Investigating the Design and Evaluation of Educational Games Under the Perspective of Player Experience

Abstract

Educational games are praised for their potential in providing engaging and self motivating learning experiences. However, in order to fully leverage those capabilities, game designers have to carefully balance factors that provide an enjoyable experience, without losing the focus on the instructional aspect. This work examines the design and evaluation of educational games focusing on the perspective of individual player emotions and experience. This investigation targets the following research questions: how to include (and balance) both the educational and the player experience elements into the game design? Which specific methodologies are available to evaluate player experience in educational games? After discussing possible answers to these questions, we briefly sketch directions that demand further research.