CREATING EVALUATION PROFILES FOR GAMES DESIGNED TO BE FUN: An Interpretive Framework for Serious Game Mechanics

Frank, Ulrich; Helms, Niels Henrik

doi:10.1177/1046878117709841

Cited by 21 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In this regard, there may be conceptual overlaps between the terms commercial video games and serious games, the latter aiming at maximizing learning and motivation effects by blending entertainment and learning ( Breuer and Bente, 2010 ). Indeed, while the appropriateness of the term serious game is a matter of debate in game science ( Klabbers, 2018 ), in practice, one can identify aspects that commercial video games share with serious games ( Ulrich and Helms, 2017 ) and assess their educational value ( Becker, 2017a ; Rüth, 2017 ). Using this rationale, we noted in advance that learning from the game in Study 1 is problematic due to its biased representations of evolution ( Schrader et al, 2016 ), but guided learning with the game is conceivable ( Schrader and McCreery, 2012 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Video Games in School Teaching: Two Mixed Methods Case Studies on Students’ Reflection Processes

Rüth

Kaspar

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Commercial video games are popular entertainment media and part of students’ media reality. While commercial video games’ main purpose is not learning, they nonetheless could and should serve as objects of reflection in formal educational settings. Teachers could guide student learning and reflection as well as motivate students with commercial video games, but more evidence from formal educational settings is required. We conducted two mixed methods case studies to investigate students’ reflection processes using commercial video games in regular formal high school teaching. In a double lesson, 29 students of a 10th-grade biology course (Study 1) and 17 students of a 12th-grade advanced course on history (Study 2) played and discussed a commercial video game related to the current curricular topic. We examined the reflection processes of students in terms of their reactions to the teachers’ game-related statements and questions. Regarding teachers’ statements, students discussed several topics related to game enjoyment and the games’ representation of topic-related content. Regarding teachers’ questions, students discussed multiple goals in each game, how the games represented topic-related content, and how the games could be appropriate for learning. In Study 2, students additionally discussed emotions, stereotypes, violence, and the narrative related to the digital history game. We found that the discussions provided students opportunities to reflect on their game experiences and the current curricular topic as well as to practice media criticism. We further provide quantitative results on students’ perceived topic knowledge, on several facets of their learning motivation, and on their acceptance of video games. Overall, our findings illustrate the educational value of using commercial video games as objects of reflection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Video Games in School Teaching: Two Mixed Methods Case Studies on Students’ Reflection Processes

Rüth

Kaspar

2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…Los juegos serios presentan un carácter pedagógico basado en un entretenimiento que favorece una inmersión en la realidad con un punto de vista determinado (Ulrich;Helms, 2017), sin olvidar que su narrativa puede resultar apropiada para áreas como la Psicología, el Periodismo o la Comunicación digital (Lugmayr et al, 2017), contribuyendo a concienciar sobre comportamientos socialmente responsables (Yam et al, 2017) y a mitigar levemente los sesgos cognitivos, permitiendo mejorar la empatía y en definitiva el cambio social (Papoutsi;Drigas, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Contenidos inmersivos violentos: investigación con eye tracking en jóvenes universitarios en España y Portugal

Viniegra

Veloso

2020

EPI

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Los diarios se han visto afectados por una progresiva pérdida de lectores durante la última década, específicamente entre los menores de 24 años. Éstos continúan informándose sobre sus áreas de interés, pero en redes sociales. Por ello, la prensa ha incorporado un periodismo lúdico, inmersivo y participativo a partir de tecnologías como la realidad virtual o los vídeos 360°. Mediante un análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de los datos obtenidos con la técnica de eye tracking y la realización posterior de entrevistas semiestructuradas, esta investigación comprueba la atención que los universitarios españoles y portugueses prestan a los contenidos periodísticos inmersivos violentos. También se analiza la comprensión y la capacidad de concienciación de los estudiantes ante este material informativo con hechos violentos. Se pone de manifiesto la capacidad del periodismo inmersivo para atraer la atención del público menor de 24 años y para concienciar sobre conflictos sociales a partir de la visualización de contenidos violentos.

