scholarly journals Serious Game Design by Unified Block Interactions to Support Educational Transformations

2021 ◽  
pp. 487-493
Author(s):  
Maria Rene Ledezma ◽  
Franco Simini
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Interdisciplinary Team ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Educational Methods ◽  
Attractive Option ◽  
Science Proficiency ◽  
Team Project

This paper introduces a generalized structure for the optimal development of an adventure serious game. Present pandemic conditions induce transformations in educational methods, of which games are an attractive option. A serious game is an interdisciplinary team project for which our structure allows all members to interact irrespective of computer science proficiency. A method of interaction between unified blocks is proposed, consisting of five blocks that cover all the characteristics necessary to describe a serious game. The unified blocks are: rules, characters, scenarios, communication and score. The blocks are divided into sub-blocks that detail the characteristics of the game. The “luck” sub-block allows the real-life non-predictability dimension to be included in the game. During the interaction of the sub-blocks the different contexts of the game are created. Each context has a specific educational content goal that the player must go through. The interactions between sub-blocks are described in an XML file, common working environment for all the interdisciplinary members of the design team involves graphic designers, programmers, game designers and experts in the content to be transmitted. The principle of unified blocks is applied to the fifteen contexts of an existing game, JUSEGU, for which five new contexts are included and implemented in this paper to increase its educational content.

scholarly journals A New Methodology of Design and Development of Serious Games

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
André F. S. Barbosa ◽  
Pedro N. M. Pereira ◽  
João A. F. F. Dias ◽  
Frutuoso G. M. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Perfect Knowledge ◽  
Main Action ◽  
Educational Contents

The development of a serious game requires perfect knowledge of the learning domain to obtain the desired results. But it is also true that this may not be enough to develop a successful serious game. First of all, the player has to feel that he is playing a game where the learning is only a consequence of the playing actions. Otherwise, the game is viewed as boring and not as a fun activity and engaging. For example, the player can catch some items in the scenario and then separate them according to its type (i.e., recycle them). Thus, the main action for player is catching the items in the scenario where the recycle action is a second action, which is viewed as a consequence of the first action. Sometimes, the game design relies on a detailed approach based on the ideas of the developers because some educational content are difficult to integrate in the games, while maintaining the fun factor in the first place. In this paper we propose a new methodology of design and development of serious games that facilitates the integration of educational contents in the games. Furthermore, we present a serious game, called “Clean World”, created using this new methodology.

scholarly journals Serious Game Top Eleven as an Educational Tool in Sports Economics

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-19
Author(s):  
Ioannis Afthinos ◽  
Vasileios Manasis ◽  
Thodoros-Panagiotis Chrysanthopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Sports Economics ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Football Club

The aim of the present study is to explore the use of the serious game Top Eleven as an auxiliary educational tool in a sports economics undergraduate course. This attempt is warranted by the fact that serious games can provide real life/work experiences and set the ground for managerial – economics skills development. The selection of the specific serious game is based on the ample and varied sports economics data provided and its free of charge online accessibility. Following the case study methodology, a virtual football club was created and managed within Top Eleven. The stated research questions were based on the analysis and application of the generated data to a number of economic concepts identified in a specific sports economics textbook. Based on the analysis results, twelve out of 17 in total identified economic concepts were successfully analyzed using eleven economic data sources of items embedded in the game. The implementation phase showed that Top Eleven could be used as an educational supporting tool in the form of virtual internship for gaining of practical experience by applying sports economic concepts for the financial management of a professional football club. It is argued that the game offers a sensible working environment in sports economics and the associated sport management field.

scholarly journals Automatically Determining Lumbar Load during Physically Demanding Work: A Validation Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2476
Author(s):  
Charlotte Christina Roossien ◽  
Christian Theodoor Maria Baten ◽  
Mitchel Willem Pieter van der Waard ◽  
Michiel Felix Reneman ◽  
Gijsbertus Jacob Verkerke
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Artificial Neural Network ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Perceived Workload ◽  
Artificial Neural ◽  
Lumbar Load ◽  
Physically Demanding Work

A sensor-based system using inertial magnetic measurement units and surface electromyography is suitable for objectively and automatically monitoring the lumbar load during physically demanding work. The validity and usability of this system in the uncontrolled real-life working environment of physically active workers are still unknown. The objective of this study was to test the discriminant validity of an artificial neural network-based method for load assessment during actual work. Nine physically active workers performed work-related tasks while wearing the sensor system. The main measure representing lumbar load was the net moment around the L5/S1 intervertebral body, estimated using a method that was based on artificial neural network and perceived workload. The mean differences (MDs) were tested using a paired t-test. During heavy tasks, the net moment (MD = 64.3 ± 13.5%, p = 0.028) and the perceived workload (MD = 5.1 ± 2.1, p < 0.001) observed were significantly higher than during the light tasks. The lumbar load had significantly higher variances during the dynamic tasks (MD = 33.5 ± 36.8%, p = 0.026) and the perceived workload was significantly higher (MD = 2.2 ± 1.5, p = 0.002) than during static tasks. It was concluded that the validity of this sensor-based system was supported because the differences in the lumbar load were consistent with the perceived intensity levels and character of the work tasks.

