Location-based gaming is an untapped resource through which learning may be facilitated, says Nickelodeon bigwig Karen Schrier at the 2007 GDC.

Schrier, an MIT graduate, spoke to the gathering of the game community on just how useful mobile gaming can be for academic advances given the proper treatment, citing her own thesis as an example.

The thesis was a four-character roleplay which featured four characters from the American Revolution time frame. The mission was to find out who fired the first shot in the Battle of Lexington.

A block of seventh-graders were allowed to sample the game and this is how it worked: The avatar selected can be used to interact with the rest of the game's unselected characters. Through interaction, the player gets clues which may or may not help him find the answer he seeks. Schrier emphasized the concept of location-based communication by varying the response received depending on which avatar you chose and who you were talking to.

She also said that no matter what the platform used, interaction often yields learning. What makes remote interaction unique, according to her, is that there's an element of excitement involved, especially with the younger crowd. A more AI-driven online counterpart of her game is in the works.