Abstract
The primary aim of this paper is to identify and theoretically validate the relationships between core game design elements and mechanics, user motivation and engagement and consequently learning. Additionally, it tries to highlight the moderating role of player personality traits on learning outcomes and acceptance and suggest ways to incorporate them in the game design process. To that end, it outlines the role of narrative, aesthetics and core game mechanics in facilitating higher learning outcomes through intrinsic motivation and engagement. At the same time, it discusses how player goal orientation, openness to experience, conscientiousness, sensation seeking and need for cognition influence the translation of the gameplay experience into valuable learning outcomes and user acceptance of the technology.
Highlights
We are currently experiencing an increasing virtualization and rather unexpected ludification1 of the way we communicate, collaborate, learn, consume or entertain ourselves
Education scholars were intrigued by the current digital game (r)evolution primarily due to the fact that: a) gaming technology has reached a level of sophistication that can offer new possibilities for instructional design and b) we welcome for the first time in our academic institutions and workplaces a generation that developed a particular set of dispositions and expectations due to their extensive interaction with digital game platforms (Brown and Thomas 2008; Carstens and Beck 2005; Proserpio and Gioia 2007)
This occurrence coincides with the exponential growth of the gaming industry and its consumer base (De Prato et al 2014), as well as with the successful penetration of digital game elements in different facets of our reality, be that communication, collaboration, learning, consumption or entertainment, via the recently emerged phenomenon of gamification (Zichermann and Cunningham 2011)
Summary
We are currently experiencing an increasing virtualization and rather unexpected ludification of the way we communicate, collaborate, learn, consume or entertain ourselves. Existing research has shown that: a) specific game rules and mechanics facilitate the development of cognitive skills such as neural processing and efficiency, spatial skills, enhanced mental rotation abilities, problem solving skills and creativity (Granic et al 2014), b) narrative elements provide with excellent platforms for thought experiments and simulations of Bmodels of behavior^ (Simons 2007), and c) game aesthetics provide with the necessary fidelity and realism that brings the other two aforementioned game layers to life, while enhancing skill and knowledge transfer to offline settings (see Fig. 1). The importance of individual differences in accepting and utilizing such applications is recognized To this front, the paper theoretically discusses how goal orientation, openness to experience, conscientiousness, sensation seeking and need for cognition influence the translation of the gameplay experience into valuable learning outcomes, as well as the user acceptance of the technology
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