Games and Learning Alliance

Table of Contents

1. Frontmatter

2. Serious Games Applications

   1. Frontmatter

   2. A Playful Learning Exercise: Kashmir Crisis

      Charlie Murray, Hans-Wolfgang Loidl, Brian Train

      Abstract

      This paper summarises the development and evaluation of a digital board game on the “Kashmir Crisis” in 2019. It is based on a card-driven board-game design of one of the authors, with the concept of “games as journalism” as one underlying design principle. As such, this is a serious game with the aim of providing information on the context of recent political events in Kashmir. In this paper we focus on the design, implementation, and evaluation of a multi-platform, digital instance of this game. The evaluation results of using the game show significantly increased engagement and slightly better learning effectiveness, compared to a control group using standard learning techniques.

   3. Micro-games for Quick Learning of Declarative Knowledge: Preliminary Application and Usability Testing

      Sasha Blue Godfrey, Pilar Caamaño Sobrino, Alberto Tremori

      Abstract

      Serious games and gamified applications are increasingly used in a wide variety of contexts including education, corporate and military training, and healthcare to teach or train students and personnel in an engaging manner. Puzzle-based micro-games may be an advantageous method for quickly learning declarative knowledge, i.e. knowledge pertaining to facts and definitions. In military exercises and wargames, there is a need to quickly absorb declarative knowledge pertaining to a hypothetical scenario before beginning the exercise. In this work, an application of the micro-game concept within a military context, the Organizational Chart Puzzle (OCP) for learning a Command and Control (C2) structure, and results of usability testing are presented. The OCP was well-liked and easily learned by usability testing participants. Additionally, participants were asked to recreate the C2 structure from memory after playing the OCP and showed high knowledge transfer from the game to the paper test, suggesting this concept may be a viable path for quick learning of declarative knowledge.

   4. Design and Development of a VR Serious Game for Chemical Laboratory Safety

      Philippe Chan, Tom Van Gerven, Jean-Luc Dubois, Kristel Bernaerts

      Abstract

      Virtual reality (VR) technologies are becoming more and more popular, not only as a gaming console, but also as a viable training tool. Especially for health and safety training programmes, VR can be very useful to train people in dangerous environments and situations without imposing real danger on them or others. Chemical laboratories are environments where risks of severe injury or even fatality are always present. For this, we developed a VR serious game, called VR LaboSafe Game, as a tool for laboratory safety training. However, designing a VR serious game is a challenging task. There are many factors to consider for an optimal game design. In this study, we discuss important design considerations and we present the game design of VR LaboSafe Game. Preliminary tests of an early version of the game show usability issues and minor discomforting symptoms for some participants. Nevertheless, participants do agree that VR LaboSafe Game is useful for learning laboratory safety; is more active and responsive in their learning process and makes safety training more engaging.

   5. Exploring Different Game Mechanics for Anti-phishing Learning Games

      Rene Roepke, Vincent Drury, Ulrike Meyer, Ulrik Schroeder

      Abstract

      Existing anti-phishing learning games rely on the same simple game mechanics that do not allow for detailed assessment of the players’ acquired knowledge and skills. They focus mostly on factual and conceptual knowledge to remember or understand. To extend the research field, this paper presents two new games: The first game implements an extended classification mechanic to better assess the player’s decision process, while the second game implements a different game mechanic, which requires players to combine given URL parts to construct their own phishing URLs. Both games aim to address higher-order cognitive processes as well as procedural knowledge. The games’ functionality and user experience were evaluated by a group of 40 CS students, resulting in general improvements of the games.

   6. Phishing Academy: Evaluation of a Digital Educational Game on URLs and Phishing

      Sven Schoebel, Rene Roepke, Ulrik Schroeder

      Abstract

      Due to a lack of learning opportunities, untrained access to the Internet is a potential danger for children and teenagers. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of a digital educational game that teaches children and teenagers between the ages of ten and thirteen in-depth knowledge and skills about the structure of a URL and how to recognize and mitigate phishing. Playing the educational game led to a significant increase of the participants’ phishing detection rate. Furthermore, a comparison of different phishing types revealed on which phishing types future work should focus due to lower detection rates. Phishing Academy is a browser-based educational game, which is available in German and English and can also be played via touch gestures.

