Introducing the Physics of Complex Systems through Videogames

TL;DR

This study investigates a game-based approach to teaching physics of complex systems to high school students, focusing on phase transitions, sensitivity to initial conditions, and synchronization. It develops or adapts three NetLogo-based educational games (forest-fire percolation, chaotic magnetic pendulum, fireflies synchronization) and frames them within a cognitive-ergonomic, motivational theory to reduce counter-arguing and boost conceptual entry. The authors report qualitative student feedback showing strong enjoyment and educational potential, with insights on teaching pace, session length, and classroom integration, along with a NetLogo implementation framework. They discuss implications for cross-disciplinary pattern recognition and broader adoption in schools, while acknowledging the study's exploratory, qualitative nature and proposing future controlled studies.

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to explore a teaching methodology aimed at communicating topics and subjects not typically studied and analyzed in the (Italian) secondary school. We focused specifically on the use of videogames as a recreational and educational tool, grounding our approach in a broadened conceptual view in which engagement and attentional allocation interact with motivational and affective components of play. Within this perspective, the playful format is considered not only to enhance motivation and enjoyment, but also to attenuate learners' counter-arguing tendencies when confronted with unfamiliar or abstract material. Building on this framework, we developed or adapted several videogames whose central scientific topics are phase transitions, sensitivity to initial conditions, and synchronization. We had a certain number of high school students playing the games, and we asked them several questions to guide them and determine whether the communication was successful. At the end of the activity, we administered a questionnaire about the enjoyment and the difficulties encountered in each game, and the relevant critics.

Figures (26)

• Figure 1: The forest fire game with a density of trees smaller than the critical value. The initial fire cannot spread.
• Figure 2: The forest fire game with a critical density of trees. The cluster of burnt trees has a fractal character
• Figure 3: The forest fire game with a density of trees larger than the critical value. Almost all trees burned.
• Figure 4: Forest fire phase diagram as a function of tree density (site probability) and dimension (bond probability).
• Figure 5: The characteristic S-curve of the percentage of burned trees as a function of time.