The perception of palaeontology in commercial off-the-shelf video games and an assessment of their potential as educational tools

Abstract

Video games now comprise the largest sector of the media entertainment industry. Hundreds of video games, spanning a huge variety of genres and platforms, use extinct animals and/or palaeontological themes as a basis for their gameplay. Because of this, many players, especially children, spend long periods of time engaging with and being immersed in palaeontological concepts and themes. Video games may be the first medium of implicit or tangential science communication they engage with, especially with regards to palaeontology. However, commercial off-the-shelf video games are not primarily designed to be educational tools, and the proliferation of some common tropes can disseminate harmful and/or unethical (mis)information regarding palaeontology. This paper introduces the major types of palaeontological video games and discusses their educational potential. We highlight the most common palaeontological tropes, both positive and negative, observed in video games to better equip science communicators regarding the perception of palaeontology (and ancient animals) in this massively influential medium that they may encounter when undertaking scientific engagement. Furthermore, by highlighting common misconceptions and harmful tropes, we aim to bring awareness to game developers, who may be unaware that they could be propagating negative tropes about palaeontological science.