Learning Game Design Research Articles

Intercultural knowledges and practices in postgraduate game design and making education: insights from a UK-based degree

ABSTRACT In this paper, I explore my experience around teaching a digital game design and making postgraduate course in an intercultural setting in the UK Higher Education. I focus on how locality and disciplinary aspects create and mediate hierarchies of knowledges and practices that shape this kind of course, and how the intercultural setting studied here affords critical interrogations about the supposed universal nature of game design, as a field and as a practice. In particular, I examine an educational approach adopted in this course centred on the critical pedagogy notion of ‘cultural work’ and on philosophy of technology, rejecting mechanistic approaches to game design and making in favour of thinking with and through tools and processes. Through interviews with former students around their expectations about learning game design and making and their (changing) perspectives during this course, I explore how such an approach can create educational experiences for both students and game educators to build different (i.e. more critical and diverse) knowledge and practice foundations for those who will be working in/with games in the future as well as developing new vistas for understanding game design and making not as universal but as practices heavily informed by specific contexts.

Participatory design of augmented reality games for word learning in autistic children: the parental perspective

The use of participatory design (PD) to inform the design of games and learning technology seems to be appropriate for marginalized groups of people, including children with autism. However, specific traits of the autism phenotype can create a barrier in facilitating participation of autistic children during PD activities, especially when their verbal abilities are limited. Involving parents in PD projects can help address challenges related to the communication abilities of the children. We have facilitated the design augmented reality (AR) games by including four autistic children and 9 parents. We analyzed qualitative data using an inductive approach using affinity diagrams and thematic analysis. We present insights from the parents on the use of AR technology and how it can be incorporated at home to enhance word learning activities. We report on (1) a set of five games based on learning by repetition, learning by classification and learning by association; (2) novel insights and knowledge about learning strategies and (3) tools to support autistic children in learning new words. We conclude our study by discussing the relevance of involving parents of autistic children in PD activities, offering design implications.

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.

Teaching and learning game design with the concept of gameplay loops

Teaching and learning game design with the concept of gameplay loops

A Systematic Review of the Design of Serious Games for Innovative Learning: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, or Mixed Reality?

The recent integration of educational technologies and emerging learning approaches into education systems has been driven largely by the pandemic. This paper conducts a systematic review and delves into the new wave of research on serious games designed for innovative learning using augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). The review was referenced to the review protocol, PRISMA 2020. Using the Scopus Database with a time filter from 2007 to 2023 (27 July), we searched 329 articles and shortlisted 273 relevant studies. Notably, European countries contributed the most (62.9%) to this research area. Among the most frequent keywords, VR (90.9%) was commonly used in AR/VR/MR, while e-learning (95.3%) was among the popular innovative learning approaches. Further research studies are needed to employ AR and MR technologies, as well as other innovative learning approaches, to enable performance evaluation and comparison of various educational technologies and learning approaches. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the relevant studies and their basic characteristics. Additionally, we introduced 15 essential and recently published AR/VR/MR standards to ensure better reliability, quality, and safety of architectures, systems, products, services, and processes. To facilitate performance evaluation and analysis, we surveyed 15 recently published benchmark education datasets. This review suggested four future research directions, including multisensory experiences, generative artificial intelligence, personalization and customization, and real-time interaction.

Metaverse: Innovation in Teaching Methods and Game Design for Teenagers' Second Language

Metaverse is based on reality and beyond reality.Its popularity has made many people understand the world of virtual reality.Neal stephenson (American writer)described that everyone in the Metaverse has a dual identity, and ontology can exist in the parallel world of the real world and the network at the same time.If the current Internet is regarded as a two-dimensional world, then the Metaverse can be regarded as a three-dimensional world that exists in parallel.If can let second language learners enter the Metaverse, and rely on AI (artificial intelligence), VR (virtual reality) , and MR (mixed reality) to obtain a better environment experience of language learning and social language application,to solve the barriers of language learning, combine teaching with fun, and combine learning with fun. Learn from the relaxed and virtual real world, deepen learning, and apply emotion and language cultural motivation to the design of learning games,It is not only the innovation and improvement of second language classroom teaching methods, but also the perfect integration of second language learning and modern high-tech technology, and the complex international Chinese teaching is presented in a popular gamification method, which is more conducive to improving the teaching quality of second language learning.

