8 things NASA needs to get right
Filed under: Real life, Sci-fi, Culture, Game mechanics, New titles, Tips and tricks, Opinion, Education
As mentioned previously here, NASA is in the process of gathering information from the public on how best to proceed with designing their proposed educational MMO. If you've been feeling doubt about their ability to pull this off, then you'll want to read this blogpost, entitled Eight Steps to The Stars: How NASA Can Make A Successful Massively Multiplayer Online Game. This was written by BJ West, a former colleague of mine from our days at Atari (Warning: occasional NSFW language).BJ is a man who cares passionately about space exploration, so it was without surprise, and a good deal of pleasure, that I came across his list of things NASA needs to do to make this work:
- It's about people, not science
- Make it dangerous
- Make it social
- Make it big
- Show me, don't tell me
- Failure is not only an option, it's necessary
- Embrace the past, embrace the future
- Rise above NASA culture

















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GRT said on 1:03PM 1-31-2008
Wow, that image is in pretty bad taste....
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akela.talamasca said on 1:10PM 1-31-2008
Take a closer look at it. It's the Straw Shuttle from an article by The Onion. http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50100
Believe me, no one is more sensitive about the NASA tragedies than I am. I was watching with my class when Challenger exploded, in the same classroom as Ellison Onizuka's niece. It was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen. Give me a little credit for sense!
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GRT said on 6:17PM 1-31-2008
My apologies, then.
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B.J. West said on 11:22PM 1-31-2008
Thanks for the linkage, brother! Your trail of bread crumbs lead project manager Daniel Laughlin to my blog! Maybe NASA can pull this off after all!
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