first fleet voyage game

Australian National Maritime Museum, The Voyage: launches today , 30 November 2015

Today we are officially launching our educational game,  The Voyage , at the Tasmanian Museum and Gallery  in Hobart.

The Voyage  is a ‘serious’ game based on the transportation of convicts from Britain to Van Diemen’s Land in the early nineteenth century. The project is a joint venture between the museum and  roar film Tasmania , the  University of Tasmania ,  Screen Australia  and  Screen Tasmania .  The Voyage  takes players on a journey from London to Van Diemen’s Land (now known as Tasmania) where, in the role of the ship’s Surgeon Superintendent, they are rewarded for the number of healthy convicts they deliver to the fledging British colony. The game is based on detailed historical data, utilising documented ship paths, convict and medical records and diaries.

Why a game for a museum? Research has shown that digital games have an enormous impact on the lives of children but their potential to improve learning has not yet been realised.  Salen (2012)  recognised the synergies between gaming and learning: “ We see a huge intersection between games and learning, partially because the way game environments are structured is a lot like what good learning looks like ”. However, relatively little is known about the ways in which students respond to different types of educational games, in different types of educational contexts, for different types of discipline or subject areas. This includes a lack of information about the difference between playing an ‘educational’ game at home, at school, or in another environment, such as a museum.

To investigate these issues further the museum partnered with Griffith University to undertake a series of studies with students in Year 9 (aged around 14–15 years) looking at their responses to playing games generally and their reactions to  The Voyage  specifically through questionnaires and focus groups. Some of the student comments included:

• “[the game]  combines audio, visual and kinaesthetic learning in a way that helps children, especially younger children who aren’t too interested in reading big blocks of text, to better absorb the information.”
• “If you were to play the game in primary school and then you were to revisit the topic in high school, you’d have a better foundation which would help you just do better in history I guess, and appreciate history.”
• “I did it  [convicts topic]  in Year Four. The method used was just sit in front of PowerPoint and try and take notes. I don’t know, but I retained just as much information from that game as I did from six hours of sitting in front of a PowerPoint learning information.”

The game is accompanied by  online resource materials  for students and teachers and a small pop-up exhibition with four text panels to accompany the game when on tour, as well as a series of four films to provide further context to the game:

• The Descendants : descendants of convicts discuss their ancestors and how discovering their stories provides historical context about their life
• The Historian : some of Australia’s leading convict historians dispel some of the myths about the voyages and convict life in general
• Women and Children : Convict historians talk about the experience of women and children convicts
• The Creators : game developers talk about some of the challenges involved in making the game fun but also historically correct

You can  play the game online now . Enjoy!

See also: Alex Blucher, Convict game The Voyage allows kids to learn history as they play , ABC news, 30 November 2015

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Convict game The Voyage allows kids to learn history as they play

A new digital learning game aimed at getting school children hooked on convict history has been launched in Hobart.

The co-production between the Australian National Maritime Museum, Tasmanian film studio Roar Film and the University of Tasmania conforms with the national curriculum.

The Voyage takes primary school students on a virtual journey from London to Tasmania in the 1830s on a convict ship.

A group of Waimea Primary School students from Year 5 and 6 have had a taste of the game during a visit to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

Will Whittington, 12, said playing a game beats hitting the books.

"Looking through a book I find tedious, and sometimes you get a bit bored of it, but you still have to do it," he said.

"But having a game means that you can play the game and learn at the same time.

"I can start to learn history without being really annoyed that I have to do history."

This makes me more interested, normally in history I find it a little bit boring.

The interactive learning tool puts students in the place of the ship's surgeon superintendent, with the responsibilities of keeping the convicts mentally and physically healthy.

Felix McPhail, 10, said he enjoyed learning convict history through the game.

"I like how it is a game, instead of a teacher up the front teaching you about it," he said.

"With all of the interactivity, it makes it feel a lot different.

"With a book you've got your imagination as your limit but this allows you to make decisions.

"This makes me more interested, normally in history I find it a little bit boring."

Waimea Heights Primary School principal Sally Gill said making learning interactive gave students a greater depth of understanding.

"It broadens the experience in the class room, it's another resource for teachers, it's the way that children of today like to engage with their learning," she said.

The games draws on the University of Tasmania's extensive historical research and a database of 10,000 archival records of people who were transported to Tasmania in the 1830s.

Funded by Screen Australia and Screen Tasmania, the game cost close to $1 million to develop over two years and was created entirely in Tasmania.

Australian National Maritime Museum director Kevin Sumption said The Voyage was available online and further resources would be rolled out in the coming months.

"We've just built a very small exhibition that we'll be sending to schools if they're interested to receive that, and we'll also be putting out an e-book," he said.

Two million primary school students in London already have access to the game.

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First Fleet convicts

Why were convicts transported to Australia? Find out about what life was like for First Fleet convicts when they got to Australia.

• Imagine you are a First Fleet convict. Write a diary entry on your daily life as a convict serving your punishment in New South Wales.
• Create an idea for a new law that you would like Australians to follow today. Write a persuasive text to convince your teacher that this should become a law.

