Pest Quest: A Game of Strategy, Uncertainty, and Sticky Traps

Journal of Integrated Pest Management, (2022) 13(1): 23; 1–7 https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmac019 Surveys and Needs Assessments Surveys and Needs Assessments Pest Quest: A Game of Strategy, Uncertainty, and Sticky Traps 1 Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA, 2Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, 3College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA, and 4Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Subject Editor: Erin Hodgson Received 15 June 2022; Editorial decision 29 August 2022 Abstract Educational games are employed to teach a variety of scientific skills and concepts. We evaluated Pest Quest, a co-operative tabletop game designed to teach about Integrated Pest Management. In it, students worked together to protect a farm from insect pests by scouting and making sound treatment decisions. We gave students in an introductory, nonmajors entomology course assessments of their Integrated Pest Management knowledge and attitudes toward agriculture before and after playing a digital port of the game. We also administered a postgame survey to gauge students’ opinions and feelings about the game. Pest Quest proved engaging and accessible, with students enjoying the game and having the impression it helped them learn. However, this conclusion was not captured in our assessments. We provide access to physical and digital versions of Pest Quest and suggestions for more effective implementation in entomology and agriculture classrooms. Key words: serious game, educational game, IPM education, game-based learning The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) framework offers a way to balance pest suppression in agricultural, urban, veterinary, and other settings with the need to minimize chemical pest control practices’ negative effects on human and environmental health (Baker et al. 2020). In agriculture, growers implementing IPM integrate multiple pest suppression tactics, monitor pest populations to know when they reach damaging thresholds, and communicate with the public, with scientists, and among themselves (Dara 2019). Chemical pesticides are ideally used only when pests threaten economic loss greater than the cost of treatment and should be applied with care and precision to minimize harm to beneficial insects, the wider environment, and human health. IPM can make agriculture more economically and environmentally sustainable, as well as more socially acceptable (Flint 2012, Dara 2019). College courses in entomology, crop and soil science, agronomy, environmental science, and related fields cover IPM concepts in various ways. This is important even for students not pursuing careers in agriculture or pest management, as with fewer people than ever directly involved in agriculture, especially in industrialized economies, people are increasingly disconnected from it (Sutherland et al. 2020). Due to this, public perception of modern agriculture is rife with misinformation about pesticides and genetic modification (Mesnage et al. 2020, Saleh et al. 2021), often proliferating through social media. Educational tools that increase awareness of the necessity of pesticides as well as modern agricultural practices devoted to reducing their use therefore serve multiple purposes. Students ought to learn about the necessity of crop protection from an economic perspective and gain a broader appreciation for data-driven techniques, such as IPM, that reduce inputs where possible. Educational games may be one way to raise awareness about crop protection and IPM concepts. Games can aid in student retention of subject matter (Cheng and Annetta 2012, Girard et al. 2013, Cagiltay et al. 2015) and facilitate cooperative learning as students interact with one another during play (Nadolski et al. 2008, da Silva Júnior et al. 2020). Games featuring simulations of real-life systems also enable students to learn by doing as they interact with the game itself (Fernández Galeote and Hamari 2021). There are numerous examples of educational games used to teach agriculture and natural sciences more broadly in undergraduate settings, such as Insect World (Cosme et al. 2020), Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized (Martindale and Weiss 2020), Game of Piglets (Klit et al. 2018), and Serious Game in AgroEcology (SEGAE) (Jouan et al. 2021). © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 Maxwell S. Helmberger,1,4, Timothy P. Lampasona,2 Amanda R. Lorenz,1 and Matthew J. Grieshop1,3 2 Games can also be used for outreach, such as the Spotted-Stop-It game, which teaches spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) identification and management to the public (de la Vega et al. 2022). Thus, we designed and evaluated Pest Quest, a cooperative tabletop game for up to four players (Fig. 1). It