3. Serious Games to Improve Literacy

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Can a Serious Game Be Designed to Increase Engagement in a Mandatory Postmodern Novella at Danish Gymnasiums?

      Mads Strømberg Petersen, Gustav Søgaard Jakobsen, Daniel Bredgaard Hendriksen, Niklas Lee Skjold Hansen, Thomas Bjørner

      Abstract

      For this study, we designed a serious game to engage Danish gymnasium students when reading the novella A Love Story, written by the prize-winning Danish author Naja Marie Aidt. The novella is mandatory reading in postmodernism. The study included 41 students from two Danish gymnasiums, who were divided into three classes. Two classes were included in the experimental study, which employed the serious game as part of reading the novella. One class served as the control group and engaged only in an analog reading of the novella. The evaluation criteria, which were assessed through a questionnaire, were based on items from the reading engagement index, the user engagement scale, and the narrative engagement scale. Furthermore, the evaluation consisted of in-depth interviews with teachers and students. The findings revealed a positive effect on students’ engagement in the experimental group and the possibility for future work in the field of serious games implemented in high school curricula. The serious game developed for this study balanced challenge and skills appropriately, but it could be improved in terms of the story world and controls.

   3. Der Blonde Eckbert - A Serious Game Interpretation of the Eponymous Romantic Fairy Tale

      Kevin Körner, Anna Katharina Turba

      Abstract

      Literature-based sciences deal with plenty of great stories. As a combination of traditional knowledge transfer methods in the humanities and newer technologies associated with the digital humanities, serious games can be a great way to motivate a younger audience to deal with such heritage assets. In this paper we present our contribution to this: A serious game interpretation of Ludwig Tiecks Der blonde Eckbert (English: Fair-Headed Eckbert.). After a summary of the story and its literary relevance we introduce our concept of the game based around audiovisual storytelling with a runner game and provide an overview about included didactic elements. We discuss our strategy on how to keep players intrinsic motivation high to achieve a longer playtime and thereby better knowledge consolidation. Finally, we present several generalized code components which arose during development. These components - such as an audiovisual cutscene and an endless runner template - provide the opportunity to develop similar serious games without requiring coding skills.

   4. Using a Multi-step Research Approach to Inform the Development of a Graph Literacy Game

      Kristian Kiili, Antero Lindstedt, Manuel Ninaus, Tua Nylén

      Abstract

      Critical reading - the ability to critically evaluate information - has become a crucial skill in our modern information society and the rise of fake news. Games might be able to help to address this rather new field of education. Therefore, we first conducted a literature analysis on the use of games that aim at supporting critical reading and media literacy. We found that most of the used games improved participants’ critical reading skills, were mostly targeted at adults, and the games focused on written information and fake news, but omitted graph literacy. Next, we ran an empirical study to investigate adolescents’ competencies in critically reading and interpreting graphs. In a storified setting, adolescents acted as fact checkers and were supposed to interpret graphs and identify misleading graphs. Our results revealed that adolescents struggled in both the identification of misleading graphs as well as the interpretation of graphs. Consequently, based on our literature review and empirical results, we developed a game to support graph reading. The design of the game is presented.

4. Technology Used for Serious Games

   1. Frontmatter

   2. The Potential of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) for Motion-Intensive Game Paradigms

      Thomas Kanatschnig, Guilherme Wood, Silvia Erika Kober

      Abstract

      Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is gaining popularity as a non-invasive neuroimaging technique in a broad range of fields, including the context of gaming and serious games. However, the capabilities of fNIRS are still underutilized. FNIRS is less prone to motion artifacts and more portable in comparison to other neuroimaging methods and it is therefore ideal for experimental designs which involve physical activity. In this paper, the goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of fNIRS for the recording of cortical activation during a motion-intensive task, namely basketball dribbling. FNIRS recordings over sensorimotor regions were conducted in a block-design on 20 participants, who dribbled a basketball with their dominant right hand. Signal quality for task-related concentration changes in oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb has been investigated by means of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). A statistical comparison of average CNR from the fNIRS signal revealed the expected effect of significantly higher CNR over the left as compared to the right sensorimotor region. Our findings demonstrate that fNIRS delivers sufficient signal quality to measure hemispheric activation differences during a motion-intensive motoric task like basketball dribbling and bare indications for future endeavors with fNIRS in less constraint settings.

