Brighter futures stem from gaming
A Christchurch woman has set out to spur teenagers’ interest in education through a medium they can get on board with – video games.
Maru Nihoniho, now based in Auckland, grew up playing video games and developed a passion for them from a young age.
‘‘Friday night was fish and chip night and mum would send me up the road to the local takeaway shop in Spreydon,’’ she said.
‘‘Any change I had I’d put into the Spacies machine.’’
But it was not before she ‘‘lived life in a completely different industry’’ that she finally followed that passion.
She formed her company, Metia Interactive, about 14 years ago and has been making video games since.
‘‘When I think back about what I was interested in during my high school years – science, technical drawing and art – it makes perfect sense, what I’m doing now, because it kind of encompasses all of that.’’
Several games were produced, including internationally successful Playstation Portable game Cube, before an opportunity to do something different came about.
‘‘I had a phone call from the University of Auckland . . . about developing a game to help New Zealand teenagers that have been diagnosed with mild depression.
‘‘We basically computerised a cognitive behavioural therapy, which came to be Sparx.‘‘ Now, Nihoniho is continuing along the path of creating games which fulfil a greater purpose than entertainment, this time focusing on education.
Takaro, which means play in Te Reo, focuses on STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – because young people were ‘‘not picking up’’ on those subjects.
‘‘[The game’s] based around spatial awareness, concept thinking and problem solving.
‘‘Those kinds of things are like the concepts behind STEM subjects. If you have a good idea about these concepts . . . you’re more likely to go into those fields.’’ The irony of developing the game, which would be playable on a webbased platform, was that it would be produced as part of Nihoniho’s own education.
Nihoniho is nearing the end of a year-long masters qualification through Tech Futures Lab, and Takaro was her key project in doing so.
It would be launched in several North Island schools before its success was measured and the possibility of spreading it elsewhere was looked at.
If past experience was anything to go by, the results could prove worthwhile for the next generation of Kiwis.
Nihoniho last year became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the gaming industry and mental health, for developing Sparx.
She was also named Innovator of the year in the 2017 MCV Pacific Women in Games Awards, presented by Xbox.
The success of Takaro could be measured within the game, meaning that students could play their way to realising their potential.
‘‘It’s about giving them a taste of what the technology field could hold for them.’’