Mapping learning and game mechanics for serious games analysis

This paper presents the design, development and analysis of a game for computer literacy. Specifically, the game addresses educational objectives included in the curriculum of non-technological careers, such as the identification and analysis of concepts related to basic hardware components of a computer. These objectives are joined with those of a video game, i.e., live an attractive, motivating and enriching experience. The game has focused on the interaction between the player, who plays the role of a student, a 3D virtual computer, and a character who plays the role of the teacher. The player interacts with the computer and answers a series of inquiries posed by the teacher, all related to components of the 3D computer located in the game scenario, which represents the teacher's office. For each correct answer, the player receives a sounded feedback and messages of encouragement from the teacher, as well as points. Once the player completes each level, the result is stored and can be displayed in a scoreboard. Game analysis has been done using the so-named LM-GM framework, which is an analytical model proposed by GaLA (Game and Learning Alliance, the European Network of Excellence on Serious Games), that maps learning mechanics (LM) to game mechanics (GM). The results of the analysis indicate that the serious game seemly integrates learning objectives as well as LM and GM.

Different works in the educational field have proposed many applications for serious games (SGs) that have had immense positive impact and great success. Nevertheless, despite their potential, the application of SGs in education has been limited in terms of pedagogy. Several authors assert that this lack is because SG standards and guidelines have not been developed, and that there is an imbalance between the contribution from experts in education and game design specialists during the SG development. Specifically, methodologies that incorporate both game and pedagogical components in the requirements definition phase are necessary to develop serious games successfully. The definition of requirements must guide the development process. Many SG studies and projects indicates that games that are not well designed at the initial phase lose qualities and fail to fulfill pedagogical objectives. The goal of this study is to present a framework for a game design methodology that gives the gamer options for flexible participation in the game. We analyze the tasks associated with game design methodologies and serious educational games, especially those linked to gamers with non-standard cognitive abilities. Our approach identifies how educational innovation and the teaching-learning process contribute to game design. We propose an overall development focus based on a participatory, flexible, user-centered methodology adaptable to any type of gamer.

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 and documenting an evidence-based mapping of game design patterns onto relevant pedagogical patterns. 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. A series of workshops were thus conducted to present and apply a preliminary exposition though a purpose-processing methodology to probe various SG design aspects, in particular how serious game design patterns map with pedagogical practices. The objective was to encourage dialogue and debate on core assumptions and emerging challenges to help develop robust methods and strategies to better SG design and its interconnectedness with pedagogy.KeywordsGame mechanicsLearning mechanicsLudo-pedagogy mappingPedagogically-driven game designPatterns

BackgroundOn the basis of ethical and methodological arguments, numerous calls have been made to increase the involvement of end users in the development of serious games (SGs). Involving end users in the development process is considered a way to give them power and control over educational software that is designed for them. It can also help identify areas for improvement in the design of SGs and improve their efficacy in targeted learning outcomes. However, no recognized guidelines or frameworks exist to guide end users’ involvement in SG development.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to describe how end users are involved in the development of SGs for health care professions education.MethodsWe examined the literature presenting the development of 45 SGs that had reached the stage of efficacy evaluation in randomized trials. One author performed data extraction using an ad hoc form based on a design and development framework for SGs. Data were then coded and synthesized on the basis of similarities. The coding scheme was refined iteratively with the involvement of a second author. Results are presented using frequencies and percentages.ResultsEnd users’ involvement was mentioned in the development of 21 of 45 SGs. The number of end users involved ranged from 12 to 36. End users were often involved in answering specific concerns that arose during the SG design (n=6) or in testing a prototype (n=12). In many cases, researchers solicited input from end users regarding the goals to reach (n=10) or the functional esthetics of the SGs (n=7). Most researchers used self-reported questionnaires (n=7).ConclusionsResearchers mentioned end users’ involvement in the development of less than half of the identified SGs, and this involvement was also poorly described. These findings represent significant limitations to evaluating the impact of the involvement of end users on the efficacy of SGs and in making recommendations regarding their involvement.