is meant to increase knowledge of IPM terminology, IPM philosophy, and factors influencing pest management decisions in agriculture. IPM is a complex topic rooted in ecology and economics, which can be difficult to conceptualize. However, strategy games such as Pest Quest can help condense the topic into a more easily digestible lesson. Pest Quest Description players decide whether they will apply Insecticide Cards, which ones they will apply, and where on the field they will apply them. The game’s three Insecticide Cards differ in their cost, effectiveness against pests, and danger posed to natural enemies and pollinators. During these two phases, players can also buy Item Cards such as sticky traps or backpack sprayers, which have a variety of beneficial effects. At the end of each season, players compare their crop yield to their input costs (Insecticide and Item Cards) and losses from pest damage, to determine that season’s profit or loss. The game is available as a printable, paper version in the supplementary material and via Google Drive (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MvWv8 HbfVNO9TgHsX76l3PGWsKiBBrRB) and a digital version via the digital board game platform Screentop.gg (https://screentop.gg/@ Vermivorax/pest-quest-class). Screentop.gg is free to use and does not require players to create an account or download software. Classroom Evaluation We evaluated the game in Michigan State University’s Pests, Society, and Environment, a nonmajors entomology course held remotely during the Fall 2021 semester. We administered a consent form for students to sign and return, in compliance with our university’s Institutional Review Board protocol (STUDY00006413). Ten weeks into the semester, students played a previous version of the game’s digital port, which was identical except for being hosted on a different platform, Fig. 1. Example images of Pest Quest: (A) the printed version, (B) the digital version hosted on Screentop.gg, (C) Field Cards representing pests and beneficial insects, (D) Item Cards, (E) Insecticide Cards, and (F) Cultivar Cards. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 A full game of Pest Quest simulates three growing seasons of operating a farm and managing its insect pests. For each season, players choose a cultivar of the game’s abstracted crop. The three available cultivars differ in their potential yields, the dependence of those yields on pollinators, and their susceptibility to pests. They then lay out a face-down grid of 36 Field Cards, which represent both their crop and the various insects inhabiting it; primary pests (minor and major infestations), secondary pests, pollinators, and natural enemies. Next, players take turns scouting the field by flipping some of the Field Cards face-up, gaining a limited picture of what insects are present in their field and where. After scouting, Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 1 Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 1 3 Table 1. List of statements used in each assessment IPM Terminology (For each statement below, indicate whether you think the statement is true. | Yes—Probably—I don’t know—Not likely—No) For the first three sets, asterisks (*) indicate incorrect statements. Table 2. Diagram of the scores resulting for each response to a correct or incorrect statement Response Yes Probably I don’t know Not likely No Score (correct statement) Score (incorrect statement) 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 Tabletopia (https://tabletopia.com). Two days before playing, we provided students with a tutorial video explaining Pest Quest’s rules and a guide to Tabletopia’s online interface. In class on the day of play, we demonstrated one season of the game to the students before sending them into breakout rooms, then acted as docents throughout the rooms to help students with rules and technical questions. In addition to the game, students completed three assessments; two pre-assessments and one post-assessment, to gauge their knowledge of IPM and attitudes toward agriculture and pest management. We administered the two pre-assessments at the beginning of the semester and then 0–2 d before playing the game (assigned outside of class). The post-assessment was administered 5 d after students played the game, along with an opinion survey to gauge students’ experience with the game itself. The pre- and post-assessments consisted of four sets of 4–8 statements. The first three sets each aligned with one of Pest Quest’s learning goals (IPM terminology, IPM philosophy, and IPM decision-making). Statements were either correct or incorrect and students were asked whether they thought each was true, responding with Yes, Probably, I don’t know, Not likely, or No. The fourth set of statements assessed students’ attitudes toward agriculture and pest management and students responded with whether they agreed or