the principle. There are many other similar games like Bridge Constructor, Crayon Physics, Magic Pen, Fantastic Contraption and many more (found at http://www.physicsgames.com/) which can be used to teach various concepts in physics and some of them can also be replicated in the laboratory. So, let us take physics to the classroom in a way that students would love to learn.

The author is a physics teacher at Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore. He can be reached at satish.cirs@gmail.com.