EOS-503 is a free, publicly available roleplaying game designed to help teacher education programs compare their students’ application of instructional practices, technology integration skills, and visionary leadership with traditional evaluation measures like exams and portfolios.
Developed by and for teachers, all interactions between the player and non-player characters (NPCs) are bona fide representations of the thinking and action employed by real-world educators in real-world teaching and learning environments. This approach is particularly effective for humanities content—philosophy, history, education—where designers can help the player “think like a philosopher,” “think like a historian,” or “think like a teacher.”
Players are tasked with persuading the game’s NPCs to change their points of view, first by identifying specific cognitive theories at the heart of an NPC’s worldview, then by deciding which dialogue options have the highest probability of successfully influencing a given NPC’s thinking. Unlike multiple-choice tests or essays, EOS-503 leverages responsive roleplaying elements and branching plotlines to bring learning theory to life—every conversation incorporates multiple philosophies to be explored, and every player choice branches into dozens of potential story outcomes.
EXPLORE
Traverse the four factions of EOS-503. The Hub, People's Republic, City of Seekers, and Worker's Hold all share a home on EOS, but you won't find many similarities beyond that. From agricultural fields, to art festivals, to brutalist cities torn by political unrest, there's plenty of areas to explore. During your adventure, keep an eye out for collectibles; you may discover more about the world around you, and learning theory, through each one!
SOLVE
As EOS-503’s newest DATA Agent, you will solve social conundrums by applying contemporary theories of thinking and learning. The choices you make ripple through your conversation partners—different arguments lead to dozens of different story outcomes, increasing replayability and allowing you to reflect on the effectiveness of your recommendations for different people with different worldviews.
Although data collection is inactive by default, teacher preparation programs can contact the developers to track individual student progress via anonymized User ID Numbers. Dialogue choices, lag time, and more can be paired with portfolio and other assessment data to evaluate learner growth over time!
CUSTOMIZE
Create your own character with hundreds of cosmetic options. There are no gender-locked options, so your DATA Agent can wear the clothes and accessories you love most, and rock any hairstyle! Change up your look at any time, right from the pause menu. Customization options also extend to your living space- interact with your environment to swap out furniture colors and styles to make your space your own.
