The Lost Museum – The Internet as a Teaching Tool

“The Lost Museum” is an interesting attempt at an educational, online history game. I got a general Scooby Doo vibe from how the mystery was set up by the creators of the game. While definitely being a little dated, it is very interesting to dive into the history of the Barnum museum and how it mysteriously burned to the ground in 1865. The website is full of many different primary sources surrounding Barnum’s personal and political activities as well as information about the museum. The point of the game itself is to find clues as to who or what group may have been responsible for burning down Barnum’s museum. The biggest problem with the game is that there is an overabundance of information in the game and the in game system of collecting clues and information is very poorly designed. I think games like this would be wonderful resource for teaching and gather information. However, I think the game needs a general update where organization and design are completely overhauled and improved. Utilizing online games like this one will be a remarkably useful tool for education and getting people excited about history.