Assessing the educational values of digital games

Abstract   In recent years, digital games have assumed an important place in the lives of children and adolescents. Effective content design is crucial to the success of digital game-based learning. Therefore, the tool for assessing the effectiveness of game design is accordingly very important for parents and teachers, so that they may encourage or discourage students to play. The purpose of this study is to develop an assessment tool to examine the educational values of digital games. In the first phase of this research, the research team developed the indices for assessing the educational values of digital games. An expert panel consisting of game scholars and professional game designers was established to construct the indices for evaluating digital games in three focus group discussions. Seventy-four game evaluation indices were sorted into seven categories: mentality change, emotional fulfilment, knowledge enhancement, thinking skill development, interpersonal skill development, spatial ability development and bodily coordination. In the second phase of the research, the game designers were asked to assess certain games by using the 74 indices. Meanwhile, the game scholars were also asked to evaluate the same pool of games by the same indices. The assessments by both the scholars and designers were then compared and the similarities were found. This research provided a preliminary framework for future game designers, parents and teachers in assessing educational values of digital games.     

Evaluation of semi-automatically generated accessible interfaces for educational games

The increasing body of evidence supporting the use of videogames in educational settings (usually referred to as serious games) is pushing their deployment across different areas of the educational system. However, this increased adoption also raises serious ethical issues: videogames are one of the least accessible forms of multimedia, and if education is to embrace serious games, there is an imperative need for universal accessibility in serious games to prevent a digital divide. However, producing accessible games is expensive and effort consuming, and serious games development already fare with limited budgets. In this work we explore the potential impact of the (semi-) automatic adaptation of game interfaces as a way to facilitate accessible game development (and thus trim the cost down). We propose a game interface model optimized for point-and-click adventure games, a popular genre among serious games that we have used to perform different semi-automatic adaptations in a game. We have tested the resulting adapted game with end users with specific disability profiles. Our tests discovered that the automatic adaptations produced usable games that retained part of their attractive, although different usability issues had a negative impact on the user experience. We also discuss the origins of such limitations and propose possible remediation actions, as well as a refined interface model.     

Personalised e-learning through an educational virtual reality game using Web services

This paper describes how a personalised educational game architecture has been used in conjunction with Web services to provide remote access to the system. The educational game is a virtual reality adventure game that performs affective user modelling by measuring emotional characteristics of users. Virtual reality (VR) games are so popular among children and adolescents that can be used for the purposes of educational software to render it more attractive and motivating. The benefits of such an application can be maximised if it is available over the Web. Software applications that operate over the Web are targeted to a wide range of users. Hence they need a high degree of adaptivity and dynamic individualisation to each user that interacts with the application. This should include the students’ emotional state that affects their learning. However, the environment of a Web-based VR-game that performs user modelling is so demanding that the technology of Web services is necessary for its effective operation and interoperability. Moreover, reusability may be achieved for the user modelling component.

Design and evaluation of a tactile memory game for visually impaired children

Visually impaired people have a lack of proper user interfaces to allow them to easily make use of modern technology. This problem may be solved with multimodal user interfaces that should be designed taking into account the type and degree of disability. The purpose of the study presented in this article was to create usable games for visually impaired children making use of low-cost vibro-tactile devices in multimodal applications. A tactile memory game using multimodal navigation support with high-contrast visual feedback and audio cues was implemented. The game was designed to be played with a tactile gamepad. Different vibrations were to be remembered instead of sounds or embossed pictures that are common in memory games for blind children. The usability and playability of the game was tested with a group of seven 12–13-year-old visually impaired children. The results showed that the game design was successful and a tactile gamepad was usable. The game got a positive response from the focus group.     

