There are surely no better ways to learn about genetic inheritance than looking after a cute blob character until its old enough to mate, then tracking down a similar beast with the required genetic tendencies. This is the theory behind Thingdom, a free Flash game just launched on the Science Museum website.
Designed to tie in with the teen-friendly 'Who am I?' gallery in the museum's Wellcome Wing, this is essentially a virtual pet sim, taking its interface cues from the Tamagotchi phenomenon. Here, though, you don't just select and care for your little 'Thing' (by feeding it, playing with it and stroking it), you are also given mating tasks, which require you to, ahem, 'get busy' with a partner that meets the required genetic shopping list.
Each Thing has a set of genes which govern its shape, size, colour and skin patterns, and the idea is, players will learn about the random nature of inheritance. Plus, if you mate a green Thing with a red one, the colour of your offspring will depend on which hues are carried as dominant or recessive genes – so you need to work out the most favourable combinations.
It's all beautifully presented, with simple, stylised visuals and plenty of fact boxes to get across the science part. There are even little mini-games where your Thing must impress a potential partner by performing tricks like successfully skipping over a rope. Fans are able to save their progress, tracing the ancestry of each Thing as they go through the game; and through subsequent generations of their Thing ancestry. There's also Facebook and Twitter support so you can freak your friends out by telling them you've just become parent to a green flowery orb.
The game was developed over six months as a joint project between the museum and creative agency Preloaded, previously responsible for the compelling Channel 4 Education game Trafalgar Origins, which I blogged about a while back. It's definitely worth a look, not just for students, but also for any prospective parents out there wanting to know exactly what they're letting their genes in for...
