Physical Reality in Video Games

In this unit, students review the principles of mechanics by applying these principles to video game worlds. Students begin with an informal analysis of how principles of mechanics are represented or violated in a variety of video games. They learn to be more precise in their analyses by calculating physical properties of the game worlds. They investigate gravity in the real world and adapt their methods and calculations in order to investigate gravity in a video game world. To review other principles of mechanics, students contribute to a class Mechanics Review Handbook.

Unit Project Description
Students work in teams to analyze a video game in depth, sharing their findings in a presentation that describes how the principles of mechanics are represented in the game and how these representations affect game play.

Media and Resources
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