Projects

Albatross
3 November 2021

Project Albatross

Project Leader
Dr. Philippe Beaulieu-B.
Project Manager
Thomas Changarathil
Thomas Changarathil

 

 

 

 

 

Game Designer
David Nguyen

 

Concept Artist
Cyrena Sitter
Cyrena Sitter

Vision

Collectively designing scalable transformative game-based learning experiences supporting professional military, defence and security education required to face the complex challenges of the 21st century.

Mission

Developing game-based learning systems providing cutting edge learning capabilities “anytime, anywhere” enhancing the critical and creative thinking required for navigating today’s complex security environment.

Innovation

Project Albatross will seize the emerging trend of leveraging war gaming in professional military education and steer it towards the entertainment game industry’s cutting-edge advancement in creating immersive and playful learning experiences. By fusing game design, engaging narrative, and immersive environments , this learning experience will promote seamless learning of holistic security issues and self, organizational and environmental awareness for players to become reflective in action.

This groundbreaking game-based learning experience will be tailored for a new generation of officers and public servants as they will be the primary playtesters and quality assurance from initial conceptual design all the way to alpha and beta testing. Underpinning the engaging game design, the learning component enhancing officer’s cognitive edge is triangulated with the global leading expertise in military design & planning represented by the Archipelago of design network. For further information on the innovative ideas supporting the project, we invite you to browse the Albatross Playbook – a collection of compiled resources covering the transformative potential of play.

Prototyping session from Albatross Workshop June 2021.

Project status

Following a successful prototyping workshop in Copenhagen June 2021, Project Albatross has initiated the development and testing of its game based learning system reaching a beta tabletop version in December 2021. We are currently polishing this beta version including by developing the art required to better immerse players in the scenario and convey the game vision to potential partners. In May 2022, the project team in collaboration with the AOD network will further develop the game master feature finding inspiration from facilitated role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, Genesys, and Paranoia. In June 2022, 40 students taking part to Canadian Forces College’s Joint Command and Staff Programme Advanced Joint Warfighting Studies Stream will be playing the game as part of the curriculum. The project team is currently looking for opportunities to partner with publishers, investors and or sponsors  to enable the digital development of the project planned for September 2022 onwards. Please contact project leader Philippe Beaulieu-Brossard (pbeaulieub@aodnetwork.ca) if you are interested in further information or potential collaboration. 

 

Partners

Project Albatross is supported by the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program of the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND), the Centre of Military Studies (CMS) University of Copenhagen, Service Canada and the Canadian Forces College (CFC).