Game-based learning is nothing new; after all, if my cousin in
elementary school can name over a hundred different Pokemons he
should surely be able to tell me what the capitals of all fifty
states are if he's given the right game to learn with. By using
a modified version of Neverwinter Nights to teach proper
interview etiquette and other journalistic skills, professor
Kathleen Hansen aims to make learning more interactive. And they
say video games can't teach you anything. To teach fact-finding
skills, professors at the University of Minnesota have turned
the fantasy computer game "Neverwinter Nights" into a tool for
journalism students. Instead of slaying monsters and gathering
gold, the players tackle sources and gather information. "When
we initially did the game, it still had lava pits, the editor
looked like an ogre — stuff like that. The librarian had
breastplates," said Nora Paul, director of the university's
Institute for New Media Studies. With the help of designer Matt
Taylor, the game environment