disagreed with each statement. All statements are listed in Table 1. Students’ responses to the first three sets of statements were assigned numerical scores of 0–4 depending on accuracy. For example, answering ‘No’ to an untrue statement would result in a score of 4, answering ‘Probably’ to a true statement would result in a score of 3, and answering ‘Yes’ to an untrue statement would result in a score of 0 (Table 2). We conducted all statistical analysis in R (R Core Team 2021). Using data from students who both played the game in class and completed all three assessments (n = 33), we tested for significant score differences between the three test times with Friedman tests and post hoc Nemenyi multiple comparisons tests when the initial Friedman tests revealed significant results. We also used these tests to look for differences in students’ attitudes toward agriculture, as assessed by the fourth set of statements. Finally, we determined whether students’ previous knowledge of pest management or experience with strategy games affected their enjoyment or perception of Pest Quest. We used Spearman rankorder correlation tests to look for correlation between students’ responses to the first two questions on the player opinion survey, which asked students to rate their knowledge of insect pest management and experience with strategy games before playing Pest Quest, and their responses to each of the eight questions assessing their experience with the game. Player Experience Students found the Tabletopia interface difficult to use and taxing on their Internet connections, especially while still using Zoom to Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 1. Most nongrain crops depend on pollinators for high yields. 2. Secondary pests are pests that damage crops later in the season than primary pests.* 3. Extension agents primarily help farmers by connecting them to new markets for their crops.* 4. Natural enemies are predatory, parasitic, or pathogenic organisms that can attack pests. IPM Philosophy (For each statement below, indicate whether you think the statement is true. | Yes—Probably—I don’t know—Not likely—No) 1. Insecticides applied to kill pests can kill beneficial insects. 2. Applying insecticides on a consistent schedule is the best way to protect crops.* 3. Scouting your field for pests should guide your decisions of when to apply insecticides. 4. Combining multiple pest control tactics is rarely more effective than relying on a single good insecticide.* 5. Insecticides are always effective at killing pests.* IPM Decision-Making (For each statement below, indicate whether you think the statement is true. | Yes—Probably—I don’t know—Not likely—No) 1. The cost of insecticides should factor into whether or not you apply them. 2. A crop’s economic value does not typically influence how often you apply insecticides.* 3. More selective insecticides are often more expensive than insecticides targeting a broad range of insects and/or other organisms. 4. A crop’s susceptibility to pests can influence how often you apply insecticides. 5. Insecticides that are safer for beneficial insects are often more effective against pests as well.* Attitudes Toward Agriculture (For each of the following statements, indicate whether you agree or disagree. | Strongly Disagree—Disagree—Neither agree nor disagree—Agree—Strongly Agree) 1. Farmers have a difficult job. 2. Farmers have an important job. 3. Farmers face a lot of uncertainty in their job. 4. It takes a lot of knowledge and skill to be a successful farmer. 5. Applying pesticides is always harmful. 6. Pesticides are a tool to be used when needed. 7. It’s easy to preserve pollinators and natural enemies while remaining economically viable. 8. I prefer purchasing organic produce to conventional produce. 4 Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 1 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 Fig. 2. Students’ responses to the player opinion survey (n = 38). communicate. This and other technical difficulties meant that not all groups of students could complete three full seasons of the game, though most were able to play at least one season within the 90-minute class period. Despite the difficulties, players enjoyed the game, with 84% of respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing to such (Fig. 2) and 82% of respondents enjoyed interacting with the other students in their groups. Students also felt the game improved their understanding of insect pest management (63%), the advantages and disadvantages of pesticides (71%), and the economics of farming (74%). They also found our efforts to teach the game useful, with 94–97% of respondents finding the Tabletopia interface tutorial, tutorial video, and in-class play session very or somewhat useful. In open-ended comments, students praised the game’s challenge, strategy, and Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 