Effects of augmented reality on perceived motivation for struggling readers: Mix-method analysis

Higher education students who struggle with reading may find some relief via the use of technology, especially new and developing forms of technology. Even though augmented reality (AR) has been used in the classroom with great success to motivate and engage children who are difficult to teach, there hasn't been a lot of research done on how augmented print may help those who have trouble reading. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of augmented reality on perceived motivation for students currently enrolled in higher education, namely their engagement with and understanding of an upgraded design theory book, as well as their perceived motivation to read. This research was conducted using the mix method approach, supported with some different methodologies. The findings reveal that increased support for academic literature enhances motivation, engagement, and confidence in understanding, impacting both struggling and proficient readers. We concluded that students, regardless of their reading level, expressed a willingness to use AR reading assistance for future books. Further research is crucial given the heightened levels of motivation and confidence. This research aligns with technological advancements, and educators can influence the development of augmented reality apps for classroom use. Future studies should focus on students with reading difficulties, exploring the optimal design of AR experiences and learning games to enhance understanding and retention of art history lectures in higher education

Enhancing Information Literacy for Spotting Fake News: A Study on the Efficacy of a Serious Game for M-Learning Across Different Age Groups

With so many online information sources in recent years, it has become increasingly difficultto determine if the content is based on facts, half-truths, or lies. As a result, the goal of thisresearch is to propose a serious game design for learning to evaluate sources using the CRAAPtest. In the game, players take on the role of librarians who must evaluate news from socialmedia and newspapers, determine whether it is fake or true, and then inform the people ofthe city. During their efforts to make the correct decision, the players are able to observe andlearn about the impact of fake news on the community and the city as a result of their decisions.To evaluate the game, we did a randomized online field study, including quantitativeresearch based on pre-posttests involving 351 participants. The results revealed that using aserious game of “How to Spot Fake News” can improve the knowledge of information literacyneeded to evaluate online sources of information. Finally, we provide preliminary evidencethat gaming improves people’s ability to recognize and resist misinformation.

Evaluation of a Mobile Application for Cognitive Training in Healthy Adults

In the face of the increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders and the lack ofeffective treatments, there is growing interest in non-pharmacological approaches forcognitive decline. Mobile applications have emerged as a promising tool for detecting cognitivedisorders, providing patient training, and enhancing cognitive performance. However,the availability of applications that integrate comprehensive cognitive training, memorydeficit analysis, and cognitive status monitoring across various domains for the adult populationremains limited. To address this gap, the Rodi application was developed and piloted with24 adults. The usability, usefulness, viability, and efficacy of the app were evaluated, alongwith its preliminary effectiveness. The results indicated high ratings for usability (4.53/5.00),usefulness (4.63/5.00), viability (4.5/5.00), and efficacy (4.08/5.00). Moreover, aligned withprevious research, the present study yielded findings indicating that younger participantsachieved significantly higher scores and completed cognitive tasks in shorter times as comparedto their older counterparts. Finally, the results of the current study findings underscorethe potential of the RODI application to enhance cognitive abilities in a user-friendly andfamiliar setting. However, further large-scale evaluations are necessary to validate the app’seffectiveness and assess its broader impact.40865:With so many online information sources in recent years, it has become increasingly difficultto determine if the content is based on facts, half-truths, or lies. As a result, the goal of thisresearch is to propose a serious game design for learning to evaluate sources using the CRAAPtest. In the game, players take on the role of librarians who must evaluate news from socialmedia and newspapers, determine whether it is fake or true, and then inform the people ofthe city. During their efforts to make the correct decision, the players are able to observe andlearn about the impact of fake news on the community and the city as a result of their decisions.To evaluate the game, we did a randomized online field study, including quantitativeresearch based on pre-posttests involving 351 participants. The results revealed that using aserious game of “How to Spot Fake News” can improve the knowledge of information literacyneeded to evaluate online sources of information. Finally, we provide preliminary evidencethat gaming improves people’s ability to recognize and resist misinformation.