The wise cursor: assisted selection in 3D serious games

In recent years, the evolution of 3D graphics hardware and software has lead to a growing interest for serious games in three-dimensional virtual environments for learning, training, and rehabilitation. Many of these games are based on a first-person-shooter paradigm in which users navigate through the environment, select, and manipulate virtual objects. The target users of these applications are not necessarily usual gamers, and they often have difficulties in navigating and interacting in the 3D environment. This paper proposes the wise cursor, a new method for selection that improves the usability and accessibility of mouse-driven serious games in 3D environments. At each user click, the proposed method computes a list of objects candidates to be selected and their probability of being the desired one. Depending on the uncertainty of the probability distribution, either one object is selected or a mechanism to clarify the selection is proposed. In the former case, if the selected object is within the user avatar’s scope, the action associated to it is realized, otherwise the application automatically navigates toward it. In this way, selection and navigation are eased. The empirical results of the usability tests show that this technique is fast, practical, and that it requires little user’s skills. Thus, it can make serious games usable for a wider range of users who can concentrate on the training objectives without technological barriers.     

Comparing the retention and flow experience in playing Solitary and Heart Attack games of San Zi Jing: A perspective of Dual Process Theory

Most educational games require high speed process; they require fast recognitions and accurate hand-eye coordination to play. Under this constraint, Dual Process theory (DPT) indicated players have different levels of cognitive process over different games which affect their mood. Csikszentmihalyi highlighted that a flow experience is the essential psychological effect on mood and cognitive process. According to DPT, how students engage in different game design will affect their learning retention effects. The flow experiences were examined in this study in relation to Solitary and Heart Attack games of San Zi Jing (a Chinese educational poem). The present study was implemented with a sample of 209 5th and 6th grade elementary school students. The students were assigned with one of the games randomly. The results indicated that in terms of flow experiences, Heart Attack group was significantly higher than that of the Solitary group; secondly, solitary game showed a better retention rate than Heart Attack game did after one month; even though the retention rate of both type games have slight loose after one month. The results of this study suggest if the game design emphasizes on learning retention, solitary game is recommended for higher grade students. Whereas, game design for hedonic values, then Heart Attack type is recommended. Future studies may focus on additional contents and establish more trials to examine the effects of flow experiences and engagement effects.     

The Nintendo Wii as a tool for neurocognitive rehabilitation,training and health promotion

Health professionals have used virtual reality as an aid for several types of treatment. Given that virtual reality systems are expensive and not always available, a more accessible type of virtual reality technology is video games. The Nintendo Wii™ (NW) is a video game system that uses virtual reality technology, as defined by Deutsch, Borbely, Filler, Huhn, and Guarrera-Bowlby (2008), which may be used for health promotion. The Nintendo Wii™ also provides an opportunity for social interaction; thus, it is a promising tool with great potential for the treatment of specific disorders.The aim of this article is to evaluate the ways in which the Nintendo Wii has been used to treat specific disorders or to promote cognitive or physical improvements through a review of the literature. The results have shown that the NW is a potentially useful tool in some therapeutic treatments that can be used with people of diverse social statuses and tastes. Despite the positive initial results, further studies are required to provide a better evaluation of video game usage in therapeutic programs.     

基于移动增强现实的城乡自然科普游戏设计

近年来,随着信息技术的发展,移动增强现实作为一种新兴的体验方式,在目前的教学资源设计过程中得到了大量的应用。而在教育游戏开发领域,出现了许多融合移动增强现实技术与教育游戏特点与优势的增强现实教育游戏。本研究基于移动增强现实技术开发了一个自然科普游戏,通过创设相对真实的、具有交互性质的自然科学学习环境,使得许多曾经难以出现的学习材料以虚拟形象的方式出现在学习者面前,培养学习者的科学探究能力,拉近和提高城乡学生的生态保护知识水平并塑造正确对待自然的情感态度价值观,为城乡教育一体化提供了思路。     

基于VR技术的三维射击游戏开发研究

目前三维游戏中利用了虚拟场景,以便捷的人机交互,为游戏者提供最佳的游戏体验.三维游戏的衍生在很大程度上推动了虚拟现实(VR)技术的更新优化,其涵盖了虚拟现实所有技术.本文基于VR技术设计开发三维射击游戏.首先分析游戏开发需求,其次设计三维VR系统结构与游戏开发流程,再次详细规划三维射击游戏功能模块,最后进行游戏人物、场...     