Australian Curriculum links

Year 4 History

Stories of the First Fleet, including reasons for the journey, who travelled to Australia, and their experiences following arrival (ACHASSK085)

Year 3 Civics and Citizenship

Who makes rules, why rules are important and the consequences of rules not being followed (ACHASSK071)

Year 4 Civics and Citizenship

The differences between rules and laws, why laws are important and how they affect the lives of people, including experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACHASSK092)

Related resources

Australia's convict history: prison or paradise?

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HISTORIC ARTICLE

May 13, 1787 ce: 'first fleet' sets sail for australia.

On May 13, 1787, the “First Fleet” of military leaders, sailors, and convicts set sail from Portsmouth, England, to found the first European colony in Australia, Botany Bay.

Geography, Social Studies, World History

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On May 13, 1787, a group of over 1,400 people in 11 ships set sail from Portsmouth, England. Their destination was a vaguely described bay in the continent of Australia, newly discovered to Europeans. In a stunning feat of planning and navigation , nearly all of the voyagers survived and arrived in Botany Bay several months later.

A wide variety of people made up this legendary “First Fleet .” Military and government officials, along with their wives and children, led the group. Sailors, cooks, masons, and other workers hoped to establish new lives in the new colony .

Perhaps most famously, the First Fleet included more than 700 convicts . The settlement at Botany Bay was intended to be a penal colony . The convicts of the First Fleet included both men and women. Most were British, but a few were American, French, and even African. Their crimes ranged from theft to assault. Most convicts were sentenced to seven years’ “transportation” (the term for the sending of prisoners to a usually far-off penal colony ).

The First Fleet departed from Portsmouth, then briefly docked in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. The ships then crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they took on huge stores of supplies. Then the fleet sailed back across the Atlantic to Cape Town, South Africa, where they took on even more food, including livestock . The main portion of the journey was across the entire Indian Ocean, from Cape Town to Botany Bay —they traveled about 24,000 kilometers (15,000 miles) throughout the entire journey.

Botany Bay was not as hospitable as the group had hoped. The bay was shallow, there was not a large supply of freshwater, and the land was not fertile . Nearby, however, officers of the First Fleet discovered a beautiful harbor with all those qualities. They named it after the British Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. The day the First Fleet discovered Sydney Harbor is celebrated as Australia’s national holiday , Australia Day.

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Time to play a game

Students test out their knowledge of the journey of the First Fleet by creating a fun board game. 

This is the student activity 1 of 7 of the Journey of the First Fleet learning activity.

Teachers note: Print Resource 3: First Fleet Board Game , double-sided and in colour. Print on light cardboard if possible.   

Using everything you have learnt about the First Fleet’s journey,  make  a board game to play with your friends.  

Think  about the experiences you read about in the diary entries, flag information and in your research – can you include these in your challenge and advantage cards? 

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Australia's First Fleet : the voyage and the re-enactment 1788/1988

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First Fleet - Virtual Excursion

‘The First Fleet gathers. 10km from Botany Bay, awaiting the ‘stragglers’. On board the Convict Ship Scarborough, a double-decked, three-masted, ship-rigged, barque you wait. With the rest of your class you stand on the deck breathing fresh air for the first time in a long time… an old land and a new life awaits.’ There’s learning and then there’s learning with Education 3.0. First Fleet is a whole class, virtual world experience designed for Australian schools, built by teachers, for teachers. Live the history. The Metaverse brings education to life, learning to everyone and engagement on an unparalleled level. What are you waiting for? - www.EDUmetaverse.com.au

#education #learning #teachers #experience #schools #engagement #history #firstfleet #sydneyaustralia #maritimehistory #vr #virtuallearning #virtualrealityexperience #webxr #innovationineducation #teachertraining #teachersandschoolemployees #principalsschool Frame EDUmetaverse

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Cook's Voyages

In this new online game students undertake scientific and navigational challenges while meeting with Australia's First People in world-changing encounters. 

Cook's Voyages   explores the many achievements and actions undertaken by Cook and his crews across three incredible voyages exploring the Pacific. Importantly, this game adds a perspective 'from the shore', from Larila, a proud pakana woman from Tasmania's north-east.

In each game players choose their own missions, select their crew and choose the equipment that will allow them to succeed. The game challenges them to keep their ship afloat, their crew alive and the Admiralty happy. It also guides them in exploring a First Nations perspective on Cook's visit to Australia and gives them the chance to learn some languages from five nations along Australia's eastern coast. 

The game has been designed to meet and enliven the curriculum across a series of content areas and develop a range of skills and enquiry techniques. When played in conjunction with the resources listed below, the experience builds understanding of the historical context in which Cook's voyages took place, their scientific achievements and the ongoing impact from some of his decisions on modern Australia, and particularly on Australia's First People.

SUBJECT : HASS

Years: 3,4,5

Awards:  Winner – MAGNA (Museums and Galleries National Award) for Interpretation, Learning and Audience Engagement Judges citation – "Excellent co-design and consultation process with First Nations, and effective collaboration with First Nations communities and suppliers. A positive step towards decolonising education and presentation of Cook's invasion."

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Virtual Endeavour

The HMB Endeavour's Voyage of Exploration