The Internet as a Game?

MIT’s Technology Review has an article up about a new startup that wants to turn the entire Internet into a massively multiplayer game:

All the Internet’s a Game

The idea is a pretty innovative one. By grafting an MMO over the existing Internet, and allowing players to build the content for the game, complete with leveling and quests, you just may revolutionize web browsing. Gamelayers has actually coined a new term for this new concept, a PMOG (or Passively Multiplayer Online Game). Their initial business plan appears to be targeted at, and this should not be a shock to anyone, businesses and advertising.

I can easily see this being adopted for use in education. A whole webquest could be laid out by a teacher for students to navigate through a subject or topic, building points as they go. Leveling up to a certain level will show the teacher that the student has completed their research. The last page in the quest tree could be an interactive test to check the student’s understanding of the subject matter.

Mashups of emerging technologies are likely to lead to some innovative ways for engaging our students. Follow the link to read all about this new PMOG concept.