Presentation
Serious Game Design: Motivating Students through a Balance of Fun and Learning
International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications
(2013)
Abstract
Stagnating growth in our educational systems has piqued interests in alternative teaching methods such as the inclusion of "serious games" into curricula. In response to those needs, a series of educational games have been developed in accordance with pre-engineering programs such as Project Lead the Way (PLTW). The focus of development is in creating an engaging, educational environment by balancing fun and learning whilst meeting the standards of commercial-level games. In this paper, we present methods, and the implementation of those methods, for serious game design that accommodates the integration of game mechanics with learning. The focuses on narrative-learning synthesis, supplementing the player's actions with feedback, and the development of a sufficient guidance system without compromising the entertainment or education aspects of a game are presented. Student-based evaluations of the game realism and the utility and usability of the learning tools in promoting students' interests and learning are also presented based on game deployment in both in- and out-of- school settings.
Disciplines
Publication Date
September 11, 2013
Location
Poole, UK
DOI
10.1109/VS-GAMES.2013.6624239
Citation Information
Christopher Franzwa, Ying Tang and Aaron Johnson. "Serious Game Design: Motivating Students through a Balance of Fun and Learning" International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications (2013) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ying-tang/17/