The number of scientific publications about serious games has exponentially increased, often surpassing human limitations in processing such a large volume of information. Consequently, the importance of frameworks for summarising such fast‐expanding literature has also grown. This paper draws a panorama of serious game research streams, focusing on higher education in engineering and management. The research design involves a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines, along with bibliometric and content analyses. The sample comprises 701 documents collected from both Scopus and Web of Science databases. For supporting bibliometric analyses, Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny tools are employed. In addition, a coding schema is developed for in‐depth analysis of 701 documents selected according to the inclusion criteria. In short, the literature on serious games for engineering and management education grows more rapidly than modern science, following a globalised, collaborative and context‐based trajectory. The results reveal five main research streams: game design guidelines, game design cases, game experiment guidelines, game experiment cases and generalists . These streams are summarised in a proposed framework. Cross‐tabulation and statistical analyses conducted in SPSS Statistics identify the key relationships amongst the research streams. Finally, opportunities to investigate serious games for sustainable development education arise, and there is a need for future efforts to formalise the framework classification algorithm. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Scientific production related to Serious Games (SGs) has grown exponentially in a globalised manner. It reflects the interest from various domains, particularly the field of sustainability in management. Literature reviews on SGs have emphasised various topics, including the acceptance of simulations and games as effective methods of teaching and learning. The role of technology‐enhanced games and simulations in the context of digital transformation in education and the emergence of sustainability as a promising field for future SGs research are also highlighted. The literature has introduced three categories for empirical research on SGs: (1) game presentation, (2) game evaluation and (3) game effectiveness. It has also highlighted methodological rigour as a common challenge across studies. What this paper adds Scientific research on SGs in Engineering and Management Higher Education (EMHE) experiences exponential and significantly faster growth compared to modern science in a globalised and collaborative manner. This growth reveals the scarcity of experts in this area and attracts the attention of various fields, particularly in the realm of sustainability. Thematic trajectories indicate a decline in discussions regarding users' perceptions of SGs and their validity as educational tools. They also demonstrate consistency in discussions about SGs design, and the potential of sustainability emerges as a promising area for future SGs in EMHE. A comprehensive framework composed by five primary research streams connects game design cases and guidelines, game experiment cases and guidelines and generalists. This framework can serve as a lens for future context‐based literature reviews, and the relationships amongst its streams reinforce the idea that the field can benefit from increased methodological rigour in experiments. Implications for practice and/or policy This review offers categorised in which educators can discover a variety of artefacts for application in their specific educational contexts. Designers can access guidelines for enhancing the design of innovative games. Researchers can access guidelines for more effective evaluation of their artefacts across various contexts. Finally, policymakers can explore numerous experiments to inform decisions related to technology‐enhanced innovations in the classroom.

Adolescents’ internet adaptability (IA) is crucial for their online behavior and mental health. Serious games (SGs), as an emerging educational tool, hold promise for enhancing this adaptability through engaging, goal-oriented learning. Yet, direct evidence in this area remains limited. This viewpoint aims to clarify the mechanisms through which SGs enhance adolescents’ IA and to derive corresponding design principles that can inform educational practice and game development. Drawing on insights from both Chinese and international studies, this study adopts a cross-contextual perspective to explore how SGs can foster IA in varied educational environments. Beyond synthesizing existing findings, this viewpoint provides an integrated account of why IA is essential in contemporary digital life and how SGs can support its development. It proposes a 3-stage framework, illustrating how contextualized design, real-time feedback, and dynamic tasks promote experiential learning, self-regulation, and the transfer of online skills. Based on this framework, the study further articulates 6 core design principles: clear goal definition, interaction diversity, contextual authenticity, immediate, scaffolding and explanatory feedback, a dynamically adaptive learning environment, and safety-by-design for digital well-being. These principles translate the core characteristics and mechanisms of SGs into actionable guidance for developing effective IA interventions. By synthesizing theoretical insights with practical considerations, this viewpoint highlights how SGs can serve as accessible and scalable tools to support adolescents in navigating increasingly complex digital environments. Together, these insights provide practical implications for educators, curriculum designers, and digital game developers seeking to foster adolescents’ safe, responsible, and adaptive engagement in online environments.