   3. Adapting Autonomous Agents for Automotive Driving Games

      Gabriele Campodonico, Francesco Bellotti, Riccardo Berta, Alessio Capello, Marianna Cossu, Alessandro De Gloria, Luca Lazzaroni, Tommaso Taccioli, Federico Davio

      Abstract

      This article investigates the feasibility of implementing a reinforcement learning agent able to plan the trajectory of a simple automated vehicle 2D model in a motorway simulation. The goal is to use it to implement a non-player vehicle in serious games for driving. The agent extends a Deep Q Learning agent developed by Eduard Leurent in Stable Baselines by adding rewards in order to better meet the traffic laws. The motorway environment was enhanced as well, in order to increase realism. A multilayer perceptron model, processing cinematic inputs from the ego and other vehicles, was tested in different traffic conditions and outperformed the original model and other policies such as a heuristic and a minimal-reward one. Our experience stresses the importance of defining episode metrics to assess agent behavior, keeping into accounts factors related to safety (e.g., keeping a safe time to collision) and consumption (e.g., limiting accelerations and decelerations). This is key to define rewards and penalties able to properly train the model to meet the traffic laws while keeping a high-speed performance.

   4. Sex Differences in User Experience in a VR EEG Neurofeedback Paradigm

      Lisa M. Berger, Guilherme Wood, Christa Neuper, Silvia E. Kober

      Abstract

      In brain-computer interface applications such as neurofeedback (NF), traditional 2D visual feedback has been replaced frequently by more sophisticated 3D virtual reality (VR) scenarios. VR is considered to be more motivating and to increase NF training success. However, hard evidence on user experience in set-ups combining VR-EEG NF has been scarcely reported. Hence, we evaluated user experience on cybersickness, discomfort/pain, technology acceptance and motivational factors and compared them between a 3D and a 2D VR scenario. Additionally, we focused on possible sex differences. 68 subjects received one VR-neurofeedback session with either a 3D or 2D VR paradigm. Statistical analyses showed that sickness was higher after the VR-NF training than before, and women experienced higher sickness values than men. Further, women reported more subjective pressure sensations on the head, eye burning and headache, as well as higher technology anxiety, less perceived usefulness of the used technology and less perceived technology accessibility. No dimensionality or sex differences regarding subjective feeling of flow and presence were found. Moreover, no differences between the 3D and 2D VR scenarios were observed. Our results indicate sex differences in user experience in VR-based NF paradigms, which should be considered when using VR as feedback modality in future NF applications. In contrast, 3D or 2D presentation of the VR scenario did not affect user experience, indicating that more immersive 3D VR scenarios do not cause more negative side effects than the less immersive 2D VR scenario.

   5. Validity of a Content Agnostic Game Based Stealth Assessment

      Vipin Verma, Ashish Amresh, Scotty D. Craig, Ajay Bansal

      Abstract

      In an attempt to predict the learning of a player during a content agnostic educational video game session, this study used a dynamic bayesian network in which participants’ game play interactions were continuously recorded. Their actions were captured and used to make real-time inferences of the learning performance using a dynamic bayesian network. The predicted learning was then correlated with the post-test scores to establish the validity of assessment. The assessment was moderately positively correlated with the post-test scores demonstrating support for its validity.

5. Serious Game Usage

   1. Frontmatter

   2. A Digital Companion to Assist the Game Master for the Orchestration of a Mixed-Reality Game

      Catherine Bonnat, Eric Sanchez

      Abstract

      The control of the game world by the game master during the activity requires a precise monitoring of the activity which increases in a mixed-reality game context due to the multiplicity of possible interactions with the tangible and digital game elements. This article deals with the design of a digital companion to help a game master to orchestrate a game. This companion is integrated in a game, Geome, a mixed-reality game dedicated to museum school visits, that combines tangible and digital elements. This companion is based on the collection of multimodal traces from different interactions set up during the whole game scenario. This paper addresses the issue of the traces to collect to help the game master in the configuration and the monitoring of the activity. The presented prototype is the result of a co-design process between researchers, practitioners, and computer scientists. Thus, we present the first results from 3 experiments conducted with students (12–15 years old) in a natural museum. The results show the types of interactions tracked during the game use and the needed information for the game orchestration. However, while the players play the game as intended using most of the features, the game master makes little use of his dashboard and does not interact with the players through the dedicated interface.

