Online Community Provides Educators with STEM-focused Curriculum
Tools Based on Award-Winning SimCity Videogame
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic
Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), in collaboration with GlassLab, today
announced SimCityEDU is in development, an online educational community
based on the award-winning SimCityTM videogame.
SimCityEDU will serve as a resource for classroom teachers who have a
strong interest in utilizing digital platforms as a learning tool to
drive student interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) subjects*.
SimCity - inspiring the next generation through play. (Photo: Business Wire)
Educators will be able to create and share digital SimCity-based
lesson plans that will encourage students to think critically about the
challenges facing modern cities. In the classroom, SimCity will
be more than a game — it will be a way for the next generation of
leaders to hone their skills through urban planning, environmental
management and socio-economic development.
"For decades, SimCity has been embraced by the educational
community as an engaging videogame that also provides a powerful
learning experience, teaching problem solving skills through imaginative
civic gameplay," said Lucy Bradshaw, Senior Vice President and General
Manager of EA's Maxis Label. "We want to up the ante of SimCity's
educational influence. Through our partnership with GlassLab, SimCity will
become the foundation of a program to re-imagine learning in a way that
will inspire today's youth to get excited about STEM education and
become the problem solvers of tomorrow."
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter hosted a panel today, titled "Learn.
Build. Create.: Connected Learning Over the Next Four Years" at the
United States Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. Featuring a
diverse group of panelists including Special Assistant to the President
for Education Policy Roberto Rodriguez, MacArthur Foundation Director of
Education for U.S. Programs Constance Yowell, and musician and
philanthropist John Legend, the group engaged in a discussion on the
importance of community-centered, connected learning. The discussion
focused on public-private partnerships with a goal to advance STEM
education, including EA and GlassLab's collaborative effort on
SimCityEDU.
To learn more about forthcoming SimCityEDU project and about the SimCity
videogame, which will be released worldwide from March 5, please visit www.SimCity.com.
* SimCityEDU's curriculum and tools will be correlated to U.S. Common
Core standards.
About SimCity
Throughout its history, SimCity has engaged actively with
teachers, students and education organizations to inspire new ways of
learning and change the way students see the world around them. These
programs have inspired a generation of city planners, architects and
mayors. With its return, SimCity will engage an entirely new
generation of PC and Mac gamers as they take charge of their own
customized cities and build a world that co-exists alongside friends.
For the first time in SimCity franchise history, players'
decisions will have long-lasting repercussions that will extend beyond
their city limits. Together, players will address real global challenges
such as climate change, the search for renewable resources and natural
disasters. It's up to the players to decide whether to compete or
collaborate to shape the world of tomorrow — for better or for worse.
SimCity is scheduled to release on March 5, 2013. To stay
up-to-date on the latest regarding SimCity please visit http://www.SimCity.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 250 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and
Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
SimCity, Maxis, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic
Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and
Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE
AB. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective
owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective owners.
About GlassLab
GlassLab is a non-profit bringing together leaders in the commercial
games industry and experts in learning and assessment to leverage
digital games as powerful, data-rich learning and assessment
environments. By integrating learning and formative assessment in a
single engaging experience, the Lab aims to deliver students and
teachers pioneering tools that improve the process of learning and
accelerate progress on the path toward college and career.
GlassLab represents a groundbreaking collaboration between Institute of
Play, Electronic Arts, Entertainment Software Association, Educational
Testing Service, Pearson's Center for Digital Data, Analytics & Adaptive
Learning, and others. GlassLab is supported by grants from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation.
For more information about GlassLab, please visit http://www.instituteofplay.org/work/projects/glasslab/
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130118006002/en/
EA
Erik Reynolds, 650-628-7902 (Media)
Senior PR Director
ereynolds@ea.com
Deborah
Coster, 650-628-5097 (Media)
PR Director
dcoster@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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