Redesigning learning games for different learning contexts: Applying a serious game design framework to redesign Stop &Think

Abstract

The Activity Theory-based Model of Serious Games (ATMSG) provides a visual framework through which designers and researchers can explicitly map the gaming, learning, and instructional design of their learning game mechanics and game flow. Here, we use the ATMSG to redesign an existing learning game, Stop &Think (S&T), which was created to train children to apply their inhibitory control skills when solving counterintuitive mathematics and science problems. S&T was previously found to be effective at increasing science and mathematics achievement when the activity was led by a teacher in the classroom. However, we sought to modify its design for use by children in an independent learning scenario (e.g., homeschooling). This work contributes to the literature by demonstrating how the ATMSG was used iteratively during the redesign of S&T for use in a child-led context. We found the ATMSG useful for (i) identifying design gaps created by removing the teacher from the gaming activity, thereby outlining areas of the game requiring modification, (ii) ideation to facilitate discussion about how different design ideas would impact the structure of the game and the feasibility of the approach, (iii) negotiating design decisions between team members, communicating proposed changes in the design amongst stakeholders, seeking approval from project leaders, and serving as a design document for developers, and (iv) cataloguing changes made to the game throughout the redesign process, thereby archiving versions of the game which can be used to reflect upon how each version might impact counterintuitive reasoning. Yet, we also found some challenges in using the ATMSG, including its lack of ability to represent non-structural design decisions (e.g., visual strategies, adaptivity), its impractical format for representing more complex games, and its time-consuming nature.