Game Design Experience Research Articles

THIẾT KẾ VÀ SỬ DỤNG “BOARD GAME” TRONG DẠY HỌC CHỦ ĐỀ “NĂNG LƯỢNG HOÁ HỌC” MÔN HOÁ HỌC 10 NHẰM NÂNG CAO HỨNG THÚ HỌC TẬP CHO HỌC SINH

Game-based learning has been increasingly popular in various subjects at different educational levels up to now. In particular, board games are also attracting more attention from worldwide teachers and researchers. Board games used in education are often built with game elements such as storylines, real-life situations, challenges, etc., integrated with the knowledge and skills students need to acquire, to improve student’s interest and motivation in learning. However, designing an effective board game for teaching chemistry is challenging, especially for those without prior game design experience. Based on theoretical and practical research related to the design and application of board games in teaching, we proposed principles and a procedure for creating board games to boost student’s interest in studying Chemistry. The article mentioned a way of using a board game to teach the topic of “Chemical energy” in Grade 10 Chemistry, analyzed the five-step procedure in detail, and gave a specific example of designing a board game of "Explore the World with Chemists”.

Examining the Efficacy of a Physical Board Game for Geometric Transformations

A group of Hong Kong secondary school mathematics teachers collaborated on the creation of a physical board game, “War of Transformation”, specifically designed to aid Hong Kong Secondary 1 students in applying transformation (i.e. translation, reflection, and rotation) of 2D figures, a topic in the local mathematics curriculum. The objective of the study was to delve into the game design and player experience from the viewpoint of the students as indicators of the effectiveness of the board game, comparing these elements across different abilities. A mixed-method design was adopted, from which data was gathered utilizing questionnaires and a focus group. The study involved a total of 102 junior form students secondary school students from three districts in Hong Kong, with a selected group of five students and three school teachers participating in interviews. The questions for the questionnaire and interviews were derived from the Model for the Evaluation of Educational Games. Quantitative data were used to provide an overview of student experiences, while qualitative data from the interviews provided further insights of the results. The findings revealed that students valued the game’s design and had a positive gaming experience, comparing these elements across different abilities The design of the board and the use of online teaching aids were found to significantly enhance gameplay and learning. This study highlights the potential of thoughtfully designed game-based learning in fostering effective and engaging learning experiences.

Game Difficulty Prediction Based on Facial Cues and Game Performance

Current research on game difficulty prediction mainly uses heuristic functions or physiological signals. The former does not consider user data, while the latter easily causes interference to the user. This paper proposes a difficulty prediction method based on multiple facial cues and game performance. Specifically, we first utilize various computer vision methods to detect players’ facial expressions, gaze directions, and head poses. Then, we build a dataset by combining these three kinds of data and game performance as inputs, with the subjective difficulty ratings as labels. Finally, we compare the performance of several machine learning methods on this dataset using two classification tasks. The experimental results showed that the multilayer perceptron classifier (abbreviated as MLP) achieved the highest performance on these tasks, and its accuracy increased with the increase in input feature dimensions. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. The proposed method could assist in improving game design and user experience.

Cultural Heritage Manifestation in Computer Role-Playing Games for Enhancing Museum Experience: A Model Proposal

ABSTRACT This article proposes a model for integrating computer role-playing games with museum experiences to enhance cultural heritage learning with a particular focus on design. Centered at the Izmir Archaeology Museum, the study delves into the design of a serious game aimed at enriching both the educational and experiential facets of museum visits. The model highlights the use of gameplay components and design patterns to manifest tangible and intangible heritage content, thereby promoting visitor awareness and understanding of cultural heritage. Through a provisional game scenario based on the museum's prehistoric artifact exhibition, the study illustrates how a gameplay design approach that is informed by heritage content displayed in the museum can be prototyped. The proposed model not only aims to make museum visits more engaging, but also seeks to contribute to the broader discourse on game design, game-based learning, and museum experience.

Learning game design while playing games

This course investigated game design competencies of graduate students as they engaged in gameplay and learned about game-related concepts, including gamified approaches, game-based learning (GBL), design thinking, maker technologies, and game designs. Students were introduced to the week's topic beforehand and collaborated on design projects during class sessions. Students played a different game each week, focusing mainly on game mechanics. Through the utilization of foundational readings, video tutorials, discussions, assignments, and guidance from the instructor and a guest speaker, students developed a comprehensive understanding of game design principles. This understanding ultimately led them to design both board and video games. No prior programming or game design experience was necessary.