Stronger: A serious game framework for post-stroke rehabilitation

<p>This study aimed to evaluate the effect of academic speciality in ICT on the acquisition of language skills in the German language in the case of Serious Game education in a non-formal education setting. A total of 23 students from different state universities of the University of Sfax, aged between 21 and 24, participated in an Educational Serious Game session through a game called "Deutsche Straße". The students were divided into groups of 4 players for each game session, which lasted between 30 minutes and an hour. A 107-item German word learning assessment questionnaire in the form of a multiple-choice question called "DeutsheStraße Quiz". This questionnaire was administered before the intervention (diagnostic assessment) and immediately after each session (summative assessment). In addition, a satisfaction questionnaire was used to measure the feeling of competence (Dumont et al., 2000). The results showed an average relative learning gain in favour of non-ICT students compared to ICT specialists. These results suggest that the digitization of Educational Serious Game can be an effective way of reading comprehension of German for all students of any speciality in a non-formal education setting at the university. In other words, the creation of an Android application so that the game is accessible in smartphones and subsequently ensures more influence.</p><p>Ziel dieser Studie war es, den Effekt der akademischen Spezialisierung auf IKT auf den Erwerb von Sprachkenntnissen in der deutschen Sprache im Falle von Serious Game-Unterricht in einem non-formalen Bildungsumfeld zu bewerten. Insgesamt 23 Studenten verschiedener staatlicher Universitäten der University of Sfax im Alter zwischen 21 und 24 Jahren nahmen an einer Educational Serious Game-Sitzung mit dem Spiel "Deutsche Straße" teil. Die Schüler wurden für jede Spielsitzung, die zwischen 30 Minuten und einer Stunde dauerte, in Gruppen von 4 Spielern eingeteilt. Ein Fragebogen zur Bewertung des Lernens von deutschen Wörtern mit 107 Punkten in Form einer Multiple-Choice-Frage namens "DeutsheStraße Quiz". Dieser Fragebogen wurde vor der Intervention (diagnostische Bewertung) und unmittelbar nach jeder Sitzung (summative Bewertung) durchgeführt. Zusätzlich wurde ein Zufriedenheitsfragebogen verwendet um das Gefühl der Kompetenz zu messen (Dumont <em>et al.,</em> 2000). Die Ergebnisse zeigten einen durchschnittlichen relativen Lerngewinn zugunsten von Nicht-IKT-Studierenden im Vergleich zu IKT-Spezialisten. Diese Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Digitalisierung von Educational Serious Game eine effektive Möglichkeit zum Leseverständnis von Deutsch für alle Studierenden aller Fachrichtungen in einem nicht-formalen Bildungsumfeld an der Universität sein kann. Mit anderen Worten, die Erstellung einer Android-Anwendung, damit das Spiel auf Smartphones zugänglich ist und anschließend für mehr Einfluss sorgt.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0711/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Game design is a complex process based on balance between educational and gameplay experience in a coherent way. In the context of instructional design, Constructive Alignment aims to develop an outcome-based approach for designing learning activities during which the learners’ engagement through the activity is aligned with learning objectives and outcomes. Constructive Alignment focuses on the proposal of constructively aligned learning experiences, where assessment is the result of specially selected training activities, which are proposed based on intended learning outcomes. In this study, we analyze the game design process in an online master course on Game Design from a Constructive Alignment approach. We operationalize the Constructive Alignment in game design as the coherence between Learning Objectives, Game Mechanics, Learning Mechanics and the Assessment in the educational DGBL. The results analysis shows that the Game Based Learning course had a positive impact on students regarding the proposal of game design documents with coherence between Game Mechanics and Learning Mechanics as well as Learning Mechanics and Learning Objectives, while little focus on integrating Assessment mechanisms was observed. Based on the results of this study we propose to increase the focus on assessment in the process of game design.

In the context of Higher Education (HE) in general, and management education in particular, the use of Serious Games (SG) is spreading, and solutions are increasingly developing. Nevertheless, the implementation of this learning methodology deserves further study, in particular concerning pedagogical and psychological aspects such game performance and players’ metacognitive processes. This paper aims to study the relation among these two variables, based on the review of the results of MetaVals SG during the last 3 years. MetaVals is a collaborative, computer-based SG designed to facilitate collaboration and metacognitive awareness among HE students. It has been played by 250 students in 16 different experiences since its first version, in 2011. Overall results show a higher performance for collaborative than individual phases of the game, furthermore, students’ elicitation of their Level of Certainty (LC), although not significantly, could be related to a better performance. These results can be a basis for further studies focused on the implementation of collaborative GBL in formal and informal adult learning contexts. However, some challenges are also identified and discussed on the present version of MetaVals game, and solutions are proposed in order to continue with the design of SGs for wider application and learners’ needs in the current contexts.

BackgroundThe use of serious games (SG) has received increasing attention in health care, and can be applied for both rehabilitation and evaluation of motor signs of several diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the use of these instruments in clinical practice is poorly observed, since there is a scarcity of games that, during their development process, simultaneously address issues of usability and architectural design, contributing to the non-satisfaction of the actual needs of professionals and patients. Thus, this study aimed to present the architecture and usability evaluation at the design stage of a serious game, so-called RehaBEElitation, and assess the accessibility of the game.MethodsThe game was created by a multidisciplinary team with experience in game development and PD, taking into consideration design guidelines for the development of SG. The user must control the movements of a bee in a 3D environment. The game tasks were designed to mimic the following movements found in the gold-standard method tool—Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS)—for the assessment of individuals with PD: hand opening and closing, hand extension and flexion, hand adduction and abduction, finger tapping, and forearm supination and pronation. The user interacts with the game using a wearable interface device that embeds inertial and tactile sensors. The architecture of RehaBEElitation was detailed using the business process model (BPM) notation and the usability of the architecture was evaluated using the Nielsen-Shneiderman heuristics. Game accessibility was evaluated by comparing the overall scores of each phase between 15 healthy participants and 15 PD patients. The PD group interacted with the game in both the ON and OFF states.ResultsThe system was modularized in order to implement parallel, simultaneous and independent programming at different levels, requiring less computational effort and enabling fluidity between the game and the control of the interface elements in real time. The developed architecture allows the inclusion of new elements for patient status monitoring, extending the functionality of the tool without changing its fundamental characteristics. The heuristic evaluation contemplated all the 14 heuristics proposed by Shneiderman, which enabled the implementation of improvements in the game. The evaluation of accessibility revealed no statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups, except for the healthy group and the PD group in the OFF state of medication during Phase 3 of the game.ConclusionsThe proposed architecture was presented in order to facilitate the reproduction of the system and extend its application to other scenarios. In the same way, the heuristic evaluation performed can serve as a contribution to the advancement of the SG design for PD. The accessibility evaluation revealed that the game is accessible to individuals with PD.

