A “magic world” for children: Design and development of a serious game to improve spatial ability

Abstract

Research has shown that spatial perception is not only one of the essential abilities for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but is also closely related to the quality of human existence. However, for a variety of reasons, many students' spatial skills are less than ideal. In recent years, various video games are showing great potential as low‐cost but effective training tools to improve the educational level and cognitive skills. This paper presented a novel serious strategy game named Magic World. The game was designed to enhance children's spatial perception and motivation by using narrative, virtual contexts, and game mechanics that incorporate educational content with entertainment as a powerful extra‐curricular aid. A pilot study and evaluation experiment were conducted with primary school students (N = 68) and the results showed that the training had a measurable positive impact on students' spatial ability. In addition, user experience surveys of the game showed that Magic World was considered a fun, challenging, and popular game for children.