Educational video games – especially for the PC market – do not seem to perform as well commercially as games from other genres. We argue that there is room for independent – ’indie’ – developers to break into the marketplace, by identifying certain niches and innovating on the genre. This would generate commercial value for such actors and knowledge value for the players. Design decisions of high importance made during development of an educational video game demo at the small Swedish company Toleap Consulting AB were analysed in the pursuit of contributing to effective indie development of such games. Three main problems that arose during development were identified, and three design decisions where implemented to combat these respective problems; (1) Interpreted educational game pattern utilising XML, (2) Function-based game views and (3) Community created assets, open source, and no costly dependencies. In our case, the formulated design decisions effectively solved our problems, and we argue that they generalise. If a developer creating a similar game (educational video game) in a similar situation (independent development with limited resources) encounters one or more of these problems, the suggested design decisions may help the developer solve the problems, in turn making more educational video games available on the market, generating the aforementioned commercial and knowledge values.

abstract: This dissertation describes Space Vector 1 and Space Vector 2, two video games that introduce Newtonian mechanics concepts. Space Vector 1 is a side-scrolling game, in which players choose to drop bombs or supplies. Players had to identify if the physics was correct during a mission, or they had to plot the trajectory of a falling object, which was then simulated. In Space Vector 2, players were given velocity and acceleration values and had to plot the trajectory of a spaceship across a grid, or players were given a trajectory of a spaceship on a grid and had to program the velocity and acceleration values to produce the trajectory. Space Vector 1 was evaluated with 65 college undergraduates. Space Vector 2 was evaluated with 18 high school students. All participants were given a subset of the Force Concept Inventory, a standard assessment tool in physics education, as a pretest and posttest. Space Vector 1 was evaluated with a single group pretest-posttest design. Space Vector 2 was evaluated with a 2 x 2 ANOVA, where the factors were game mechanic (prediction mechanic or programming mechanic) and bonus questions (bonus question after a mission or no bonus question). Bayesian statistical methods were used for the data analysis. The best estimate for the average change in test scores for Space Vector 1 was a score gain of 1.042 (95% Highest Density Interval (HDI) [0.613, 1.487]) with an effect size of 0.611 (95% HDI [0.327, 0.937]). The best estimate for the grand mean of change scores in Space Vector 2 was an increase of 0.78 (95% HDI [-0.3, 1.85]) with an effect size of 0.379 (95% HDI [-0.112, 0.905]). The prediction/no bonus question version produced the largest change in score, where the best estimate for the mean change score was an increase of 1.2. The estimation intervals for the Space Vector 2 results were wide, and all included zero as a credible value. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Technology 2014

There is some debate about the most effective and least controversial means of sex education in schools. In several states, state law does not require education about Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (STDs and HIV/AIDS.) There is also debate about the effect and pervasiveness of sexual situations in video games and its effect on the healthy sexual development of adolescents. This research therefore aims to try to solve these two problems and answer the following question: Is it possible to represent sex in a more realistic and educational way through a video game while teaching more medically accurate and necessary information? The completion of this study will be able to provide some insights on the feasibility and benefits of widespread implementation of serious video games for health education in the United States and also point to the necessity of future research into this topic.

