Earlier in the year, I wrote a six-part series on the benefits and possible applications of gamification and games in a classroom setting. During the series, I discussed a number of platforms and tools teachers could use to gamify a classroom, as well as some ways pre-made games could be used to teach; however, near the end of the series I discovered a tool that so uniquely embodied many of these values that it merits a blog post of its own.

However, to explain this tool, I have to first quickly define a term from the gaming world.

An MMORPG (MMO for short) is an acronym for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, and defines a genre of video game where a large number of players interact with each other online in an open world setting. Players of MMOs create their own player characters, can level up by going on missions and earning experience, and interact freely with other people playing around the world. The main appeal of these games is that they can be played any number of ways, based on what the player finds enjoyable –because the world is open, there’s no one standard way to play.  Some of the most popular MMOs, like World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls Online, attract thousands of players every year, all of which end up with their own unique gaming experience.

Of course, some teachers may be asking themselves why I’m spending so much time defining a simple term. This is because this term is nearly a complete description of the educational tool of this post: an MMO known as The Radix Endeavor.

Developed by MIT and backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, The Radix Endeavor is “designed to develop an immersive virtual learning experience supporting high school math and biology instruction.”

In the Radix Endeavor, students can do all the things they would do in any other MMO: Customize their character…Complete quests and gain experience…

And explore and complete missions with their friends.

The main difference between the Radix Endeavor and other MMOs, however, is not in the mechanics: it’s in the content. The quests created for the game are designed to address specific concepts in STEM subjects and disciplines, and align with middle and high school Common Core Mathematics requirements as well as Next Generation Science Standards. This alignment is achieved because the quests in the game require students to use math and scientific knowledge in realistic ways in order to successfully play. For example, instead of weapons and armor, students use equipment like the Critter Catcher, the Measure Tool, the Big Book of Diseases, and even (I won’t lie, I laughed at this one) the Stool Tool.

Depending on the questline they follow, players of the Radix Endeavor may end up saving their village’s animals with their knowledge of ecology,

haggling in the marketplace using algebra skills,

Observing the evolution of animals in different parts of the game world,

And much, much more!

To keep student use aligned with their educational goals, teachers can set up servers of the Radix Endeavor especially for their classes. When students log on to the server, the people they interact with are all members of their class, which will ensure that any teaming up they do is a class-exclusive collaboration rather than playing with strangers. Teachers can then assign series of quests for their students to complete as homework or class assignments, customizing the experience to suit their own curriculum.

The platform also provides special login permissions for classroom teachers who sign up for the game, which includes additional tools for managing and tracking their class’ progress. The teacher dashboard even provides connecting questions educators can use to add depth to each questline.

The game was released as a public pilot in early 2014, but since has been made available for widespread use. Teachers can create a free account to play through a few quests and explore the dashboard before setting up new classes, and then add their students into the experience with no additional cost–the whole game’s free!

While it’s still relatively unknown, The Radix Endeavor one of the most refreshing takes on game-based education that I have seen in a long while, seamlessly integrating the fun and structure of an MMO with math and science principles. If you’re a math or biology teacher, I’d wholeheartedly recommend you try it. Even if you’re not a gamer, it might be exactly what you need to connect with your game-loving kids.