Further Enhancement of Planned Random Algorithm Applied in Character Creation for Video Games

This paper introduces the Further Enhanced Planned Random Algorithm (FEPR Algorithm) applied in character creation for video games, addressing limitations of the previous Enhanced Planned Random Algorithm by employing various enhancements. The study's purpose was to further increase the apparent randomness by reducing the repetitions of data results. Employing an experimental quantitative research design, the study used the C++ programming language and libraries such as the “random” library which includes the Mersenne Twister PRNG (Pseudocode Random Number Generator). The effectiveness of the FEPR Algorithm was tested against the 2022 Enhanced Planned Random Algorithm through a series of 1000 iterations in 5 test cases, evaluating the randomness of the generated sequences. Results indicated an 84.47% reduction in pattern repetitions in both the total and average repetitions with the FEPR Algorithm compared to the control. This study's conclusion posits that the FEPR Algorithm successfully further increases the apparent randomness compared to the EPR algorithm. Recommendations include extending the research to other gaming elements and fields where randomness is crucial. The research implications discuss the advancement of randomization processes in algorithmic design. Practical implications highlight the potential for improved game design and player experience, while social implications consider the broader impact on digital entertainment and diversity.

Novel Multimedia Feature Fusion Classification (Mffc) Model for Sports Game Design Enhancement

Multimedia feature fusion is reshaping the landscape of sports game design, offering immersive and dynamic experiences for players and spectators alike. By integrating various multimedia elements such as audio, video, graphics, and interactive interfaces, game designers can create engaging environments that simulate the excitement and intensity of real-life sporting events. From lifelike player animations to realistic crowd reactions, multimedia feature fusion enhances the realism and authenticity of sports games, transporting players into the heart of the action. Furthermore, interactive interfaces enable players to customize their gaming experience, from choosing team strategies to controlling player movements, adding depth and complexity to gameplay. With advancements in technology, such as virtual reality and augmented reality, multimedia feature fusion is poised to revolutionize sports game design, offering unprecedented levels of immersion and interactivity for players worldwide. This paper explores the application of multimedia feature fusion in sports game design, utilizing the Multimedia Feature Fusion Classification (MFFC) framework alongside key feature extraction with the genetic model. By integrating various multimedia elements including audio, video, graphics, and interactive interfaces, the MFFC framework enhances the realism and excitement of sports games, offering immersive experiences for players. Through the genetic model, key features are extracted and optimized to improve gameplay dynamics, player interactions, and overall gaming experience. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated through simulated experiments and empirical validations, demonstrating significant enhancements in game realism, user engagement, and satisfaction. Results indicate a 30% increase in player immersion and a 25% improvement in gameplay dynamics compared to traditional game design methods.

Learning Engagement in a Pre-Alpha Version of an Educational Game: Evaluation and Proposed Solutions

Game-based learning focuses on engaging and immersing students in playability, and User Experience is a good opportunity to improve the game experience and to engage students in real learning. A theoretical five-factor model of learning engagement is used to analyse the overall sense of engagement in primary and secondary school students in a playtesting setting in the early stages of developing an inclusive educational mathematics video game mainly designed for deaf and hearing students. A measuring engagement usability playtest was conducted to answer the following research questions: a) What do students perceive as a sense of engagement? b) What information about the engagement is worthwhile to improve the game design and game experience? Twenty-three hearing students (15 boys and eight girls) participated in the study. The participants are 2nd to 12th graders, with a mean age of 13.7. After students played the pre-alpha version of a video game, most agreed that the prototype was challenging, reporting motivation to undertake the game’s mathematical challenge. They perceived the game activity as clear and achievable. The students also reported having control over different types of actions in the game, and nearly one-quarter of the students perceived the game activity as not immersive. Also, the older students expressed that the game’s purpose seemed irrelevant to their age group, which ultimately affected the game’s general rating on the clarity of the game’s purpose. The playtesting sessions reveal that players need help separating the game from its educational goal, and the misalignment between the character’s movements affects the game’s action control. After collecting engagement problems in playtesting sessions, the study proposes solutions, including changing interface elements. The current work demonstrates the importance of evaluating engagement in playtesting sessions in the early stage of development to improve the game experience long before the final version.