Implementing digital game-based learning in schools: augmented learning environment of ‘Europe 2045’

It is widely agreed that the traditional process of schooling can benefit from the usage of computers as supportive tools. Of various approaches using computers in education over the last decade, e-learning and edutainment have become the most prominent. Recently, a number of authors have criticised these approaches arguing that they conserve traditional ‘drill and practice’ behaviouristic methods of teaching instead of enhancing and augmenting them. It has been proposed that a ‘paradigm shift’ is needed and that this shift may come through utilizing all the advantages of full-fledged video games, so-called digital game-based learning (DGBL). However, several case studies reported serious problems with the DGBL. Among the most notable issues are the lack of acceptance of games as an educational tool, problems with integration of games into formal schooling environments, and the so-called transfer problem, which is the problem of the inherent tension between game play and learning objectives, the tension that mitigates the ability of students to transfer knowledge gained in the video game to the real-world context. Here, we present a framework for an augmented learning environment (ALE), which verbalises one way of how these problems can be challenged. The ALE framework has been constructed based on our experience with the educational game, Europe 2045, which we developed and which has been implemented in a number of secondary schools in the Czech Republic during 2008. The key feature of this game is that it combines principles of on-line multi-player computer games with social, role-playing games. The evaluation which we present in this paper indicates the successful integration of the game and its acceptance by teachers and students. The ALE framework isolates key principles of the game contributing to this success, abstracts them into theoretical entities we call action-based spaces and causal and grounding links, and condenses them in a coherent methodological structure, which paves the way for further exploitation of the DGBL by educational game researchers and designers.     

VR-Rides: An object-oriented application framework for immersive virtual reality exergames

Exercise can improve health and well-being. With this in mind, immersive virtual reality (VR) games are being developed to promote physical activity, and are generally evaluated through user studies. However, building such applications is time consuming and expensive. This paper introduces VR-Rides, an object-oriented application framework focused on the development of experiment-oriented VR exergames. Following the modular programming pattern, this framework facilitates the integration of different hardware (such as VR devices, sensors, and physical activity devices) within immersive VR experiences that overlay game narratives on Google Street View panoramas. Combining software engineering and interaction patterns, modules of VR-Rides can be easily added and managed in the Unity game engine. We evaluate the code efficiency and development effort across our VR exergames developed using VR-Rides. The reliability, maintainability, and usability of our framework are also demonstrated via code metrics analysis and user studies. The results show that investing in a systematic approach to reusing code and design can be a worthwhile effort for researchers beyond software engineering.     

Interactive story authoring: A viable form of creative expression for the classroom

The unprecedented growth in numbers of children playing computer games has stimulated discussion and research regarding what, if any, educational value these games have for teaching and learning. The research on this topic has primarily focused on children as players of computer games rather than builders/constructors of computer games. Recently, several game companies, such as BioWare Corp. and Bethesda Softworks, have released game story creation tools to the public, along with their games. However, a major obstacle to using these commercial tools is the level of programming experience required to create interactive game stories. In this paper, we demonstrate that a commercial game story construction tool, BioWare Corp.’s Aurora Toolset, can be augmented by our new tool, ScriptEase, to enable students in two grade ten English classes to successfully construct interactive game stories. We present evidence that describes the relationship between interactive story authoring and traditional story authoring, along with a series of factors that can potentially affect success at these activities: gender, creativity, intellectual ability, previous experiences with programming, time playing computer games, and time spent online. Results indicate that students can successfully construct sophisticated interactive stories with very little training. The results also show no gender differences in the quality of these interactive stories, regardless of programming experience or the amount of time per week playing computer games or participating in general online activities, although a subset of female students did show a slightly higher level of performance on interactive story authoring. In the educational context of this study, we show that ScriptEase provides an easy-to-use tool for interactive story authoring in a constructionist learning environment.     

