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Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.

The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.

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Click Archaeology

by Ian Bogost November 6, 2008

categories: Advergames , Educational Games

To promote a week of programming about expeditions, from the pyramids to outer space, National Geographic has created an expedition game in which players are tasked to find artifacts which they can exchange for virtual cash. Each night during the week of November 16-23, a different show will air and special codes will be announced to facilitate different adventures.

The game has high production value; it features a pretty sophisticated (if slightly awkward) avatar creation tool. From what I can tell, the actual gameplay is mostly hunt-click find the object style, but perhaps that will change as new missions are introduced.

Comments (2)

There's sort of an odd message here - get artifacts and treasures, exchange them for money. That's not what I'd call a progressive message about archaeology's goals.

That said, when do we get a full blown archaeology MMO? Sounds fun to me :^)

Tim Holt on November 11, 2008 6:20 PM

Hmm. This game "sucks"...

My first mission is to go to an excavation in Athens to find the Code of Hammurabi. Need I remind the National Geographic that Greece is not Mesopotamia .

When I do get to Athens, I have to play "Where's Waldo" to find a Green Chair, Stack of Cups, a "Birdie" and a Gold Bar amongst what basically looks like a garbage dump (hole in ground, all kinds of stuff in it).

After failing to find the items in 5 minutes (I blame my 47 year old eyes), I had a second chance to repeat the mission -- this time to find a Video Camera, Mouse, Green Tent and a Short Trowel. Succeeding this time, I was rewarded with finding...

The Sun Stone of Tenochtitlan!!!!!

All those years they laughed when I told them the real stone could be found in Athens. Maybe they'll listen now when I say that the Code of Hammurabi is deep below an Inuit village in an ice cave.

OK enough sarcasm. But one seriously has to ask, what in the world does this have to do with archaeology? With history? What did I possibly learn from this game beyond high production values do not make a good game.

PS
Seriously, when do we get the Archaeology MMO?

PPS
After going to Athens to find the Code of Hammurabi, and finding the Sun Stone of Tenochtitlan (by finding a Video Camera, Mouse, Green Tent and a Short Trowel), my "passport" was stamped with an immigration stamp from... JAPAN! Awesome!

Tim Holt on November 17, 2008 8:55 PM