Wayne, I didn't see your statement as a put-down, but I was wondering what point you were making about the original post. Yes, there are significant differences in how gardens and ecosystems are assembled, but what does this say about USC students' efforts to design a "gardening/ecology game"? The same basic ecological processes are at work either way.
In fact, since many of what we call natural communities are maintained by human intervention, including controlled burns, native species plantings, and exotic species removal, some have argued that such communities are just glorified gardens. Also, our management of fish and game populations is something like communal ranching. A game like this could be useful in showing how relevant basic ecological concepts are to at least one aspect of everyday life (gardening and landscaping), and how relevant cultivation is to many natural systems. I hope someone has offered to help Diane and her students with this project. Jim Crants > >> Ecolog: >>> >>> Gardening (and all cultivation) should be seen for what it is, human >>> culture manipulating its habitat/environment to suit humans rather than >>> being changed/evolved by the habitat/environment/ecosystems which, by >>> definition, are not cultivated. >>> >>> WT >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Inouye" <[email protected]> >>> To: <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 2:06 PM >>> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Help with development of a gardening/ecology teaching >>> tool (game) >>> >>> >>> Want to help the average American learn and care >>> more about the fascinating phenomena, behaviors, >>> and inter-relationships of the natural world that >>> prompted you to become an ecologist in the first place? >>> >>> A student team from University of Southern >>> California graduate schools is designing a >>> gesture-based gardening/ecology game in which the >>> game-play and logics are founded on the >>> mechanics, behaviors and interrelationships of >>> real-world animals, birds, insects and plants. >>> We're seeking specialists from fields including >>> (but not limited to) botany, ornithology, and >>> entomology willing to collaborate with us and to >>> help us design a fun, high-quality game that >>> teaches, entertains and heightens players' >>> interest in - and commitment to -- the natural world all at once. >>> >>> While this is a student project, some games (e.g. >>> The Adventures of PB Winterbottom, Reflection) >>> developed through this route at USC have received >>> commercial contracts and become commercial games. >>> Thus, work with us might help both your research >>> and you, as an individual, to obtain more >>> attention from broad, non-specialist audiences >>> than they would otherwise receive. >>> >>> Interested in contributing to and/or in learning >>> more about the game? Contact Diane Tucker at diane dot tucker at usc dot >>> edu >>> >>> >>> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>>