Computer games created by middle school girls: Can they be used to measure understanding of computer science concepts?

Computer game programming has been touted as a promising strategy for engaging children in the kinds of thinking that will prepare them to be producers, not just users of technology. But little is known about what they learn when programming a game. In this article, we present a strategy for coding student games, and summarize the results of an analysis of 108 games created by middle school girls using Stagecast Creator in an after school class. The findings show that students engaged in moderate levels of complex programming activity, created games with moderate levels of usability, and that the games were characterized by low levels of code organization and documentation. These results provide evidence that game construction involving both design and programming activities can support the learning of computer science concepts.     

Learning from virtual reality applications in education

This paper presents an overview of the uses of virtual reality in education. It draws particularly on three projects, the West Denton High School in Newcastle, the Human-Computer Interface Technology Laboratory's summer school in Seattle and the Shepard School for children with special needs in Nottingham. In each of these projects, there is distinctive relationship between the learning experience and the experience of virtual worlds. Here, the concern will not be with the pedagogical value of these projects, which have been documented elsewhere, but with the wider contribution that they can make to our understanding of virtual environments. To do this, it examines in each case how the virtual reality systems are integrated into the curriculum, how these systems relate to the learning process, the usability of the systems, and the possibilities and constraints of the virtual worlds. By comparing these with other emerging virtual reality applications, such as entertainment games, it can be seen that different systems present a variety of possibilities for constructing presence in, and interaction with, virtual environments.     

新时期信息化技术在公安领域的深入应用

使公安专业学生尽快适应"准警察"角色,并在完成公安教育后成为具有强烈警察职业意识的应用型、实战型专门人才,是公安院校教育改革亟待解决的问题。现在的警察职业意识教育,更多的是从行为规范、思想教育、文化教导等方面入手,而通过一些信息化工具和虚拟现实技术,由外而内、由表及里,在脑海深层次固化形成自身的警察职业角色的研究不多。随着信息化技术的深入应用,可以通过在公安专业学生日常教学中公安网络的使用、办案软件的应用等环节,通过潜移默化、日积月累的角色指引,实现从现实社会的角色转换到虚拟空间的角色适应,逐步在学生的脑海深层树立警察职业意识。     

Usability guideline for banking software design

As the diversity of services in the financial market increases, it is critical to design usable banking software in order to overcome the complex structure of the system. The current study presents a usability guideline based on heuristics and their corresponding criteria that could be used during the early stages of banking software design process. In the design of a usability guideline, the heuristics and their criteria are categorized in terms of their effectiveness in solving usability problems grouped and ranging from usability catastrophe to cosmetic problems. The current study comprises of three main steps: First, actual usability problems from three banking software development projects are categorized according to their severity level. Secondly, usability criteria are rated for how well they explain the usability problems encountered. Finally, usability heuristics are categorized according to the severity level of usability problems through two analytical models; corresponding and cluster analyses. As the result, designers and project managers may give more importance to the heuristics related with the following usability problem categories: Usability catastrophe and then major usability problems. Furthermore, the proposed guideline can be used to understand which usability criteria would be helpful in explaining usability problems as well as preventing banking system catastrophes, by highlighting the critical parts in system design of banking software.     

