Vanished is a special science-mystery Serious Game created by MIT researchers on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution, as a novel experiment in alternative science education Via: MIT Comparative Media Studies - Learning Science Through Gaming Vanished" is a two-month-long game, which debuted the week of April 4 and will end by May 31, 2011, meant to inspire engagement and problem solving through science and intended for middle-schoolers aged 10 ½ - 14 years. Players can sign up any time, since the game provides recaps to cover what was missed. Participating in Vanished is free, and players can spend as much or as little time as they want. The premise is that people living in the future have contacted us in the present, to answer a question: what event occurred between our time and theirs that led to the loss of civilization's historical records? Students must decode clues in hidden messages, and in response find and provide information about Earth's c
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