Games+Learning+Society 12 Conference

At Play in the Cosmos is an educational game built for introductory astronomy courses at the collegiate level through a collaboration between game developers and college professors. The game design reflects a general desire to teach quantitative concepts in a more graphical and intuitive manner to non-science students. The typical ASTR 101 student is not looking for a mathematically rigorous introduction to the discipline, but is keenly interested in black holes and constellations. Student expectations are often at odds with those of their professor who wants to introduce them to the incredible insights we have gained about the universe. Professors face the challenge of communicating quantitatively laden subject matter in a manner that does not threaten non-scientists. At Play in the Cosmos is an educational game designed to engage non-science majors by piquing their interest in our modern understanding of the Solar System, Stars, Galaxies, Black Holes, and the Universe.