Usability and feasibility of an internet-based virtual pedestrian environment to teach children to cross streets safely

Child pedestrian injury is a preventable global health challenge. Successful training efforts focused on child behavior, including individualized streetside training and training in large virtual pedestrian environments, are laborious and expensive. This study considers the usability and feasibility of a virtual pedestrian environment “game” application to teach children safe street-crossing behavior via the internet, a medium that could be broadly disseminated at low cost. Ten 7- and 8-year-old children participated. They engaged in an internet-based virtual pedestrian environment and completed a brief assessment survey. Researchers rated children’s behavior while engaged in the game. Both self-report and researcher observations indicated the internet-based system was readily used by the children without adult support. The youth understood how to engage in the system and used it independently and attentively. The program also was feasible. It provided multiple measures of pedestrian safety that could be used for research or training purposes. Finally, the program was rated by children as engaging and educational. Researcher ratings suggested children used the program with minimal fidgeting or boredom. The pilot test suggests an internet-based virtual pedestrian environment offers a usable, feasible, engaging, and educational environment for child pedestrian safety training. If future research finds children learn the cognitive and perceptual skills needed to cross streets safely within it, internet-based training may provide a low-cost medium to broadly disseminate child pedestrian safety training. The concept may be generalized to other domains of health-related functioning such as teen driving safety, adolescent sexual risk-taking, and adolescent substance use.     

Multimodal augmented reality tangible gaming

This paper presents tangible augmented reality gaming environment that can be used to enhance entertainment using a multimodal tracking interface. Players can interact using different combinations between a pinch glove, a Wiimote, a six-degrees-of-freedom tracker, through tangible ways as well as through I/O controls. Two tabletop augmented reality games have been designed and implemented including a racing game and a pile game. The goal of the augmented reality racing game is to start the car and move around the track without colliding with either the wall or the objects that exist in the gaming arena. Initial evaluation results showed that multimodal-based interaction games can be beneficial in gaming. Based on these results, an augmented reality pile game was implemented with goal of completing a circuit of pipes (from a starting point to an end point on a grid). Initial evaluation showed that tangible interaction is preferred to keyboard interaction and that tangible games are much more enjoyable.     

Mixed reality environment for learning sensing technology applications in Construction: A usability study

Mixed reality is gradually becoming ubiquitous and significant in education owning to the inherent benefits of active participation and tacit knowledge development in a safe and engaging environment. However, limited studies have explored design features that facilitate its use as a pedagogical tool in construction education, particularly in equipping students with experiential skills that are otherwise challenging to obtain due to resource constraints and limited access to construction sites. By evaluating eye tracking, usability questions, and think-aloud protocol data and verbal feedback, this study investigated the usability of a mixed reality environment designed for equipping construction engineering students with competencies for deploying sensing technologies on construction projects. Results revealed features such as accuracy of represented construction activities, quality of animations, and easy access to information and resources as important for designing efficient mixed reality learning environments. While the usability data suggested that the user interface was usable, eye tracking provided profundity on encountered difficulties with the user interface. Through concise outline and sequential design of the user interface, this study revealed that knowledge scaffolding can improve task performance in a mixed reality learning environment. This study adds value to existing literature, in particular by providing insights into the affordances of mixed reality environments that address the technological gap between the construction industry and construction engineering education. The mixed reality learning environment contributes to the cognitive apprenticeship theory through the use of game objects to develop procedural knowledge for addressing construction industry challenges with sensing technologies.     

Navigation in desktop virtual environments: an evaluation and recommendations for supporting usability

Virtual reality (VR) can provide useful tools for a variety of applications. However, for these tools to be effective, they must be easy to use. In virtual environments (VEs), usability is impaired by poorly designed navigation systems. Insufficient realism and missing physiological orientation and motion cues impair spatial learning in desktop VEs. Capabilities for navigation in a VE are far more varied than in reality; so much greater flexibility can be offered, but designing VEs with too many options can overwhelm users. To assist designers in building effective, usable navigation systems for VEs, navigation techniques must be evaluated to identify which features actually support users in accomplishing their tasks and which features create unnecessary problems.This study evaluates navigation in two different VEs to develop recommendations for the design of navigation systems in desktop VEs. The study consists of an objective assessment of navigation control dynamics, a guideline-based evaluation and a review of data collected during two experimental studies. The findings indicate that real-world constraints, specialised navigation techniques and feedback regarding location and direction of travel are needed to support navigation in desktop VEs.