EUROPA - Visual mock-up from ESA study

MindArk PE AB, developer and publisher of Entropia Universe and Entropia Platform, performed a study on uses of online game technology for space education and system analysis on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2009/2010. MMO-based technology has strong ties to acquiring knowledge through discovery, collaborative problem solving and team-based learning. This is supported by the findings of the study and the project with the European Space Agency has been a great push forward for us in this area. MindArk´s interest in implementing educational content inside online games was sparked by our previous discussions with NASA about their online game plans. said Christian Björkman, MindArks Chief Marketing Officer. Besides applying our current experience from the global video game industry, the work on the study has helped MindArk in finding new means of mixing technical and educational content with entertainment in Entropia Universe. Working with ESA has made us ready to move on to the next level, ready to work with industry partners in building qualitative, engaging and top-class game content for online environments that will be both entertaining and motivating. The study was performed to assess options for ESA with regards to using online game technology, specifically in the areas of outreach/promotion, education and collaborative engineering. MindArk has produced this visual mock-up based on a live game environment in Entropia Universe to illustrate the feasibility of the study findings. Showing human planetary exploration on Jupiter's moon Europa in a distant future, the mock-up demonstrates exploratory game play while highlighting learning aspects and multi-player event possibilities in an immersive online game.