PROTOTYPING DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL GAMES
PROTOTYPING DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL GAMES

Summary/Abstract: Games are types of media that engage players in structured conflicts, based on sets of rules, which enable players to reach game goals, and obtain the corresponding reward mechanisms. As games are dynamic systems, they have a level of uncertainty that results in unequal outcomes depending on the player strategy. Creating long-term engagement in games is a challenge and building up motivation becomes even a more critical issue when prototyping Digital Educational Games (DEGs) that should seamlessly integrate specific learning objectives the players should reach by playing the game. There is no perfect blend of formal, dramatic, and dynamic elements that should be part of a DEG. Therefore, designers are challenged to employ their knowledge and creativity to construct captivating and fun experiences that expose learners to consistent sets of stimuli to guide and hide the learning flows. How can learning be made more effective through DEGs? How can DEGs be prototyped to exploit games’ capabilities to engage players? How can learning objectives be met without compromising the engagement? How should rewards mechanisms and assessment metrics be defined? The authors address these questions and present a prototype of Tingo, a DEG constructed to support foreign language learning. The game integrates a multilingual dictionary and provides user-friendly customization mechanisms that enable teachers to reuse the game structure and adapt the content to teach new languages. The paper integrates a case study that describes key game mechanics and workflows that support the learning experience. The work presented herein is funded by Unitatea Executiva pentru Finantarea Invatamantului Superior, a Cercetarii, Dezvoltarii si Inovarii (UEFISCDI Contract no. 19/2014).

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