The study of educational serious games as a medium to motivate player learning through teaching astronomy in video games is examined through the iterative development of the video game Starfarer. It contributes to the better understanding of the development of educational serious games. The theoretical frameworks used are Game Based Learning (GBL) theory and Narrative Learning (NL) theory. Research through Design (RtD) was conducted to evaluate the use of these frameworks in cultivating motivation to learn in-game. The most important aspects of each that are identified through the development of Starfarer are; in GBL, attractive learning objectives, iterative problem-solving with positive feedback, and relevant simulations; and in NL, narrative context, pacing, and empathy for characters. From this, an additional missing design element of emotion is identified. In evaluating GBL and NL, it is found that they are in many ways balanced, and in others opposed. Furthermore, it was discovered that many players have an affinity towards either GBL or NL, thus a design process utilising both must balance such preferences. Suggestions for further study expanding on these findings are in developing and testing combining GBL, NL, and an emotional component into a new framework to better motivate player learning in-game.

The purpose of this study was to experiment with the possibility of using ludonarrative techniques present in games to communicate the socio-communicative impairments common in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Through extensive research, there is a pronounced lack of Autism representation in the form of diagnosed characters and their behaviors in games that there is little research made in this area. To explore this hypothetical quandary, an experiment was performed to test the effectiveness of how games may be used to convey concepts of Autism Spectrum Disorder to neurotypical individuals to enrich their understanding of the disorder and towards those who have it, through the creation and usage of a language based puzzle game prototype. The results concluded that disguising ASD symptoms and concepts as ludonarrative gameplay metaphors was effective in increasing awareness and interest towards the disorder.

I detta arbete undersöks spelifiering i kontexten där en kaféverksamhet valt att ersätta sitt tidigare utbildningssystem med ett digitalt och spelifierat sådant. Syftet med fallstudien är att undersöka tre olika frågor som relaterar till organisationen och spelifiering som ett fenomen. Vilka problem som kan lösas med spelifiering, ifall den tänkta effekten efterliknas i verkligheten och strategin att få anställda att börja spela. Arbetet börjar med att undersöka betydelsen av spelifiering och dess koppling till game-based learning, game thinking och aesthetics. Därefter undersöks litteratur som befinner sig både inom och utanför akademin. Detta eftersom spelifiering uppstått som ett fenomen utanför akademin. Hur den digitala utbildningen påverkar användarnas inre och yttre motivation undersöks i relation till ramverket Octalysis / This work examines gamification in the context where a café business has chosen to replace its previous training system with a digital and gamified one. The purpose of the case study is to investigate three different questions related to the organization and gamification as a phenomenon. Which problems can be solved with gamification, whether the intended effect is replicated in reality, and the strategy to get employees to start playing. The work begins by exploring the meaning of gamification and its connection to game-based learning, game thinking, and aesthetics. Then, literature within academia and beyond is examined. This is because gamification has emerged as a phenomenon outside of academia. How the digital training affects users' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is examined in relation to the Octalysis Framework.

This study aims to strengthen elementary school students' marine environmental awareness through various learning approaches and board game activities. More specifically, jigsaw cooperative learning, game-based learning, and problem-solving learning approaches were used in this study to investigate the marine environmental awareness of elementary school students. A mixed-methods approach was employed to understand the research questions comprehensively. A total of 43 Taiwanese elementary school fifth-grade students in two classes participated in the study. Twenty-three students in Class 1 played the board game as the treatment in the experiment, and 20 students in Class 2 did not receive treatment but read articles. Quantitative data were collected by surveys and analyzed with statistical methods to measure changes in student marine environmental awareness. Qualitative data were collected by letters and interviews and analyzed thematically to understand students' perceptions and attitudes toward marine environmental problems. The results showed that the learning activities did not statistically significantly enhance marine environmental awareness among Taiwanese elementary students. Therefore, this study concluded that using jigsaw cooperative learning board games can improve elementary school students' marine environmental awareness without significant differences. Last but not least, the implications of research and practice and suggestions for future research were also mentioned in this study.

