Real-Life Edu-Game

For many years I’ve felt that video games are an effective teaching tool. Until recently, however, I didn’t  have a personal experience with learning through gaming. It all started a few months ago when I decided to buy a new car. My 15 year-old car had 230,000 miles on it, so it was really a no-brainer:  With my 80-mile per day commute, I was bleeding  $400 per month on gas. Since I was getting 20 MPG, I calculated that if I could get at least 40 MPG with a new car, then I would be $100 ahead a month, assuming a payment of $150, plus gas and insurance. I tried hard to justify buying a purely electric vehicle, but realized that until driving range and recharge times improve, they aren't practical for most people. So I went with the next best thing: a Prius.

I bought a used 2008  Prius with a video touch screen that shows real-time information on fuel consumption, actual MPG, battery life, and energy and charging flow, as well as the usual climate and audio controls.  It also displays a fuel-usage-over-time bar graph, which offers a handy way to review the data after my excursions.

I made a game of keeping the MPG numeric readout as  high as possible, and it completely changed my driving habits. I started driving slower, and began stopping and starting more gently. I Googled “how do i improve mpg in my Prius?” and got 430,000 hits. I read articles about “hypermiling,” the practice of taking extreme measures to squeeze out every last drop of fuel efficiency.  

No longer did I complain when a large 18-wheeler was in front of me. Following safely 100 feet behind improved my MPG significantly by taking advantage of the draft created by the semi truck. I studied the geography of my commute and learned  where to coast and where to apply gentle acceleration to maximize MPG.

I discovered that I was intuitively applying a few basic concepts for hypermiling: I would pulse and glide,  avoid breaking, and manage battery use when running purely electric by using  momentum and kinetic energy to extend the charge.
Now I am totally addicted to the game of trying to beat my last tank’s average MPG. I am experimenting with different driving techniques to see what works best. I learned about how weather conditions, tire pressure, gasoline type (yes, nonethanol super gave me nearly a 10% improvement), and cargo weight  affect fuel efficiency. Turning off the defroster saved a few MPG. I am sure there is more to learn as I seek to break the 55 MPG barrier.

Sure this exercise saved me money. But as an educator, I got something far more valuable: I discovered the power of gaming to learn information and develop good habits.