Maira B. Carvalho

Mapping learning and game mechanics for serious games analysis

Although there is a consensus on the instructional potential of Serious Games (SGs), there is still a lack of methodologies and tools not only for design but also to support analysis and assessment. Filling this gap is one of the main aims of the Games and Learning Alliance (http://www.galanoe.eu) European Network of Excellence on Serious Games, which has a focus upon pedagogy-driven SGs. This paper relies on the assumption that the fundamental aspect of SG design consists in the translation of learning goals/practices into mechanical element of gameplay, serving to an instructional purpose beside that of play and fun. This paper proposes the Learning Mechanics–Game Mechanics (LM-GM) model, which supports SG analysis and design by allowing reflection on the various pedagogical and game elements in an SG. The LM-GM model includes a set of pre-defined game mechanics and pedagogical elements that we have abstracted from literature on game studies and learning theories. Designers and analysts can exploit these mechanics to draw the LM-GM map for a game, so as to identify and highlight its main pedagogical and entertainment features, and their interrelations. The tool may also be useful for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of a given game and better understand how to implement it in educational settings. A case study is reported to illustrate the frameworks support in determining how gameplay and pedagogy intertwine in an SG. Finally, the paper presents the results of two comparative user tests demonstrating the advantages of the proposed model with respect to a similar state-of-the-art framework.

An activity theory-based model for serious games analysis and-conceptual design

There are currently a number of models, frameworks and methodologies for serious games analysis and design that provide useful interpretations of the possibilities and limitations offered by serious games. However, these tools focus mostly on high-level aspects and requirements and do not help understand how such high-level requirements can be concretely satisfied. In this paper, we present a conceptual model, called Activity Theory-based Model of Serious Games (ATMSG), that aims to fill this gap. ATMSG supports a systematic and detailed representation of educational serious games, depicting the ways that game elements are connected to each other throughout the game, and how these elements contribute to the achievement of the desired pedagogical goals. Three evaluation studies indicate that ATMSG helped participants, particularly those with gaming experience, identify and understand the roles of each component in the game and recognize the games educational objectives. We present a model for serious games analysis and conceptual design, called ATMSG.Activity theory is used as the underlying theoretical framework.ATMSG supports a systematic and detailed representation of educational serious games.ATMSG depicts how the combination of serious games elements supports pedagogical goals.A taxonomy of serious games elements is presented to assist the analysis of SGs.

A case study on Service-Oriented Architecture for Serious Games

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a set of practices for architectural design of software that exploits services as loosely coupled components orchestrated to deliver various functionalities. The SOA paradigm is not well established in the Serious Games (SG) domain, but it is expected to provide benefits, particularly in reducing the conceptual and technological complexity of the development. In this paper, we propose and study the application of a SOA approach to SG development. We have used the SOA approach to develop an adaptive Serious Game for teaching basic elements of probability to high school and entry-level university students, called The Journey. Details of the architecture implementation are offered, as well as the results of an evaluation of the system using the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM). Based on our experience, we argue that the SOA approach can make SG development shorter, more flexible and more focused.

Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices

Baalsrud Hauge, J., Bellotti, F., Nadolski, R. J., Kickmeier-Rust, M., Berta, R., & Carvalho, M. B. (2013). Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices. In C. Vaz de Carvalho, & P. Escudeiro (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Games-Based Learning (pp. 225-234). Porto, Portugal: Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited.

Narrative Serious Game Mechanics (NSGM) - Insights into the Narrative-Pedagogical Mechanism

Narratives are used to construct and deconstruct the time and space of events. In games, as in real life, narratives add layers of meaning and engage players by enhancing or clarifying content. From an educational perspective, narratives are a semiotic conduit for evoking critical thinking skills and promoting knowledge discovery/acquisition. While narrative is central to Serious Games (SG), the relationships between gameplay, narrative and pedagogy in SG design remain unclear, and narrative’s elemental influence on learning outcomes is not fully understood yet. This paper presents a purpose-processing methodology that aims to support the mapping of SG design patterns and pedagogical practices, allowing designers to create more meaningful SGs. In the case of narrative, the intention is to establish whether Narrative Serious Game Mechanics (NSGM) can provide players with opportunities for reasoning and reflective analysis that may even transcend the game-based learning environment.

