APEGA OUTREACH
EnGenious Dreams Bigger, Returns in 2018
Updates and redevelopments are on their way for the online engineering and geoscience gaming platform, thanks to a new partnership with First Mobile Education
After a brief hiatus, APEGA is proud to announce the return of EnGenious, our online engineering and geoscience gaming platform. The project began in 2011 to help make the fields of engineering and geoscience more engaging and relevant to students in Grades 7 to 9. EnGenious exposes students to real-life scenarios to encourage them to think critically and employ the skills used by Professional Engineers and Professional Geo- scientists in their projects and workplaces. In partnership with Engineers Canada, we officially launched EnGenious in 2013. Game content was developed in consultation with practising APEGA Members who drew on their diverse professional experience, incorporating real-world scenarios and tangible applications. The project was originally sponsored by Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus, the Government of Alberta, Pembina Pipelines, and the SPE Canadian Educational Foundation. Thanks to a partnership with First Mobile Education in New Brunswick, EnGenious is making a comeback. Development will continue to make it a more comprehensive resource. Through updates, First Mobile will implement current coding standards and improve hosting stability for the website. Once this is complete, the focus will shift to development of new games and new levels for existing games, ensuring the platform continues to grow with its audience. APEGA will continue to provide educational content and expertise. EnGenious provides an immersive gaming experience, while also serving as an informative career resource. When students are not working in their gaming world to prevent earthquake damage to homes or to provide designs for safe, energy-efficient appliances, they can learn more about the careers behind these challenges — and the education required to pursue them. The career portion of the website outlines the different disciplines of engineering and geoscience, and gives examples of their impact in everyday life. It outlines some of the benefits of pursuing a career in engineering or geoscience, specifically highlighting the
industries’ abilities to increase quality of life, here and around the globe. The 10 mini-games currently offered require gamers to use their problem-solving skills and think creatively. Topics cover waste and water management, oil and gas exploration and processing, and much more. Many of the challenges encourage students to not only focus on the end goal, but also on the economic, environmental, and societal implications of their decisions. EnGenious is a bilingual game, and it can be used by students, parents, and teachers across the country. The EnGenious tagline says it all: Dream Bigger. The renewed gaming platform seeks to do just that, inspiring the next generations of Professional Geoscientists and Professional Engineers to pursue their passions and use their skills, and propel us all into a better world. HOW DO I ACCESS ENGENIOUS? EnGenious is available online at www.EnGeniousGames.com. EnGenious offers two modes of gameplay: Arcade Mode and Career Mode. Immediately following the relaunch, EnGenious will only be available in Arcade Mode, meaning that users will be able to play each of the 10 mini-games, but they will not be able to save their progress. They will be able to access EnGenious anytime: both online and offline. Career Mode will return in a later update, providing users the extra excitement and functionality of being able to create their own avatars, and become engineers or geoscientists living and working in the world of EnGenious! Users will learn about the different industry sectors in their world, and use their creative thinking skills to mitigate issues within them. In addition to earning EnGenious Bucks and notching other achievements, users will personally contribute to the well-being of their gaming world.
46 | PEG WINTER 2017
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