Training Reading and Writing through Text-based Games; Step 1: Adapting to Gamer Type

Abstract

Text-adventure games were one of the first types of games to be developed. They were referred to as multi-user dungeons or MUD. With improvement in graphics, MUDs were mostly replaced by video games but still retained selected fan groups. The idea behind this work utilizes the benefits of a text-adventure or a text-based game to help players improve their reading as well as their writing skills. The game is played by navigating through text-based commands and forces the player to read, understand the concept and then respond by writing correctly. Building on the affinity to chats, this interface can help students to both learn a language or practice correct orthography. In a first phase of building a successful interactive game, the goal is to adapt the experience to the player type by changing the interaction style and theme. The work presented here concentrates on identifying and catering to Achiever and Explorer according to Bartle’s Taxonomy. The resulting game and prediction is evaluated with 35 students in order to fine-tune the classification system and 15 new students for testing the final system. Additionally, user feedback regarding language learning use and age-appropriateness of the task was collected.