Assessing Game Design Experience: Insights from Educators in Design Studio Environments

Although video games, one of the most popular tools of new media, have become an important focus of playing and informal learning, their lack of active use in education is an important phenomenon to be considered. Though researchers have focused on the potential benefits of using games in education and integrating them into curricula, this transition has yet to be effectively implemented. Especially why educators do not use games effectively and make them a part of education is an important situation that needs to be emphasized. Certain problems are mentioned in the literature about the reasons for this situation. The reasons that come to the forefront are that educators have doubts about the benefits of including games in the curriculum, educators do not have enough experience in games and game-based education, and the idea that efforts to include games in the curriculum will not yield the desired results. Well-designed digital games or digital game-based learning environments gain a more powerful and potential structure in terms of education as they offer positioned learning experiences with transferable information and instant feedback, unlike the structure of traditional education that focuses on knowledge rather than doing. In order to see the perspectives of educators and to understand how to create a common framework, this study has identified focusing on the game design experience and educators' approaches and perceptions towards digital game-based learning environments as a research problem. The fact that most of the research in the literature is on student experience supports the approach of the study.

Educational Game Design Experiences of Secondary School Preservice Mathematics Teachers

In this study, it was aimed to reveal the mathematical games designed by secondary school preservice mathematics teachers and their views on this process. The participants of the study, in which a case study, one of the qualitative research designs, was used, consisted of 45 pre-service secondary school mathematics teachers who took the Teaching Mathematics with Games course. The data obtained from the study were subjected to descriptive and content analysis. According to the results obtained from the study, while the majority of the games were designed as board/card games, the most preferred learning area was numbers and operations. In addition, according to the grade levels, the most games were designed for the 8th grade and the least for the 5th grade level. In the process of mathematical game design, pre-service teachers mostly aim to provide meaningful learning, develop procedural skills, reinforce what has been learned, and make learning mathematics fun. In addition, although the pre-service teachers experienced some difficulties during the game design process, it was determined that this process affected them positively in cognitive, affective, and pedagogical terms.

The Pedagogical Value of Creating Accessible Games: A Case Study with Higher Education Students

The potential of games in empowering underrepresented groups is a central theme in the field of media studies. However, to ensure that everyone can benefit from them, it is necessary to ensure that they are inclusive and accessible. In the present work, we have implemented a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to target this problem, right at the stage of training new game designers and game developers. Thus, through a game-design-based or experimental game design pedagogical approach, we intended to promote inclusive and accessibility-driven game design and development skills in students, while decreasing their negative attitudes towards people with Intellectual Disability (pwID). A protocol with a Non-Governmental Organization in the field was established and, during two semesters, students were challenged to develop 10 accessible games and physical interfaces for pwID and motor disabilities, through participatory processes. Pre and post assessment was conducted, through a mixed-method approach. After participating in this process, students reported satisfaction and increased knowledge of cognitive and motor accessibility, and inclusive game design in general. Moreover, the attitudinal assessment showed significantly lower levels of prejudiced beliefs towards pwID (p < 0.05).

PhyDSLK: a model-driven framework for generating exergames

In recent years, we have been witnessing a rapid increase of research on exergames—i.e., computer games that require users to move during gameplay as a form of physical activity and rehabilitation. Properly balancing the need to develop an effective exercise activity with the requirements for a smooth interaction with the software system and an engaging game experience is a challenge. Model-driven software engineering enables the fast prototyping of multiple system variants, which can be very useful for exergame development. In this paper, we propose a framework, PhyDSLK, which eases the development process of personalized and engaging Kinect-based exergames for rehabilitation purposes, providing high-level tools that abstract the technical details of using the Kinect sensor and allows developers to focus on the game design and user experience. The system relies on model-driven software engineering technologies and is made of two main components: (i) an authoring environment relying on a domain-specific language to define the exergame model encapsulating the gameplay that the exergame designer has envisioned and (ii) a code generator that transforms the exergame model into executable code. To validate our approach, we performed a preliminary empirical evaluation addressing development effort and usability of the PhyDSLK framework. The results are promising and provide evidence that people with no experience in game development are able to create exergames with different complexity levels in one hour, after a less-than-two-hour training on PhyDSLK. Also, they consider PhyDSLK usable regardless of the exergame complexity.

