Interaction to Facilitate Learning in Social Network Gaming

Abstract

This chapter explores whether social network games can be used effectively to support learning via focusing on interaction. The aim of this chapter is to find an interaction structure to facilitate learning on social network games by analyzing the nature of game-learning activity in terms of four dimensions. To this end, the types of interaction which can be applied in a game learning process through previous studies and related literature are suggested. The four types of interaction in game learning activity are as follows: Player-Corresponding Player interaction (PCP), Player-Content interaction (PC), player-NPC (non-player character or game system in social network game) interaction, and player-context interaction. Pioneer Trail, a social network game by Zynga and linked via Facebook, was analyzed in terms of suggested interaction formats.