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“…However as Poplin and Ulrich and Henrik-Helms argue, COTS games are hindered by the fact that they are designed for entertainment-not participatory design processes (Poplin, 2011;Ulrich & Henrik-Helms, 2017). Their use has been shown to confuse players involved in the participatory process and also rely on a combination of verbal or written external workshop instructions provided by a facilitator to structure the gameplay activities, which can lead to negative issues regarding clarity of instruction (Ibid).…”

Section: Limitations Of Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Ulrich and Henrik-Helms (2017) and Poplin (2011) argue, COTS games are hindered by the fact that they are designed for entertainment-not participatory design processes (Poplin, 2011;Ulrich & Henrik-Helms, 2017). The repurposing of COTS games for urban design purposes can also confuse players involved in the participatory process.…”

Section: Serious Games In Architecture and Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Raphael, Bachen, Lynn, Baldwin-Philippi, & McKee, 2010;Mitgutsch & Alvarado, 2012;Ulrich & Henrik-Helms, 2017) Ulrich and Henrik-Helms (2017). provide a particularly useful framework for the design of serious game mechanics that addresses game mechanics in the four key dimensions of: game mechanics (section 2.3.3.1.1), learning mechanics (section 2.3.3.1.2), social mechanics (section 2.3.3.1.3), and immersive mechanics (section 2.3.3.1.4)(Ulrich & Henrik-Helms, 2017, p. 699).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Functional Fiction to Collective Action: Speculative Participatory Serious Urban Design Gaming to Enhance Slum-upgrading Processes

Beattie¹

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<p>People who are marginalised in slum-upgrading processes can benefit from participatory design strategies. When marginalised slum communities confront and explore conflicting perspectives, values, assumptions and goals through negotiation within participatory design processes, the ability to harness the collective intelligence of people to work towards collective action can be enhanced. However, a tension exists in the participatory design literature between those participatory processes that seek to facilitate social outcomes such as social capital building, and those that seek only to implement an urban development or upgrading project (slum upgrading) as the outcome. Exploring new methods of design participation that integrate both social outcomes and design processes can help alleviate this tension by recognising a diversity of stakeholder perspectives on urban-related issues and help them work towards implementing lasting communal change that explicitly takes into account cooperative development action. The dissertation explores an innovative approach to participatory slum upgrading, which proposes bringing together speculative architecture, participatory design, and serious gaming approaches to help stakeholders to explore conflicting perspectives, assumptions and corresponding future visions surrounding architectural and urban issues. The research focusses on how these three areas can be brought together to help develop a new approach for designing participatory design tools for marginalised communities. The research explores how a “speculative, participatory, serious urban gaming” (SPS-UG) approach might be used to help marginalised communities consider past, future and present community experiences, reconcile dissimilar assumptions, and generate social outcomes and in-game design responses, while priming participants for further long-term, slum-upgrading design engagement processes. Empirical material for this research was gathered from a range of case study workshops prepared with three landfill-based communities and external partners throughout 2017, which utilised a new SPS-UG computer game I designed called Maslow’s Palace to evaluate the approach. The research shows that the SPS-UG approach was successful in guiding the design of a serious game to help reveal, develop and ground stakeholder knowledge, goals and values surrounding slum-upgrading issues. Through an exploration of social complexities involved in the participatory design process, participants were stimulated to share diverse opinions and aspirations and thus deepen their understanding of self, others, norms and institutions. The SPS-UG approach contributed to slum-upgrading outcomes for communities by aiding slum-upgrading ideation, framing the consideration of alternate views and possible futures, and scaffolding discussions about what the future might look like through visual representation of possible design alternatives. Finally, the research discusses key methodological insights, and the challenges faced when working with marginalised communities while pursuing social and slum-upgrading outcomes through a gaming approach. This is significant when considering how the approach might interface with other slum-upgrading processes outside of the scope of this research or function as a catalyst for the transformation of other physical urban environments and socio-cultural contexts.</p>

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CREATING EVALUATION PROFILES FOR GAMES DESIGNED TO BE FUN: An Interpretive Framework for Serious Game Mechanics

Cited by 21 publications

References 42 publications

Commercial Video Games in School Teaching: Two Mixed Methods Case Studies on Students’ Reflection Processes

Commercial Video Games in School Teaching: Two Mixed Methods Case Studies on Students’ Reflection Processes

Contenidos inmersivos violentos: investigación con eye tracking en jóvenes universitarios en España y Portugal

Functional Fiction to Collective Action: Speculative Participatory Serious Urban Design Gaming to Enhance Slum-upgrading Processes

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