Using game design to increase teachers’ familiarity with design thinking

Society needs creative problem solvers to work towards solutions of complex global issues such as climate change. Design thinking is a way to solve problems creatively. Unfortunately, in-service teachers are largely unfamiliar with design thinking and their students rarely engage in design thinking during class. To familiarize teachers with design thinking, this study provided three teacher cohorts with a game design experience. Utilizing a predefined game design document, participants designed an educational game. To experience a thorough design cycle, teachers worked through two iterations of their design. Using a pre- and post-survey, this exploratory study empirically examined whether teachers gained an understanding of design thinking. Results indicated that the game design experience worked well to improve overall design perceptions; the results showed a consistent, positive trend. Specifically, two of the three cohorts had statistically significant differences (p < .05) while the third cohort had a marginally significant difference (p < .10) from pre- to post-survey. More importantly, after the intervention, teachers from all three cohorts reported an increase in their familiarity with design thinking. Implications for the findings are discussed.

INFLUENZA: A Board Game Design Experiment on Vaccination

Introduction. Experts on vaccine hesitancy recommend tailoring interventions to local contexts, which presents an opportunity for game-based interventions to reflect local demographics and make them central to the experience of the game. Experimental game design is a research method that has already been used in educational games. Board games are relevant to the topic of vaccination, and present possibilities for game design of openness and flexibility. INFLUENZA was an experimental game design with the objectives of designing a vaccination-themed educational board game where: an aspect of local context was highly-relevant but also easily modifiable, means of emotional engagement were explored, and openness and flexibility in board game design were explored. Methods. The experimental game design study consisted of finding design solutions for achieving the study objectives in a single game, by analyzing comparable games and using iteration and two stages of live testing with players. Results. The game reflects national census data in a highly-relevant but also easily modifiable aspect of play (first objective). The game features aspects of personification to foster emotional engagement (second objective). The game is well-suited to changing the number of players, or allowing mediated play (third objective). Discussion. INFLUENZA has achieved each of its study objectives from an experimental game design perspective. Relevant features of educational games are theme, mechanics, and their integration, and the design experimentation in INFLUENZA follows this trend. Future work is running comparative trials of features of INFLUENZA, as well as measuring the impact of different local adaptations of INFLUENZA.

Film Adaptation as Experimental Game Design

Film adaptation is a popular approach to game design, but it prioritizes blockbuster films and conventional “game-like” qualities of those films, such as shooting, racing, or spatial exploration. This leads to adaptations that tend to use the aesthetics and narratives of films, but which miss out on potential design explorations of more complex cinematic qualities. In this article, I propose an experimental game design method that prioritizes an unconventional selection of films alongside strict game design constraints to explore tensions and affinities between cinema and videogames. By applying this design method and documenting the process and results, I am able both to present an experimental set of videogame film adaptations, along with potentially generative design and development themes. In the end, the project serves as an illustration of the nature of adaptation itself: a series of pointed compromises between the source and the new work.

The Effects of Investigative Sanctioning Systems on Wrongdoing, Reporting, and Helping: A Multiparty Perspective

Over the past two decades, organizations have established sanctioning systems as an important component of their ethical infrastructures to detect and punish wrongdoing. However, empirical knowledge about the overall effectiveness of such systems remains limited. Existing studies have mostly adopted a single-party perspective even though many wrongdoing situations involve dynamic multiparty interactions between actors, recipients, and observers of wrongdoing. Moreover, most existing research has emphasized an economic perspective—that sanctioning systems only affect behavior because of economic considerations while crowding out ethical ones. In this research, we develop a moral and normative perspective of sanctioning systems. Using a novel experimental game design, our study focuses on the investigative dimension of sanctioning systems to examine their psychological and behavioral effects in actor–recipient–observer wrongdoing interactions. Findings reveal that investigative sanctioning systems influence wrongdoing, reporting, and helping behaviors as well as alter ethical and normative considerations, such that as systems become stronger, wrongdoing behaviors are judged as more unethical and perceived as less typical than when weaker systems are in place. These moral judgments and norm perceptions mediate the effect of investigative sanctioning system strength on wrongdoing behavior. Our research extends previous empirical and theoretical work on sanctioning systems by applying a more holistic perspective and by demonstrating that highly effective systems can serve as important behavioral guides because they activate and alter moral and normative considerations about wrongdoing.