The primary purpose in this case study was to explore the use of three-dimensional virtual spaces via the use of the game Minecraft as a teaching tool. The case study examined the effectiveness, self-efficacy, and social interaction of students when using such a tool in the teaching and learning process. The research analyzed knowledge acquisition through various deliverables such as benchmark pre and post exams, student discourse, and tangible objects created from the lessons by the students. Students were enrolled and participated in a summer camp offered from Arts and Technology Institute in North Texas. The camp utilized Minecraft to teach architecture types. Students learned about pyramids (Egyptian and Aztec), Roman/Greek architecture, Gothic architecture, and Post-Modern Architecture. Each day students were exposed to a different them of architecture and were tasked with building a world that was in the theme of an assigned type of architecture. Fifty-nine school age students ranging in ages from eight to twelve years old participated fully in the study. The students were not grouped by age, but instead self-selected partners with which to work during the course of their creations. Results show that students who participated in the Minecraft driven course were highly engaged and reported a positive experience during the course of learning. Participants worked cohesively to achieve common goals and problem solve during the course of project completion. Participants freely participated in discourse that was on the topic of the lesson, as well as, offered suggestions for improvement and solicited ideas from other participants. Pre and posttest results yielded an improvement in knowledge acquisition regarding general knowledge of architecture types. Many students frequently used the word “Fun” to describe their learning experience as cited in their daily blog entries. The research strived to show that using Minecraft as a teaching tool can create an environment in which students are highly engaged and are afforded an opportunity to learn material in a way that students can see as an applicable reason for learning. Results of this research evidence Minecraft as a tool in learning yields an atmosphere in which students take ownership of their learning and work in concert with other members of the classroom to yield positive learning outcomes.

This thesis examines the use of gamification principles in education, specifically where tablets are being used in the classroom. Individual chapters deal with explaining the concepts related to gamification, educational games and the specifics of implementing tablets into education. Their specific usage was examined through conversations with the teachers and students of Year 2 of a primary school, with the results being recorded in the research section. Research questions examined the theoretical concepts introduced in the first part of the thesis and centred around the theme of education via tablets. The types of tablet applications used were also investigated. When possible this thesis compares the views of teachers and students on the areas examined.

Over the history of interaction design, concepts and methods of prototyping have been significantly developed to address new challenges faced by the field and the ever-going advancement of new technologies. Some of the important developments are related to the notions of mixed-fidelity prototyping, experience prototyping, and prototypes as filters. Building upon these developments, this study explores a multiple-fidelity prototyping approach, that is, using progressively higher fidelity prototypes in iteration. The study focused particularly on the design of user engagement. It documented, and contributed to, an actual design process of Xplore, an augmented reality game-based learning application. Three participatory design-style workshops employing low-, mixed-, and high-fidelity prototypes were conducted respectively. Thematic analyses of participants’ interactions revealed sets of themes in the workshops, which reflected the changing focus and scope of the design space. The implications of the results obtained in the study highlighted the role of prototypes of each fidelity level in engaging users in a design process, as well as the potential benefits of combining multiple fidelity prototypes when designing for user engagement.

Genuine Forschungsdesigns zum Thema Social Presence in spielbasierten Lernumgebungen lagen bisher noch nicht im Fokus der Wissenschaft oder entsprechenden Forschungs‐ und Entwicklungsabteilungen der Hersteller von Game-Based-Learning-Software. Die vorhandenen Untersuchungen zu diesem Themenkomplex bezogen sich bislang entweder auf Social Presence in Computerspielen oder auf Social Presence in virtuellen Lernumgebungen, die nicht als Spiel umgesetzt worden sind. Spiel und Lernen wurden also bereits getrennt voneinander auf Social Presence untersucht, aber beide Konzepte empirisch noch nicht hinreichend zusammengebracht. Zukünftige Projekte müssen versuchen, diese Aspekte zu integrieren, um die Bedeutung von Social Presence im Kontext des spielbasierten Lernens valide einordnen zu können. Nachfolgend werden als Einführung zunächst Konzepte und Ergebnisse aus den Bereichen Social Presence im Videospiel und Social Presence beim Lernen vorgestellt, um im Anschluss daran erste Implikationen für die Gestaltung von GBL-Umgebungen abzuleiten.

