Chapter 41

Waves in Journey

Lesson Overview

Title: Journey Through Waves: Sound, Light, and Energy Transfer
Subject: Science (Physics)
Age Group(s): 14–18
Tags: Waves, Physics, Sound Energy, Light Energy, Wave-Particle Duality, Gamification, Journey

Description:
This lesson uses gameplay from the video game Journey as a phenomenon to explore the properties of waves. Students will analyze how the player character uses sound and light to interact with the environment, drawing parallels to the transmission of energy, wave-particle duality, and the principles behind communication technologies.

Lesson Plan

📋 Find the full lesson plan on the companion GameClass lesson — link at the bottom of this page!

Lesson Content

I. Key Teaching Points

  • Point 1: Sound is a mechanical wave that requires a medium to travel and can transfer energy to interact with and change its environment.
  • Point 2: Light can be modeled as both a continuous wave and as discrete particles of energy (photons), and the best model to use depends on the situation.
  • Point 3: Many technologies are designed to transmit and capture information and energy by harnessing the principles of wave behavior.

II. Practical Examples

For Teaching Point 1:
In the video, the character emits a "chirp" at 0:01. This is the source of a sound wave. We see the wave's effect as it travels through the air (the medium) and activates the four tall pillars, causing them to disintegrate at 0:03. This visually demonstrates the transfer of energy from the character to the pillars via a sound wave, causing a physical change.

For Teaching Point 2:
The game provides examples supporting both models of light. The large beams of light that shine down from the sky (0:40–0:43) are best described by a wave model, showing light traveling in a straight path. However, when the character collects the glowing pieces of cloth (0:18–0:22), they are gathering discrete packets of energy to power their flight. This interaction is better explained by a particle model, where each symbol represents a "photon" that provides a measurable boost of energy.

For Teaching Point 3:
The player character acts as a biological "device" that uses waves. They transmit a signal (the sound "chirp") to get a response from the environment, similar to how sonar or radar sends out a pulse to gather information. They then capture light energy from the floating cloth pieces (0:20, 0:37) to power their flight, which is analogous to how a solar cell captures photons from sunlight and converts them into electrical energy.

End of Lesson