Integrating Science Tasks and Puzzles in Computer Role Playing Games
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Related Work
2.1. Design Principles for Educational Serious Games
2.2. Aspects of Design Related to the Mechanics of the Game and the Game Genre
2.3. Methodologies of Design for Educational Serious Games
2.4. Serious Games in the Context of the Physical Sciences
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. CRPGs Game Genre
3.2. Educational Content Integration
3.3. Supplementary Design Decisions
3.3.1. Levels and Environment Design
3.3.2. User Interface and Game Controls
3.3.3. Aesthetics
4. Results
4.1. Game Development
4.1.1. Game Engine
4.1.2. Development Process
4.2. Usability Test
4.2.1. Usability Test Setting
4.2.2. Sampling
4.2.3. Measures and Data Analysis
4.2.4. Findings
5. Discussion and Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Usability Test Questionnaire
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Game’s Name | Educational Goal | Game Genre 1 | Storyline with Conflict | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Kimia 2 | Attitudes towards chemistry | CRPG + Action + Adventure | √ | [36] |
AKAMIA 3 | Learning chemistry | Adventure + Action + Strategy | [37] | |
Alchemist 4 | Assessment tool | Not defined | [26] |
Activity | Subject | Description |
---|---|---|
Gaming | Students, 11 years old | The player is assigned the task to find and repair the sword which could defeat the evil dragon and bring peace again to the kingdom and its citizens. For achieving the final goal, the player moves in the game world performing tasks, solving puzzles, and acquiring knowledge and experience to prove his skills. |
Learning | Students, 11 years old | The player needs to understand and practice the concepts of mixtures; homogeneous/heterogeneous mixtures; temperature; heat; the use of a thermometer; evaporation and boiling; foundries; chemical composition of water; molecules types, such as solids, liquids, and gas; melting points of various metals; salt pans; and the metal alloy making process within the foundry. |
Intrinsic instruction | Game mechanics which guide players | The digital CRPG assists players through various mechanics, such as rewards and tips to achieve a better understanding of certain science concepts, according to the curriculum of the corresponding book. |
Extrinsic instruction | Science teachers | The game will be used as a supplement by science teachers to assist in the learning process of science concepts. |
Sequence Node | Gaming | Learning | Intrinsic Instruction |
---|---|---|---|
Storytelling | Purpose of the game | - | - |
1st task | VC explores the lab in order to find 3 mixtures | Mixtures | NPC introduces curriculum, assigns the task, and guides with feedback |
2nd task | VC prepares his own mixture, looking for the appropriate materials in the lab | Mixtures | NPC introduces curriculum, assigns the task and guides, giving feedback |
1st puzzle | VC answers a multiple-choice test related to the mixture he prepared | Homogeneous/heterogeneous mixtures | NPC provides a test assignment and feedback |
3rd task | VC explores new locations to bring 3 mixtures to the lab | Mixtures | NPCs introduce curriculum, assign tasks, and guide the player with feedback and tips |
4th task | VC tries to separate salted water, mud, and metal alloy mixtures in the lab, for the metal alloy separation, he must visit the blacksmith’s shop | Thermometer/evaporation/boiling/heat | VC is guided by the NPC and the game itself through feedback in order to complete the tasks and learn the content |
2nd puzzle | VC answers a multiple-choice test | Evaporation/boiling | NPC provides a test assignment and guides the player with a tip to continue the plot |
5th task | VC must find sand and fire-wood for the blacksmith, then he must wait for a while | Temperature/heat/global solvent | NPCs introduce curriculum and assign the player with two tasks |
3rd puzzle | Meanwhile, another multiple-choice test is provided to the VC | Global solvent/sediment/solution | NPC presents new curriculum and provides a test assignment, feedback is also provided |
4th puzzle | The VC is presented with an image that depicts the state of a material’s molecules. Then, he must choose between items that correspond to that image | Molecules types of solid, liquid, and gas, foundries, thermal energy/temperature | NPC provides curriculum and test assignment, they additionally give a tip and feedback |
4th puzzle | The VC returns to the blacksmith’s shop and he is presented with more curriculum, then, he must choose the right fire for melting different metals | Melting points of various metals | NPCs provide curriculum, test assignment, feedback, and tips |
6th task | The VC visits the frozen mountains to find and bring fire-wood and snow | NPC assigns the VC with the task to visit frozen mountain and bring fire-wood and snow | |
5th puzzle | VC visits salt pans, watches the process of salt making, and answers a multiple-choice test | Separation of salt and water through evaporation | NPC introduces curriculum, assigns test, and provides feedback |
7th task | VC is re-forging the legendary sword, using the equipment and fire in the blacksmith’s shop | Metal alloy making process within the foundry | NPC guides the player to make the sword |
8th task | VC fights with the dragon | - | - |
Storytelling | End of the game | - | - |
Coding Categories | Examples |
---|---|
Player’s support (students) | “it does not explain the buttons”, “I need more instructions”, “instructions are tiresome”, “I did not know what to do next” |
Use for learning (students) | “good idea”, “good way of learning”, “I don’t think I can learn this way” |
Entertainment suggestions (students) | “more action”, “more random events” |
Game content integration (teacher) | “better processes representation”, “not answers yes or no” |
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Garneli, V.; Patiniotis, K.; Chorianopoulos, K. Integrating Science Tasks and Puzzles in Computer Role Playing Games. Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2019, 3, 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti3030055
Garneli V, Patiniotis K, Chorianopoulos K. Integrating Science Tasks and Puzzles in Computer Role Playing Games. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction. 2019; 3(3):55. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti3030055
Chicago/Turabian StyleGarneli, Varvara, Konstantinos Patiniotis, and Konstantinos Chorianopoulos. 2019. "Integrating Science Tasks and Puzzles in Computer Role Playing Games" Multimodal Technologies and Interaction 3, no. 3: 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti3030055
APA StyleGarneli, V., Patiniotis, K., & Chorianopoulos, K. (2019). Integrating Science Tasks and Puzzles in Computer Role Playing Games. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 3(3), 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti3030055