Virtual Partnerships: Engaging Students in E-service Learning Using Computer-mediated Communication

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usha S. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
The Impact

Computer-mediated communication has important implications for future classroom learning which is no longer spatially bound or centred around text books. It has the ability to incorporate real-life learning whereby students can make important contributions towards solving global problems without having to leave the campus. This study looked at the impact of virtual communication processes and online tools on student and partner engagement in an on-campus undergraduate unit which enables Australian students to create communication campaigns for a non-government organization in India. The study found that the communication exchanges provided students with opportunities for intercultural dialogue, both in real and virtual spaces, and how to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and media within a social justice framework within a transnational working environment. Internet technologies have become part of the daily communication pattern of a new generation of students, who see it as their natural environment in which to learn, play and work. It is thus important to expand students’ use of the global digital network from superficial social interactions towards activities which enable them to become active and informed global citizens.

Serious Game Design for Vehicular Language Learning Addressing Work Needs

2014 ◽  
pp. 383-389
Author(s):  
Hariklia Tsalapatas ◽  
Olivier Heidmann ◽  
Rene Alimisi ◽  
Spyros Tsalapatas ◽  
Spyros Kourias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Serious Game

scholarly journals Integrating Health Behavior Theory and Design Elements in Serious Games

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Cheek ◽  
Theresa Fleming ◽  
Mathijs FG Lucassen ◽  
Heather Bridgman ◽  
Karolina Stasiak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Behavior ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
User Perceptions ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
User Centered

Background Internet interventions for improving health and well-being have the potential to reach many people and fill gaps in service provision. Serious gaming interfaces provide opportunities to optimize user adherence and impact. Health interventions based in theory and evidence and tailored to psychological constructs have been found to be more effective to promote behavior change. Defining the design elements which engage users and help them to meet their goals can contribute to better informed serious games. Objective To elucidate design elements important in SPARX, a serious game for adolescents with depression, from a user-centered perspective. Methods We proposed a model based on an established theory of health behavior change and practical features of serious game design to organize ideas and rationale. We analyzed data from 5 studies comprising a total of 22 focus groups and 66 semistructured interviews conducted with youth and families in New Zealand and Australia who had viewed or used SPARX. User perceptions of the game were applied to this framework. Results A coherent framework was established using the three constructs of self-determination theory (SDT), autonomy, competence, and relatedness, to organize user perceptions and design elements within four areas important in design: computer game, accessibility, working alliance, and learning in immersion. User perceptions mapped well to the framework, which may assist developers in understanding the context of user needs. By mapping these elements against the constructs of SDT, we were able to propose a sound theoretical base for the model. Conclusions This study’s method allowed for the articulation of design elements in a serious game from a user-centered perspective within a coherent overarching framework. The framework can be used to deliberately incorporate serious game design elements that support a user’s sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, key constructs which have been found to mediate motivation at all stages of the change process. The resulting model introduces promising avenues for future exploration. Involving users in program design remains an imperative if serious games are to be fit for purpose.

scholarly journals The creation and trial of a serious game to support teaching and learning of professional psychology competencies in postgraduate programs

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian McGregor ◽  
Emma Bartle
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Professional Psychology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Safe Delivery ◽  
Stage Of Development

The education of healthcare professionals is critical for the safe delivery of services to patients (Ricciardi & de Paolis, 2014). Postgraduate psychology students undertaking a professional degree encounter a steep learning curve when transitioning from theoretical knowledge to professional practice. This beginning student stage of development is fraught with anxiety and high-stress levels, and has implications for both student and client wellbeing (Skovholt & Ronnestad, 2003). Successful navigation of this phase is critical to psychology graduate competence and employability, with potentially lasting consequences for psychologists’ perceptions of self-efficacy and career trajectory (De Stefano et al., 2007; Skovholt & Ronnestad, 2003). Serious games in health provide the potential for safe practice opportunities in an engaging and entertaining manner (Hawn, 2009; Knight et al., 2010). The author developed a serious game with the intention of providing postgraduate professional psychology students with increased and more convenient opportunity to practice psychological competencies. This paper synthesises game design theory into a prototype for educators to provide innovative solutions in a health context. It contributes to the body of research determining the efficacy of games in educational contexts and advances knowledge in the use of simulation pedagogies.

scholarly journals Gamification: the magic circle of technology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyuba Encheva
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Kenneth Burke ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
Marketing Education ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Political Act