Meaningful learning: motivations of older adults in serious games.

Social sustainability is the generation of significant behaviors through balanced levels of education, learning and awareness so that the population has a good standard of living, achieves self-improvement and supports society. This can be achieved with various strategies, one of which is learning through games, which has gained popularity in recent years due to positive results. This is effectively achieved through serious gaming, which is growing steadily, mostly in education and healthcare. This type of strategy has been typically used in young populations with a transparent interaction with technological processes that facilitate its application. However, one cannot neglect other populations such as the elderly, who may experience a technology gap and may not perceive this type of initiative in the best light. The purpose of this article is to identify the different motivations that can encourage older adults to use serious games to encourage learning processes through technology. For this purpose, different previous research on gaming experiences with older adults has been identified, from which it was possible to categorize a series of factors that motivate this population. Subsequently, we represented these factors by means of a model of motivation for the elderly and, to be able to use it, we have defined a set of heuristics based on this model. Finally, we used the heuristics by means of a questionnaire to evaluate the design of serious gaming for older adults, obtaining positive results for the use of these elements to guide the design and construction of serious games for learning in older adults.

Mechanics and Experience inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare: Opportunities for Civic Empathy

BackgroundVideogames are widely considered effective learning environments, with powerful lessons relevant to those who design teaching and learning experiences. Violent videogames, however, are often left out of such conversations.InterventionIn this context, we examine Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (MW) as a violent videogame that might suggest design principles useful for effecting emotional experiences, a key element to the formation of memories and therefore learning.MethodsThrough narrative description of two missions from MW and interleaved discussion of its mechanics, we contend even violent videogames might inform the design of interactive learning experiences.ResultsWe highlight how MW’s mechanics (a) are designed to constrain player’s actions to facilitate visceral experiences, while being (b) thoughtfully juxtaposed with typical first-person shooter mechanics, to (c) create opportunities to develop what we call civic empathy, the ability to understand—even share to some extent—the feelings of another person with whom one shares a common affiliation with and responsibility to one or more social groups. We also highlight the concept of global civic empathy, in which one includes the world’s citizens as co-members of a global community.DiscussionLearning from simulations and games is often discussed through the lens of actions made available to players. Our contribution is the flip side of that coin—what a game or simulation prevents players from doing—is equally important.LimitationsWe played these missions ourselves. We therefore limit our conclusions to our own experiences, though we contend our findings may inform the design of learning games and simulations.ConclusionIn simplest terms, our theory of action is this: (1) Constraining mechanics (2) create juxtaposition and cognitive dissonance, which in turn (3) create emotional experiences that serve as rich sites for complex learning (empathy development) to take place.

Learning Games: A New Tool for Orthodontic Education.

Learning games that are based on current scientific concepts are underutilized in dental education. This paper explores the relevant science of learning and discusses several principles that are conducive to learning and teaching in an educational setting, namely retrieval practice, feedback, motivation, and engagement. A discussion of learning games in health professional education ensues, followed by a description of relevant best practices in game design for learning. This paper concludes by presenting Dealodontics©, a card game developed at New York University College of Dentistry with the goal of helping second-year dental students review, practice, and apply basic skills relevant to their orthodontics competency requirements.

The challenges of designing learning games: Interviewing professional learning game designers