Games Education Within the Broader Liberal Arts

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), there are currently 519 games programs at higher education institutions in the United States (Entertainment Software Association 2019). The Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA)’s 2019 “Survey of Program Graduates” finds that ‘520 institutions offered 1200 + game-related programs and degrees in 2018’ (Phelps et al. 2019, p. 14). Although some of these programs are professionally oriented undergraduate and graduate game design, game studies, game arts, and/or game development programs, others are situated within broader disciplines like computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, and visual and performing arts programs (Steinkuehler et al. 2015, p. 3). Given the geographic distribution of the institutions that offer games programs, the geographic concentration of game industry jobs, and the distribution of the respondents to the survey, I believe it is a fair assumption that there are more students enrolled in academic games programs in the U.S. than there are available entry-level jobs in the games industry. Given that situation, this paper attempts to answer the question: “What are games courses for in a broader interdisciplinary media arts program at a liberal arts college?” It is part autoethnography, part case study, and part position paper, as it acknowledges the specific circumstances of my own game design education and experience. As such, it is a story of my open-ended games education followed by my tacit acceptance and self-imposition of the hegemonic culture of games as primarily economic production. Then, as I went into teaching, a story of my subsequent burnout, eventual reflection on, and acceptance of my academic origins and the origins of my current academic program. I conclude by offering a possible framework for situating a games curriculum as a liberal art by using William Cronon’s essay “Only Connect…: The Goals of a Liberal Education” (1998) as a framing device.

Credibility aspects of research-based gaming in science communication — the case of The Maladaptation Game

While previous studies have found games and gaming to be a new and innovative communication strategy to inform the public and citizens about scientific research and engage them with it, this article addresses the under-researched question of credibility aspects in research-based gaming. The study analyses agricultural stakeholders' discussions on the credibility of scientific descriptions in The Maladaptation Game — a game based on research on climate change maladaptation in Nordic agriculture. The analysis of focus group transcripts and frame credibility finds that players attribute credibility to 1) the perceived correspondence between game-articulated information on climate change, suggested adaptation actions and their potential maladaptive outcome, 2) the perceived “fit” between these elements and players' experiences, and 3) the information sources underpinning the game. Lastly, the article discusses the role of research-based games in science communication and advocates the need for careful balance between models of conceptual and scientific thinking in game design and everyday experiences among players.

Transmedial Worlds with Social Impact: Exploring Intergenerational Learning in Collaborative Video Game Design

This article’s focus is the creation of intergenerational game design experiences supported by phygital video games (i.e., games that feature both digital and physical elements) for children 8–12 years of age and elders 65 years and over living in Paris and Bagnolet, France. The purpose of the article is twofold: first, to give an account of our protocol activity to highlight the implementation difficulties associated with this kind of intergenerational gameplay, and second, to inspire researchers, educators, and caregivers to include innovative uses of transmedia world building and collaborative game design as tools to connect different generations and foster community participation in intergenerational programs.

An Approach to Game Prototyping with a Tangible Interface

In this paper, we explore the use of tangible user interfaces in the context of prototyping digital game design. Traditional approaches to game design use a combination of digital and non-digital prototyping techniques to identify core game mechanics and object placements when designing levels followed by a labourious process where the non-digital prototypes are translated into digital counterparts in a game engine. The presented system aims at reducing the need for non-digital prototypes by providing an easy to use interface that doesn&#x2019;t require technical expertise and results in a playable digital prototype in a modern game engine. The presented system uses Augmented Reality markers as the tangible interface to facilitate specific functionality in a modern game engine. A preliminary user study is presented to understand the current strengths/weaknesses of this approach. Our hypothesis is that our system would improve the game design experience for users with respect to usability, performance, creativity support and enjoyment as we firmly believe that the process of designing games should also be an enjoyable process.