Towards a Service-Oriented Architecture Framework for Educational Serious Games

Producing educational serious games can be costly and time-consuming. The Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach of software development can offer a solution to reduce costs and foment serious games development. In this work, we apply a model called Activity Theory-based Model of Serious Games (ATMSG) for identifying existing relevant components that can be reused for different educational serious games. We apply the derived structure to classify the elements of an existing game and to identify how it can be refactored and expanded following the SOA paradigm.

Collaborative and cooperative games: Facts and assumptions

Collaboration and cooperation are fundamental activities and processes for humans. There has been a recent rise in the interest in collaborative and cooperative processes in several fields of study and an increasing popularity of commercial collaborative games. In this paper, we aim to identify how are collaboration and cooperation processes studied and promoted in the field of game research, with emphasis in digital games. To that end, we systematically analyzed two sets of data: academic publications on collaborative games and reviews of commercial collaborative games. From this examination, we acknowledge the important relationship between games and the cultural context, and we identify three main areas of study for this type of games (learning environments, interaction, and in-gameplay experience), which serve as a landscape for the investigation on collaborative and cooperative games.

Integrating Gamification in Mechanical Engineering Systems to Support Knowledge Processes

Rapid technological changes have a large influence in the field of engineering systems. However, just being fast is not sufficient; additionally, the system has to be user-friendly, flexible and cost effective. Serious Games (SG), as fast-paced, immersive, interactive media, have not only become popular in various learning and training environments, including engineering, but there are also several examples on how game-based mechanisms can be used to enhance User Experience (UX) and performance. So far, gamification of Mechanical Engineering Systems (MES) have not reached their full potential, due to the fact that gamification efforts are costly, time consuming to develop, and require the constant involvement of MES developers even for small changes. Furthermore, its adaption to MES requires specific knowledge in game design and development. Thus, as demand for user friendlier, intuitive interfaces increases, there is also a need for support tools that enable access to design and development of gamification mechanisms for non-SG professionals. In this context, the authors discuss the creation of a library of User Interface (UI) automation tools that enables gamification and through which tutors can create interactive learning scenarios to guide users through the functionalities of engineering systems. Such tools have the potential to support knowledge processes, respectively knowledge experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing and applying, in engineering environments.Copyright

Serious Game Mechanics, Workshop on the Ludo-Pedagogical Mechanism

Research in Serious Games (SG), as a whole, faces two main challenges in understanding the transition between the instructional design and actual game design implementation [1] and documenting an evidence-based mapping of game design patterns onto relevant pedagogical patterns [2]. From a practical perspective, this transition lacks methodology and requires a leap of faith from a prospective customer in the ability of a SG developer to deliver a game that will achieve the desired learning outcomes. This workshop aims to present and apply a preliminary exposition though a purpose-processing methodology to probe, from various SG design aspects, how serious game design patterns map with pedagogical practices

Learning Analytics for a Puzzle Game to Discover the Puzzle-Solving Tactics of Players

Games can be used as effective learning tools, proved to enhance players’ performance in a wide variety of cognitive tasks. In this context, Learning Analytics (LA) can be used to improve game quality and to support the achievement of learning goals. In this paper, we investigate the use of LA in digital puzzle games, which are commonly used for educational purposes. We describe our approach to explore the way players learn game skills and solve problems in an open-source puzzle game called Lix. We performed an initial study with 15 participants, in which we applied Process Mining and cluster analysis in a three-step analysis approach. This approach can be used as a basis for recommending interventions so as to facilitate the puzzle-solving process of players.