The professional practice of designing digital learning games has existed for more than four decades. Even though considerable work has been done on research and development projects that include learning games (e.g., through Design-Based Research projects), there is relatively limited research on how professional learning game designers work, and what design challenges they face when trying to develop learning games for K-12 educational contexts. In this explorative interview study, we take a closer look at the design challenges that experienced learning game designers face during the design process, and what complexities and dilemmas they need to balance in doing so. The interview study is based on extended semi-structured interviews with five experienced learning game designers from five different learning game companies from Europe and the US. Having transcribed and coded the interview data, we conducted a thematic analysis to address the following research question: How do learning game designers experience and manage the different knowledge forms and design challenges that emerge when developing games for K-12 educational contexts? To answer this question, we draw on insights from design theory and domain theory, which allows us to map and analyse how the learning game designers try to establish links between different forms of knowledge across three domains: the pedagogical domain, the disciplinary domain, and the game design domain. Based on the thematic analysis, we identify three design principles across these domains, which are central to the learning game design process: 1) creating a shared language and repertoire for the involved actors (e.g., game designers, subject matter experts, and educational practitioners) across the three domains, 2) establishing meaningful links between educational aims and game elements, and 3) considering the educational context of the learning game. Addressing these design principles are all crucial, when engaging in the highly complex task of designing games for educational purposes.

Video Game Design for Learning to Learn

Over the past 20 years, the proposal that immersive media, such as video games, can be leveraged to enhance brain plasticity and learning has been put to the test. This expanding literature highlights the extraordinary power of video games as a potential medium to train brain functions, but also the remaining challenges that must be addressed in developing games that truly deliver in terms of learning objectives. Such challenges include the need to: (1) Maintain high motivation given that learning typically requires long-term training regimens, (2) Ensure that the content or skills to be learned are indeed mastered in the face of many possible distractions, and (3) Produce knowledge transfer beyond the proximal learning objectives. Game design elements that have been proposed to support these learning objectives are reviewed, along with the underlying psychological constructs that these elements rest upon. A discussion of potential pitfalls is also included, as well as possible paths forward to consistently ensure impact.

Student Opinions on the Use of High-Tech Mobile Devices in the Design of Digital Games for Learning

Schools have adopted digital technologies as a strategy for learning and teaching activities because it offers opportunities for scaffolding. This strategy has been implemented in conjunction with creative activities. In addition, activities based on digital games, known as digital game-based learning (DGBL), and various mobile technologies, have been piloted in schools over the past few years to develop innovative learning. The purpose of this research is to investigate how children's collaborative interactions develop while participating in activities requiring them to solve problems utilizing intelligent and mobile technology. Our research combines theoretical viewpoints on joint participation, affordances, and a sense of community in the context of collaborative interactions. This is done with a contextual perspective on learning as its starting point. The following are some of the questions posed in this research: (1) How do children's digital game design activities drive and support collaborative interactions while they are engaged in problem-solving activities? Furthermore, (2) How do children's ideas for designing digital games manifest themselves during activities involving the design of games that involve innovative mobile technology? The study is based on a case where a creative workshop was held with 22 Swedish third-grade children aged 9 to 10 years old who participated in game design activities in a pedagogical lab. When the children worked together to solve the problem of designing and producing a joint digital game idea using mobile technology, a sense of community emerged due to their efforts. The study's results were analyzed using a thematic approach, which revealed that the children used different orientations in their collaborative interactions. Based on this, we argue that it is crucial to be aware of the pedagogical context when preparing for educational activities that involve innovative mobile technology. This is because the pedagogical context is the aspect of the design that creates meaningful collaborative interactions, and it is only then that innovative mobile technology becomes smart. These findings have significant ramifications for the methodological field of incorporating cutting-edge mobile technology into various types of educational settings

Game design and didactic transposition of knowledge. The case of progo, a game dedicated to learning object-oriented programming

Game based-learning have been widely promoted to overcome the difficulties encountered by beginners to learn programming. However, there are many issues to address for the implementation of game-based learning. Indeed, game-based learning is not limited to adding game elements such as rewards to a learning situation, but it rather consists of transforming the learning situation so that it becomes playful. This work contributes to computer science education research, especially to game design for learning programming. We design a novel environment dedicated to learning object-oriented programming for beginners called Progo. It is based on a metaphor of a three-dimensional (3D) construction and animation game. We present an a priori analysis of the Progo environment on the basis of a didactic transposition framework. The framework highlights the ludicisation and metaphorisation process by which educational content is integrated into the game. This allows for the analysis of the transformation of the computing knowledge by the game design, and to verify whether analogies are maintained between the knowledge and what the learner should experience through play. This work contributes to a framework for the integration of educational content during learning game design.

