The Process of Moral Decision-Making in a Game-Based Narrative Scenario through the Experience of Future Government Workers

Abstract

This article describes the results of a qualitative study that aimed at investigating moral decision-making processes of prospective government workers using a game-based tool. Three participants volunteered to participate in the research process, which included playing a short point-and-click narrative game and a focus group. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis as well as narrative maps which emphasized players’ decisions. Analysis indicated similarities among participants’ moral decision-making processes, from initial experiment and struggles with the tool to the application of personal and professional experiences to the game scenario. Additionally, levels of empathic engagement were found to be conditioned upon participants’ approaches to play. The results of this exploratory study shed light into aspects of moral decision-making with serious games and allow for the suggestion of instructional practices to raise learners’ moral self-awareness through game-based learning.