1 5 Table 3. Students’ mean scores on each question over the three assessment times Statement p-Value Postassessment score (Mean ± SE) 2.76 ± 0.14a 3.03 ± 0.15ab 3.27 ± 0.14b 7.106 0.029 2.0 ± 0.18a 2.15 ± 0.21a 1.61 ± 0.19a 2.561 0.278 1.79 ± 0.13a 1.36 ± 0.16a 1.42 ± 0.19a 3.288 0.193 2.88 ± 0.17a 3.27 ± 0.16a 3.33 ± 0.19a 5.197 0.074 3.3 ± 0.17a 3.73 ± 0.10a 3.64 ± 0.15a 2.909 0.234 2.12 ± 0.25a 2.36 ± 0.25a 1.97 ± 0.23a 2.015 0.365 2.85 ± 0.17a 3.58 ± 0.15b 3.64 ± 0.10b 10.924 0.004 2.61 ± 0.19a 2.33 ± 0.26a 2.61 ± 0.25a 0.470 0.791 3.15 ± 0.16a 3.09 ± 0.19a 2.88 ± 0.22a 0.742 0.690 2.64 ± 0.21a 2.85 ± 0.25ab 3.30 ± 0.17b 6.470 0.039 2.33 ± 0.19a 3.24 ± 0.16b 2.91 ± 0.20ab 12.591 0.002 2.91 ± 0.13a 3.18 ± 0.13ab 3.52 ± 0.12b 7.015 0.030 3.12 ± 0.11a 3.42 ± 0.14a 3.52 ± 0.12a 5.742 0.057 2.06 ± 0.17a 2.15 ± 0.23a 1.91 ± 0.23a 0.470 0.791 A score of 0 is lowest and a score of 4 is highest. Different letters a and b refer to significantly differing scores. cooperative nature. When asked what they would change about the game, most suggested a change of platform or clearer instructions. Students’ enjoyment of the game did not significantly correlate with their self-assessed background knowledge of insect pest management (Spearman’s rank sum test, S = 9160.2, p = 0.989) or experience with strategy games (Spearman’s rank sum test, S = 10793, p = 0.277). We found no other significant correlations (Supp Table S1 [online only]). Student Learning Students’ perceptions of their learning were, for the most part, not reflected in their responses to the pre- and post-assessments (Table 3). We found no significant differences in students’ response scores for any statement between the second pre-assessment and postassessment, the timespan over which we could attribute a change to the game alone. For some statements, we found significance between other time points. Students’ responses to Most non-grain crops depend on pollinators for high yields scored higher on the postassessment (mean ± standard error 3.27 ± 0.14) than on the first pre-assessment (2.76 ± 0.14) (Friedman posthoc Nemenyi test, Q = 7.106, p = 0.029). For Scouting your field for pests should guide your decisions of when to apply insecticides, students scored higher on the second pre-assessment (3.58 ± 0.15) and post-assessment (3.64 ± 0.10) than on the first pre-assessment (2.85 ± 0.17) (Friedman posthoc Nemenyi test, Q = 10.924, p = 0.004). Scores for The cost of insecticides should factor into whether or not you apply them increased from the first pre-assessment (2.64 ± 0.21) to the post-assessment (3.30 ± 0.17) (Friedman posthoc Nemenyi test, Q = 6.470, p = 0.039). Scores for A crop’s economic value does not typically influence how often you apply insecticides (incorrect) increased from the first pre-assessment (2.33 ± 0.19) to the second pre-assessment (3.24 ± 0.16) (Friedman posthoc Nemenyi test, Q = 12.591, p = 0.002). Finally, scores for More selective insecticides are often more expensive than insecticides targeting a broad range of insects and/or other organisms increased from the first pre-assessment (2.91 ± 0.13) to the post-assessment (3.52 ± 0.12) (Friedman posthoc Nemenyi test, Q = 7.015, p = 0.030). We observed no significant changes in students’ attitudes toward agriculture (Fig. 3). Suggestions for Classroom Implementation Both the tabletop and digital versions of Pest Quest are available for classroom use. The tabletop version is easier to play as students do not have to learn the controls for the digital version’s interface. It also more directly facilitates group interaction. However, printing and cutting out enough copies, especially for a large course, can be a significant time investment. The digital version allows for remote play and is best for online courses, hybrid courses, or in-person Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 IPM terminology Most non-grain crops depend on pollinators for high yields. (Correct) Secondary pests are pests that damage crops later in the season than primary pests. (Incorrect) Extension agents primarily help farmers by connecting them to new markets for their crops. (Incorrect) Natural enemies are predatory, parasitic, or pathogenic organisms that can attack pests. (Correct) IPM philosophy Insecticides applied to kill pests can kill beneficial insects. (Correct) Applying insecticides on a consistent schedule is the best way to protect crops. (Incorrect) Scouting your field for pests should guide your decisions of when to apply insecticides. (Correct) Combining multiple pest control tactics is rarely more effective than relying on a single good insecticide. (Incorrect) Insecticides are always effective at killing pests. (Incorrect) IPM decision-making The cost of insecticides should factor into whether or not you apply them. (Correct) A crop’s economic value does not typically influence how often you