An RPG Game Design for English Learning using ADDIE Methods

Technology makes easier to study English language easier by social media, websites, books, or even seminars. RPG game is a type of game that tell the story and information by virtual and interactive path. Most students that struggling learning English have faced complexity and difficulty in learning them. This study aims to create a RPG game that can help learning English. The method used for this study is ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implement, Evaluate) method and the software required for this study are Unity and Visual Studio 2019. ADDIE method is a learning model that instructional designers and training developers have used to create methods of learning effectiveness learning, this learning model is an acronym for a five-step process which are: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and evaluation. And therefore the software used to develop the game are Unity. The result of this research is a RPG game that can be used for learning English. With this RPG game, it is hoped that the game can help with students who struggle learning English.

Pembelajaran Game Desain dalam Desain Komunikasi Visual

This paper is an attempt to place Game Design Elective Courses in the Visual Communication Design Study Program, especially Visual Communication Design ISI Yogyakarta. The placement includes what the position or relationship of game design with visual communication design looks like. Efforts to find a way to place it through observing Game Design learning archives, observing game design in (print) media. From both of them, try to make a table of placement or relationship between game design and visual communication design. The game in this paper is placed not as a goal but a tool, and it is precisely as a tool that game design is close to visual communication design, namely as a medium for delivering messages, as a means and not as an end. In short, game design as a medium of visual communication.

THIẾT KẾ VÀ SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI HỌC TẬP ĐỂ TỔ CHỨC DẠY HỌC NỘI DUNG NHIỄM SẮC THỂ - KHOA HỌC TỰ NHIÊN 9 - NHẰM PHÁT TRIỂN NĂNG LỰC HỢP TÁC CHO HỌC SINH

Teaching and developing learners' capacity are the basic orientation of the general education program as well as the general education subject program of natural sciences. The ability to cooperate is considered an important ability, one of the core competencies that need to be developed for students. There are many measures to develop cooperative capacity for students, in which learning games are one of the effective measures. In this article, we focus on analyzing the manifestations of cooperative competence as the basis for the design and use of learning games to organize teaching in order to develop as well as evaluate cooperative competence. student work.

Designing for “challenge” in a large‐scale adaptive literacy game for primary school children

AbstractThe use of learning games within the classroom is becoming increasingly common because of their potential to positively impact learning. Recent developments in adaptivity offer further possibilities to personalise learning by tailoring the game to an individual child's level or particular learning needs. However, designing an adaptive learning game is a complex process as many different game components have an impact on the provision of optimal challenge, crucial for maintaining player engagement, with limited prior work considering the multifaceted nature of this concept. This paper explores how to design for “challenge” within large‐scale adaptive learning games through a case study focused on the design of a literacy game for three linguistically and cognitively diverse learner groups—novice readers, children with dyslexia and children learning English as a foreign language. In reflecting on our design process, we identify three key design tensions that arose: (a) supporting longer‐term learning goals through game replayability; (b) fostering either replication or innovation in pedagogy through adaptivity rules; and (c) addressing diversity between learner groups. We present a set of design recommendations to guide researchers and designers in taking a multidimensional view of challenge when designing large‐scale adaptive learning games. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic? Adaptive learning games can have a positive impact on children's learning outcomes. Ensuring optimal challenge within games is important for maintaining engagement. Designing adaptive learning games is a complex process. What this paper adds? Designing for optimal challenge within adaptive learning game should be considered as a multifaceted concept. Identification of key tensions related to optimising challenge that can emerge during the design of large‐scale adaptive learning games. Recommendations for adaptivity researchers and learning game designers for how to address these tensions in adaptive learning game design. Implications for practice and/or policy? We need a more systematic approach to adaptivity game design to ensure wider spread adoption. Learning game designers seeking to utilise adaptive components in designing for optimal challenge should consider a focus on learners who may require a more targeted approach. Adaptive learning games offer opportunities for pedagogical innovation in the classroom through exploiting innovative game features as well as large‐scale data collection to support adaptive learning over time.