   3. Towards an Immersive Debriefing of Serious Games in Virtual Reality: A Framework Concept

      Jonathan Degand, Guillaume Loup, Jean-Yves Didier

      Abstract

      Debriefing and simulation are two complementary and indivisible phases for the use of serious game. However, practices of debriefing vary depending on the objectives and the context. With the advent of new virtual reality simulations, it is interesting to identify methods of debriefing for the trainer and learner in this situation. This paper provides a global review of debriefing in a serious game context and considers the findings tied to a virtual reality context. The purpose of this analysis is to find a proper solution and to use virtual reality technology to improve the debriefing experience. We finally propose a tool for virtual reality simulations that provides an immersive debriefing system that includes a replay system of the simulation occurred as well as a possibility to restart at any moment of the replay. As such, we think that the participant can have a better understanding and reflection of what he/she has experienced as well as a possibility to explore other choices.

   4. Exploring Higher Education Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Gamification

      Giada Marinensi, Marc Romero Carbonell

      Abstract

      The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of university teachers’ attitudes toward gamification. A broader goal is to lay the groundwork for a better understanding of how university teachers gaming habits and preferences might be leveraged in efforts to introduce gamification in Higher Education (HE). Building on previous research, showing no differences in teachers’ attitudes towards gamification by age, gender or type of institution (public or private), this exploratory study tries to assess whether teachers’ level of familiarity with games may have an influence on their attitudes and their expectations about the use of a gamified approach in a Higher Education course. The data were collected through focus groups, involving 13 teachers all in-service in a private Italian university, and were analysed through qualitative content analysis. Participants were divided into three groups according to their playing habits and preferences (well-rounded gamers, casual gamers and non-gamers). Results show that, even though the participants’ overall attitude towards gamification was favourable, there were some differences between the three groups. For instance, teachers in the “well-rounded gamers” group expressed the highest level of concern about the possible negative effects of the use of gamification in HE, while “casual gamers” and “non-gamers” seemed to be less cautious and more focused on the possible advantages of a gamified educational strategy. “Non-gamers” were the group more concerned about the time and guidance needed to really be able to use this new pedagogical approach in their courses.

   5. Democratizing Game Learning Analytics for Serious Games

      Víctor M. Pérez-Colado, Iván J. Pérez-Colado, Iván Martínez-Ortiz, Manuel Freire-Morán, Baltasar Fernández-Manjón

      Abstract

      Interest in the field of serious games (SGs) has grown during the last few years due to its multiple advantages. For example, SGs provide immersive learning environments, where risky or complex scenarios can be tested in safety while keeping players engaged. Moreover, the highly interactive nature of serious games opens new opportunities for applying learning analytics to the interaction data gathered from the gameplays. These interaction data can be used, for example, to measure the impact of serious games on their players. At e-UCM, we have developed open code tools to support serious game learning analytics (GLA), especially an xAPI tracker that collects the player interactions and sends them to a cloud analytic store, SIMVA. Although this tracker uses the xAPI specification as a basis, it includes extensions tailored to our tools. However, not all game developers have the knowledge to operate our analytics infrastructure or are willing to use our tools. We present the design of a GLA system based on existing software modules, focused on collecting and storing analytics generated by SGs in xAPI format. The main elements of this lean architecture are the Learning Record Store (LRS) and the xAPI tracker. With this work, we aim to facilitate and lower the barrier of applying learning analytics in serious games.

   6. The App Magic House: Assessing Updating in Young Children

      Sabrina Panesi, Laura Freina, Lucia Ferlino

      Abstract

      Several cognitive assessment tools have been developed to measure Executive Functions in pre-schoolers, most of them in an analogue form. Since specifically developed apps would allow the assessment to be more accessible, valid, and fun for young children, “The Magic House” app was implemented. The app offers a simple game to measure updating, one of the Executive Functions. A first test was performed involving a small sample of 61–77 months old children. Results show that the internal consistency is acceptable. Non-significant differences related to gender and younger (61–70 months old) and older (71–77 months old) children were found. Furthermore, a comparison with a previous analogue version of the same task was done showing that children performance were better in the analogue version. This may also be due to the difference between actively interacting with virtual objects in a bidimensional world, from playing with real toys.