Video Game Dreamtime Written by Ronan

Educational video games are always a bit of a bugbear for the medium. Most are either not very fun, or not very educational. But Virtual Meanjin looks set to change our ideas about the genre. Designed by visual historian Brett Leavy, the game transports players 300 years into the past, to an Australia as yet unsettled by white colonisers.

Interestingly, the project began not as an exercise in entertainment, but as a way to assist Brisbane’s Aboriginal population make Native Title claims. As a historian, part of Leavy's job was writing 'connection reports', which help Indigenous people receive recognition of property rights by proving their ongoing connection to the land. One day, Leavy had an idea: rather than write up the reports like he normally would, he decided to ‘gamify’ his research, and turn these stories into an immersive 3D simulation.

The result, which looks similar to World of Warcraft, is based on extensive research into what Brisbane and Sydney's landscapes looked like at the time. The game carefully considers everything from the topography and plants to the documented historical names and customs of the local indigenous population of the period.

The ABC made the below short video about the game, which should tide us over until the final product is released.