In recent years gamification has emerged as a design trend in customer relationship management, marketing, education and governance. It promotes the use of game design principles in the organization of every day environments, tasks and interactions. As an offspring of advanced communication technologies, gamification relies on the unhindered use of networked devices that transforms every experience into a user experience. Borrowing on the ubiquitous popularity of video games, the premise of gamification is the technologically enabled relationship between virtual causes and real-life effects, and its promise - a mutually beneficial coordination of corporate and personal interest. This dissertation outlines the socio-political implications of the concept of gamification through a critical examination of its content and intended meanings. The unpacking of gamification as an aspiration and a worldview reveals that as soon as we take for granted the equality of the sign and the signified, we also accept that life experiences do not exceed the signs we use to describe them. Therefore, to play life as a game, as gamifiers urge, is to live life by design. The definition I coin considers gamification from the perspective of political consequences, rather than practical application and mechanics. I work towards this definition by focusing on the rhetoric of gamification as an expressed intention that constructs motives and renegotiates beliefs. Hence, the theoretical model I apply draws on the work of two major theorists. American rhetorician and philosopher Kenneth Burke offers a theoretical apparatus for the study of the form and rhetorical devices of addressed messages. French semiotician and social theorist, Jean Baudrillard, informs the deconstruction of the claims gamification makes. The treatment of language as intention and action that is necessarily subjective and interested, offers a liminal stand-point from where the vision of a gamified world can be seen as an ideology which normalises itself by rhetorical means. Thus, I propose that the concept of gamification, whether applied in practice or not, is a political act. It constructs an ideology that seeks to reconcile the myth of the sacrosanct freedom of the Western individual with the constant imposition of corporate and government demands for compliance, accountability and efficiency.

Improving Lab Culture Through Self-Assessment: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soleil Hernandez ◽  
Raymond Mumme ◽  
Laurence Court ◽  
Daniel El Basha ◽  
Skylar Gay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Self Assessments ◽  
Team Project

Purpose: Motivated by perceived dissatisfaction within our lab’s changed working environment brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we performed a self-assessment of our lab culture through anonymous surveys and live sessions. Methods: In Survey 1, we asked each lab member to identify and rank up to 10 values that are important for a healthy lab environment. They were then asked to rate how well the lab embodied those values at two time points: before the COVID-19 pandemic while working onsite, and at the time of the survey while working remotely (10 months into the pandemic). In a series of live group sessions, we reviewed relevant literature and the survey results to finalize ten themes. We then reflected on each theme and proposed action items to address any deficiencies. Finally, we conducted Survey 2 after the self-assessment to judge the group's finalized themes, implemented changes, and overall satisfaction with the assessment process. Results: Themes identified were attitude, accountability, teamwork/collaboration, communication, diversity/inclusion, emotional intelligence, integrity, training, well-being, and adaptability in crisis-management. All lab members liked the self-assessment process and felt their voices were heard. On average, there was a 1 2 % increase in satisfaction across all themes from the start to end of the lab assessment. Conclusion: We successfully assessed the culture of our lab and subsequently improved lab member satisfaction. The success of this team project suggests that other scientific labs could benefit from similar interactive self-assessments.

Contribution of the co.LAB Framework to the Collaborative Design of Serious Games: Mixed-Methods Validation Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Jaccard ◽  
Laurent Suppan ◽  
Félicia Bielser
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Multidisciplinary Design ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to the successful development of serious games, albeit difficult to achieve. The co.LAB serious game design framework was created to support collaboration within serious game multidisciplinary design teams. Its use has not yet been validated in a naturalistic context. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to perform a first assessment of the impact of the co.LAB framework on collaboration within multidisciplinary teams during serious game design and development. METHODS This was a mixed-methods study based on two serious game design projects in which the co.LAB framework was used. The first phase was qualitative and carried out using a general inductive approach. To this end, all members of the first serious game project team who used the co.LAB framework were invited to take part in a focus group session (N=6). Results inferred from qualitative data were then used to define a quantitative instrument (questionnaire) which was designed according to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys. Members of both project teams (N=11) were then asked to answer the questionnaire. Quantitative results were reported as median [Q1;Q3] and appropriate non-parametric tests used to assess for between group differences. Finally, results gathered through the qualitative and quantitative phases were integrated. RESULTS In both phases, the participation rate was 100%. Verbatim transcripts were classified into 4 high level themes: influence on collaborative dimensions; impact on project course, monitoring and efficiency; qualitative perceptions of the framework; and influence of team composition on the use of the framework. Accordingly, the web-based questionnaire was then developed according to Burhardt's seven dimensions of collaboration. In both projects, the co.LAB framework had a positive impact on most dimensions of collaboration during the multidisciplinary design and development of serious games. When all collaborative dimensions were aggregated, the overall impact of the framework was rated on a scale from "-42" to "+42" (very negative to very positive). The overall score was 23 [20;27], with no significant difference between groups (P=.58). Most respondents also believed that all serious game design teams should include a member possessing a significant expertise in serious game design frameworks to guide the development process. CONCLUSIONS The co.LAB framework has a positive impact on collaboration within serious game development teams. However, expert guidance seems necessary to maximize development efficiency. Whether such guidance can be provided by means of a collaborative web platform remains to be determined.

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