The research reported here is a qualitative case study aimed to identify the position of digital game-based learning (DGBL) in the public and private preschools of Stockholm. The research is placed within the broader framework of digital game-based learning and the practical implementation of digital games in education, while the emphasis of the study is given to the role of the teachers in the practical implementation of digital games into the classroom. The research examines the attitude of the teachers towards digital games and investigates the role of these attitudes in the implementation of DGBL. The empirical findings of the study are analyzed and discussed through the prism of the existing literature on the field.The study shows that the perception of teachers on digital games and on the use of technology in early childhood education is the main factor that influences the implementation of digital games in preschools. The attitudes of the teachers can be distinguished in two categories: the positive teachers and the sceptical teachers. Furthermore, there are several other barriers that prevent the spreading of DGBL in the education institutions. Regardless of the teachers’ stance and the existing barriers, teachers are aware of the existence of digital games applicable to the early childhood education and many of them do make use of them. In this study, the ways of implementation of the digital games are also presented. However, teachers do not discuss digital games with the parents, while the discussion among colleagues is limited. The lack of information and appropriate training reveal a gap between the research community and the educational practice of DGBL.

L'intégration des tablettes numériques à écran tactile dans l'éducation de la petite enfance est prometteuse, mais difficile. Les trois principaux acteurs impliqués dans cette intégration sont l'enfant, le parent et l'enseignant. Cette thèse porte sur la manipulation des tablettes par le jeune enfant, les attitudes des parents et l'acceptation de ces dispositifs par l'enseignante ou par l'enseignant, afin de répondre à la question de l'efficacité de l'intégration des tablettes à écran tactile dans l'éducation de la petite enfance. Dans la partie sur l'enfant, deux études ont été menées. La première étude explore les comportements de manipulation numérique des enfants sur des tablettes à écran tactile et a conclu que la difficulté technologique d'une application de jeu dans les tablettes importe plus que la difficulté du contenu. La deuxième étude porte sur l'efficacité de l'ajustement des difficultés d'adaptation dans l'apprentissage basé sur le jeu pour ce qui est de l'acquisition des habiletés cognitives et du plaisir de l'enfant. De plus, les résultats indiquent que la conception du jeu a des répercussions importantes sur la compréhension de l'enfant et la manipulation numérique, et que l'adaptation aux difficultés d'adaptation a eu une influence positive sur le rendement cognitif de l'enfant en littératie, en mathématiques de base et en dessin, alors qu'aucune différence significative n' a été constatée dans l'expérience de plaisir de l'enfant entre le groupe expérimental et le groupe témoin. Dans la partie parents et enseignants, basée sur les résultats de l'enquête et des entretiens, les parents ont une attitude positive à l'égard des tablettes à écran tactile intégrés dans l'éducation de la petite enfance et ils croient fermement que les tablettes peuvent améliorer l'apprentissage des enfants. Pour les enseignants, il a été constaté que l'âge est l'élément clé qui influe sur leur acceptation de l'utilisation des tablettes numériques dans leur pédagogie, et les enseignants s'attendaient à recevoir des instructions plus pratiques sur l'utilisation de ces outils. / Integrating touch screen tablets in early childhood education is promising but challenging. The main three subjects involved in this integration are child, parent and teacher. This dissertation investigated child manipulation, parent attitudes and teacher acceptance respective to answer the question of the effectiveness of integrating touch screen tablets in early childhood education. In the Child part, two studies were conducted. The first study explored child digital manipulation behaviors on a touch screen tablets and made a conclusion that technology difficulty in a game app in the tablets matters more than content difficulty. The second study investigated the effectiveness of the adaptive difficulty adjustment in game-based learning in child cognitive skills achievement and enjoyment experience. And the results indicated that the game design significantly impacts on child comprehension and digital manipulation and the adaptive difficulty adjustment positively influenced child cognitive skills achievement in literacy, basic mathematics and basic drawing while no significant difference was found in child enjoyment experience between the experiment and control group. In the Parent and Teacher part, based on the survey and interview results, parents hold positive attitude towards touch screen tablets integrated in early childhood education and they strongly believed the potential of tablets to improve children learning. For teachers, it was found that the age is the key element impacting their acceptance of using tablets in their pedagogy, and teachers expected more practical instruction of using tablet in their teaching.