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December 31, 2007

Local software company combines games, education

Katie Curley

NEWBURYPORT — Muzzy Lane Software is challenging online gamers to make history.

A company popular with schools because its games come with an educational component, Muzzy Lane is the creator of the “Making History” video game series.

The company expanded the concept this month to create an online community named “Gaming Headquarters,” where video game fans can manipulate the original game to create various historical scenarios, alter terrains, art and music and make the game their own.

The company’s flagship release a few years ago was an instant success with local high schools and colleges, which took to the game and began using it in their classrooms. In “Making History” players can choose which nation they want to be and what they are fighting for.

Whether it be a historic battle, an ideology, a win for the nation or an alliance with another country, players must deal with historically accurate economic, military and regional challenges to win the game.

“Its kind of like a cross between Axis and Allies, and Risk,” said Chris Parsons, product manager for Muzzy Lane Software.

If it sounds complicated, it is, and that is exactly what has contributed to the success of the game.

“A Salem State College professor uses the game in his history class and if you can believe it, the class was talking and getting excited about history,” Parsons said. “Students where playing against each other and saying ‘How could your country betray me like that?’”

The intricate game serves as a jumping off point for instructors to then direct the class and ask questions about strategies players took and what could have been done differently historically.

“School is the slowest part of students’ lives, in a world of iPods and cell phones and texting,” Parsons said. “Schools are still very 19th century in their teaching methods, so Muzzy Lane is asking, ‘How can we embrace the fact that students learn in a different way now?’”

For Muzzy Lane, games are a big piece of a changing educational atmosphere and Parsons has received overwhelming positive response, even bringing the game to Newburyport High School where some history classes have used it.

“Games in the classroom are a new way of teaching, an interactive way. History is not abstract anymore, you are the leader what would you do?” Parsons said.

The newest advancement of an online headquarters for fans of the game started when the company noticed various versions of the game being put online on an Internet user group.

“We trialed the site for a few weeks with our core users and have already seen some really interesting mods. One player created a Cold War scenario; another split the United States in half and created the Confederate States of America, which really changed the power structure in North America during WWII,” Parsons said. “The cool thing is that everyone can score and even write reviews for all the different mods. Besides being able to download and play the new scenarios, players can even ‘mod the mods’ to customize and improve on them for themselves and others to use.”

So far, the Web site has received positive response, Parsons said, serving a dual purpose of providing a place for people to expand on the Muzzy Lane’s original design as well as showing the company what customers want to see.

“It has inspired us to ask what else gamers want to do with the game, it gives the players ownership and in turn gives the game more legs,” Parsons said.

Currently Muzzy Lane Software, which employs 15 people at its Merrimac Street offices, is working on a project for Pearson Publishing Company as well as another project funded through Public Broadcasting Company.

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