BackgroundThe significant increase of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) use for individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) has created an urgent need to examine the implications of both the design and the research methodologies used to study them. MethodsWe searched four databases (PubMed, IEEXplore, Scopus, and ACM Digital Library) to find relevant reviews on clinical applications of ICTs with individuals with NDD. We extracted all studies (n = 1879) from 301 reviews, and classified them into categories: robots, serious games (SG), video modeling (VM), Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). We randomly assessed 182 studies (45 per ICT category) stratified by years of publication using the Connolly methodology scale and design ICT inventory (DICTI). We also described the best papers per ICT (most cited or highest impact factor journals). ResultsOur assessments have indicated that the overall research methodology quality of ICT studies is poor. Serious Games (SG) studies have the best research methodology and ICT design quality scores. Studies on robots, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and video modeling (VM) have shown improved research methodology over the years, though only SG design shown improvement consistently. Autism is the most prevalent NDD in terms of clinical focus in ICT therapeutic and educational interventions. Currently, no ICT has been approved as a prescription treatment in NDD, with the notable exception of EndeavorRx™, a SG for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The literature also emphasizes that meeting the main research methodology criteria is essential for evidence-based medicine, Personalization, adaptability, positive feedback, human interaction and affordability are among the most important features to take into consideration in ICT design for NDD. ConclusionThe review highlights the need for higher-quality studies, user-friendly technologies, personalization, positive feedback, and accessibility. ICTs are not detrimental to learning and demonstrate potential benefits for individuals with NDD. However, more evidence-based studies are needed to reach treatment prescription recommendation.

BACKGROUND Feeding children under two years of age is often inadequate, one of the main reasons being that parents and professionals possess a lacking knowledge of the subject. Digital games can be a good way to enhance this audience's awareness, presenting new information in a playful and immersive manner. OBJECTIVE This work aims to describe the technical development of the game “Primeiras Refeições”, and to compare the knowledge of university students about feeding children under two years old before and after the application of the digital game. METHODS It was necessary to provide a questionnaire with ten questions about complementary feeding and breastfeeding. The questionnaire had to be answered before and after the mobile game application with the students from undergraduate courses face-to-face, in four distinct areas of higher education at a university in Rio Grande do Sul- Brazil. RESULTS The game was developed in Unity game engine, with original 2D art and commercially acquired sound effects. It is available on the Web and Android platforms. The focus of the game's mechanics was the promotion of breastfeeding, the appropriate consistency of foods for each age, encouraging the non-use of infant formula and ultra-processed foods. Data from 129 students were analyzed, where there was an increase in the average of correct answers from 4.67±2.01 to 5.26±1.89 (p&lt;0.01) between Questionnaires 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS The results show that the Intervention with “Primeiras Refeições” game led to a general increase in academics' knowledge of infant feeding.

This chapter introduces a framework for the design of serious games for learning, called the design, play, and experience framework. The author argues that the great potential of serious games will not be realized without a formal design approach. To that end, the author presents and thoroughly explains the design, play, and experience framework which provides a formal approach to designing the learning, storytelling, game play, user experience, and technology components of a serious game. The author concludes by detailing how the framework provides a common language to discuss serious game design, a methodology to analyze a design, and a process to design a serious game for learning.

Designing Serious Games (SGs) is a complex process, often putting game play in a central role during the design process. Therefore, the game mechanics can create unwanted tangential outcomes. Further challenges emerge from the time constraints to deliver a purposeful product that meets the requirements of the target group, while maintaining a low budget. The re-use of game components and a participatory design may contribute to overcome these challenges. This paper presents and reports on a case study integrating reuse and re-purposing of a game-engine while involving the future users in the early phase of the design process.KeywordsParticipatory designAgile developmentModdingSerious game design