Museum of Science, gaming firm join the metaverse

Inside the Blue Wing of the Boston Museum of Science

Edited from a New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com) report

The Boston Museum of Science is teaming up with the gaming company Roblox to join the metaverse by launching an immersive online game titled ‘‘Mission: Mars”.

Using data provided by NASA, Mission: Mars will encourage players to navigate engineering challenges around the planet. Some missions will recall science fiction, such as rescuing virtual explorers, but most challenges are inspired by the experiences of real astronauts.

Staff at the museum say that the game will expand beyond just using virtual reality. Mission: Mars will be available for free at schools to encourage teachers to incorporate the game into their teaching. The museum would like to continue to develop programs using Roblox’s platform in an effort to expand access to academic resources.

The Museum of Science’s president, Tim Ritchie, said, “I think you can build and design and use your heart and your mind and your hands, so to speak, by building things and designing things in a digital world. And in fact, it’s a lot less expensive to do so. And you can reach people all over this country and all over the world.”