apply insecticides. (Incorrect) More selective insecticides are often more expensive than insecticides targeting a broad range of insects and/or other organisms. (Correct) A crop’s susceptibility to pests can influence how often you apply insecticides. (Correct) Insecticides that are safer for beneficial insects are often more effective against pests as well. (Incorrect) Q statistic Pre-assessment 2 score (mean ± SE) Pre-assessment 1 score (mean ± SE) 6 Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 1 courses held in lecture halls without suitable surfaces for playing a tabletop game. However, playing the digital version requires that everyone have a computer (or mobile device, but some Screentop.gg actions are difficult on a mobile device and so at least one player per group should ideally have a computer) and a stable Internet connection. It also requires students to learn the few keyboard and mouse controls required to manipulate the virtual game components. We include a brief guide to the Screentop.gg interface in the supplementary material. A single 50–110-minute class period is likely not long enough to make it through three seasons of the game. Therefore, we only recommend a full playthrough for longer sessions such as labs (lab facilities often also have more suitable seating arrangements for the tabletop version) or if two class periods are devoted to the game, with students learning the rules and playing a practice season in the first one. For a single 80–110-minute class, we recommend having students play only two seasons, making sure to pick a different cultivar for the second season. In a single 50-minute class, each group should play only one season, with the groups evenly divided between all three cultivars. Postgame discussions interrogating students’ gameplay actions and decisions can clarify or reinforce concepts learned during play (Bado 2019). This was not possible for us to do in the current evaluation, but we have nevertheless included a list of discussion topics to accompany Pest Quest in the Supplementary Material. Some questions have students examine their final season’s Field, so they should be warned not to put the cards away or exit the Screentop.gg client until the end of the discussion. Conclusions As a classroom exercise, Pest Quest successfully engaged nonmajor entomology students with basic IPM concepts and the environmental and economic factors influencing management decisions. Students enjoyed the game, and the fact that their past IPM knowledge or strategy game experience had no significant correlation with their enjoyment or ease of play speaks to the game’s accessibility. However, students are not always the best judges of their own learning (Van Sickle 2016), and their perceptions of such were not backed up by our measurements. Student scores in some areas of our assessment significantly improved over the entire course (between the first pre-assessment and post-assessment), possibly indicating that course and game together improved student understanding of those concepts. The lack of significant improvements due to the game alone can be attributed to several factors. First, the rules and mechanics of any educational game present a barrier students must overcome before they can play and learn from it. This problem is magnified when playing a tabletop game on a digital platform, as students must also learn the mouse and keyboard controls required to manipulate the game as opposed to intuitively doing so by hand. This is why we switched the public host of the game from Tabletopia to its current home of Screentop.gg, as its interface is simpler and more friendly to first-time users. In addition, our assessment methods likely could have been designed to better detect what kinds of learning the game promotes. The single-group, pre- and post-test experimental design we employed opens the door to several potential confounding variables, Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 Fig. 3. Students’ attitude toward agriculture responses (n = 33). Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2022, Vol. 13, No. 1 Acknowledgments We thank numerous playtesters, including Laura Nixon, Julie Cotton, Sam Grieshop, Allison Zahorec, James Chartreuse, Robin Fisher, Ariana Hernandez, Keith Koonter, Sola Anderson, and Jeremy Wendland, for guiding development of the current version of the game. We also thank all Pests, Society, and Environment students who participated in this study. Special thanks to Anne Nielsen, Randa Jabbour, and Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, who, along with author Matthew Grieshop, served as character models for the four roles. References Cited Bado, N. 2019. Game-based learning pedagogy: a review of the literature. Inter. Learn. Environ. 30:1–13. Baker, B. P., T. A. Green, and A. J. Loker. 2020. Biological control and integrated pest management in organic and conventional systems. Biol. Control. 140: 104095. Cagiltay, N. E., E. Ozcelik, and N. S. Ozcelik. 2015. The effect of competition on learning in games. Comput. Educ. 87: 35–41. Cheng, M. -T., and L. Annetta. 2012. Students’ learning outcomes and learning experiences through playing a serious educational game. J. Biol. Educ. 46: 203–213. Cosme, L., L. M. Turchen, and R. N. C. Guedes. 2020. Insect world: game-based learning as a strategy for teaching entomology. Am. Biol. Teach. 82: 210–215. Dara, S. K. 2019. The new integrated pest management paradigm for the modern age. J. Integr. Pest Manag. 10: 1–9. da Silva Júnior, J. N., J. M. de Sousa Oliveira, J.-Y. Winum, A. J. Melo Leite Junior, F. S. O. Alexandre, D. M. do Nascimento, U. Silva de Sousa, A. T. Á. Pimenta, and A. J. Monteiro. 2020. Interactions 500: design, implementation, and evaluation of a hybrid board game for aiding students in the review of intermolecular forces during the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Chem. Educ. 97: 4049–4054. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c01025. de la Vega, G. J., A. C. Falconaro, L. Soria, and J. C. Corley. 2022. Integrated pest management education: a video-game to improve management of Drosophila suzukii, soft-skin fruit pest. Neotrop. Entomol. doi:10.1007/ s13744-022-00977-4 Fernández Galeote, D., and J. Hamari. 2021. Game-based climate change engagement: analyzing the potential of entertainment and serious games. Proc. ACM Hum. Comput. Interact. 5: 1–21. Flint, M. L. 2012. IPM in practice: principles and methods of integrated pest management, 2nd ed. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland, CA. Girard, C., J. Ecalle, and A. Magnan. 2013. Serious games as new educational tools: how effective are they? A meta-analysis of recent studies. J. Comput. Assist. Learn. 29: 207–219. Jouan, J., M. Carof, R. Baccar, N. Bareille, S. Bastian, D. Brogna, G. Burgio, S. Couvreur, M. Cupiał, and M. Dufrêne, et al. 2021. SEGAE: an online serious game to learn agroecology. Agric. Sys. 191: 103145. Klit, K. J. M., K. S. Pedersen, and H. Stege. 2018. A prospective cohort study of game-based learning by digital simulation of a pig farm to train agriculture students to reduce piglet mortality. Porc Health Manag. 4: 28. Marsden, E., and C. J. Torgerson. 2012. Single group, pre- and post-test research designs: some methodological concerns. Oxf. Rev. Educ. 38: 583–616. Martindale, R. C., and A. M. Weiss. 2020. ‘Taphonomy: Dead and fossilized’: a new board game designed to teach college undergraduate students about the process of fossilization. J. Geosci. Educ. 68: 265–285. Mesnage, R., I. N. Tsakiris, M. N. Antoniou, and A. Tsatsakis. 2020. Limitations in the evidential basis supporting health benefits from a decreased exposure to pesticides through organic food consumption. Curr. Opin. Toxicol. 19: 50–55. Nadolski, R. J., H. G. K. Hummel, H. J. van den Brink, R. E. Hoefakker, A. Slootmaker, H. J. Kurvers, and J. Storm. 2008. EMERGO: a methodology and toolkit for developing serious games in higher education. Simul. Gaming. 39: 338–352. R Core Team. 2021. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Saleh, R., A. Bearth, and M. Siegrist. 2021. How chemophobia affects public acceptance of pesticide use and biotechnology in agriculture. Food Qual. Preference. 91: 104197. Sutherland, C., C. Sim, S. Gleim, and S. J. Smyth. 2020. Canadian consumer insights on agriculture: addressing the knowledge-gap. J. Agric. Food Inform. 21: 50–72. Van Sickle, J. R. 2016. Discrepancies between student perception and achievement of learning outcomes in a flipped classroom. JoSoTL. 16: 29–38. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/13/1/23/6705028 by guest on 23 September 2022 such as test effects as students remember the makeup of the assessments, subject maturation independent of the game, and regression to the mean (Marsden and Torgerson 2012). We also lacked true control groups, a group of students who received a more traditional type of IPM instruction or no IPM instruction instead of playing the game (Girard et al. 2013). Courses with separate sections make this more feasible as they provide a natural division of students, though at most institutions, courses in entomology or IPM are too small to be structured in this way. In conclusion, our students enjoyed interacting with IPM concepts through Pest Quest and though they reported that it increased their understanding of these concepts, our assessment instruments did not corroborate this fact. Whether the game affected long-term retention of IPM concepts was beyond the scope of this study. Students identified the online platform as a factor which interfered with their game experience. We believe that with the shift to the new platform and additions of postgame discussions, Pest Quest has stronger potential as an IPM teaching tool in undergraduate settings. 7