Les personnes hospitalisées pour un problème cardiaque présentent un risque important d’insuffisance cardiaque aiguë (ICA). L’ICA qui n’est pas reconnue ou prise en charge rapidement par l’équipe de soins est associée à un important taux de mortalité. Le raisonnement clinique infirmier (RCI), soit le processus cognitif d’interprétation des données recueillies lors de l’évaluation de la santé d’une personne, est essentiel à la reconnaissance et la prise en charge de l’ICA. Les jeux sérieux sont des interventions de formation pouvant être offertes sur des supports numériques (p. ex., ordinateurs) et qui pourraient améliorer le RCI en offrant une expérience d’apprentissage engageante et intrinsèquement motivante. En s’appuyant sur le modèle de développement d’interventions de Czajkowski et al. (2015), cette thèse par articles présente une étude dont le but était de développer et d’apprécier l’apport d’un jeu sérieux (SIGN@L, en référence aux signes et symptômes d’ICA et au support numérique du jeu sérieux) afin de soutenir l’engagement, la motivation intrinsèque et le développement du RCI en contexte d’ICA d’étudiantes et d’étudiants en sciences infirmières. Le jeu sérieux SIGN@L a été développé par l’étudiant-chercheur d’après le modèle théorique d’apprentissage par le jeu d’Alexiou et Schippers (2018) et les résultats de deux revues systématiques (Maheu-Cadotte et al., 2021b; Maheu-Cadotte et al., 2021c). D’après le modèle théorique retenu, le jeu sérieux combine trois couches constitutives afin de soutenir l’engagement et la motivation intrinsèque lors de l’apprentissage : des mécaniques de jeu, une trame narrative et une esthétique. Les revues systématiques ont apporté des appuis empiriques au design de SIGN@L. Ce dernier est conçu pour être utilisé individuellement, avec un ordinateur personnel et pour environ 20 minutes. Nous avons apprécié l’apport de SIGN@L par un devis multiméthodes (Maheu-Cadotte et al., 2022). Le volet quantitatif était un essai croisé. Nous avons recruté 28 étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières qui ont été répartis aléatoirement à deux séquences de prototypes du jeu sérieux : SIGN@L-A (version complète) suivi ou précédé de SIGN@L-B (comprenant seulement certaines mécaniques de jeu et une esthétique fonctionnelle). Les participantes et participants ont rempli des questionnaires en ligne après leur utilisation de chacun des prototypes et ont rapporté des niveaux d'engagement et de motivation intrinsèque plus élevés avec SIGN@L-A (r de Cohen de 0,83 et de 0,70, respectivement). Cependant, des différences négligeables dans les scores de RCI ont été constatées entre les deux prototypes (r de Cohen de 0,10). Pour le volet qualitatif, nous avons réalisé une entrevue individuelle semi-dirigée avec 10 participantes et participants afin d’apprécier l’apport des couches constitutives des prototypes du jeu sérieux sur leur expérience d’apprentissage. Ceux-ci ont décrit que la construction de réseaux logiques avait contribué à leur apprentissage. Ils ont également rapporté que d’incarner le rôle d’une infirmière ou d’un infirmier et de prendre soin de personnes hospitalisées leur conféraient un sens similaire des responsabilités à celui en pratique clinique. De plus, la division de SIGN@L-A en niveaux les aidait à situer leur progression. Alors que les deux prototypes ont été perçues comme faciles à utiliser, les réactions au rendu audiovisuel de SIGN@L-A ont varié de la détente à la distraction. Les résultats suggèrent qu’une intervention de formation qui intègre les éléments des couches constitutives d’un jeu sérieux favorise davantage l’engagement et la motivation intrinsèque d’étudiantes et d’étudiants en sciences infirmières qu’une intervention de formation qui présente une intégration limitée de ces éléments. / Individuals hospitalized in acute care units with a cardiac problem are at a significant risk of acute heart failure (AHF). If AHF is not recognized and managed early by the healthcare team, it is associated with significant mortality. Nurses’ clinical reasoning (CR), the cognitive process of interpreting data collected during the assessment of individuals, is essential to the recognition and management of AHF. Serious games are educational interventions that can be offered on digital devices (e.g., computers) and that have the potential to enhance CR by providing an engaging and intrinsically motivating learning experience. Based on the Czajkowski et al. (2015) model of intervention development, this article-based thesis presents a study that aimed to develop and study the contribution of a serious game (SIGN@L, in reference to the AHF signs and symptoms, and to the digital device on which is offered the serious game) to support nursing students’ engagement, intrinsic motivation, and CR development in the context of AHF. The serious game SIGN@L was developed by the student researcher based on the game-based learning theoretical model by Alexiou et Schippers (2018) and the results of two systematic reviews (Maheu-Cadotte et al., 2021b; Maheu-Cadotte et al., 2021c) . According to the theoretical model, a serious game combines three layers to support engagement and intrinsic motivation during learning: game mechanics, narrative and aesthetics. Systematic reviews provided empirical support for the design of SIGN@L. This serious game is used alone, on a personal computer, and its estimated duration of use is one 20-minute session. We assessed the contribution of SIGN@L-A through a multimethod design (Maheu-Cadotte et al., 2022). The quantitative component was a crossover trial. We recruited 28 nursing students who were randomly assigned to two sequences of serious game prototypes: SIGN@L-A (complete version) followed or preceded SIGN@L-B (including only some game mechanics and a functional aesthetic). Participants completed online questionnaires after using each of the prototype and reported higher levels of engagement and intrinsic motivation with SIGN@L-A (Cohen’s r: 0.83 and 0.70, respectively). However, negligible differences in CR scores were found between the two educational interventions (Cohen’s r: 0.10). For the qualitative component, we conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 10 participants to assess the contribution of the three layers of the serious game on their learning experience. They described how they perceived that the construction of logical networks had contributed to their learning. They also reported that playing the role of a nurse and caring for hospitalized individuals gave them a similar sense of responsibility to that found in clinical practice. In addition, the division of SIGN@L-A into levels greatly helped them to situate their progress. While both interventions were perceived as easy to use, reactions to the audiovisual rendering of SIGN@L-A ranged from feeling relaxed to feeling distracted. Results suggest that an educational intervention that integrates each of the elements of the constituent layers of a serious game is more supportive of nursing students' engagement and intrinsic motivation than an educational intervention that has limited integration of these elements.

The use of online courses continues to increase despite the small amount of research that exists on the effectiveness of online educational environments. The little research that has been conducted has focused on evaluating factors taken into consideration during the adoption of online learning environments. One notable benefit often cited is the ability to incorporate multimedia such as video games. Although game researchers and developers are pushing for the use of video games for educational purposes, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of serious video games. When paring the increasing use of online educational environments, the push to use serious video games, and the lack of research on the effectiveness of online learning environments and video games, there is a clear need for further investigation into the use of serious video games in an online format. Based on current literature, no other known study has conducted an analysis comparing a serious game-based and non-game based online course; making this a unique study. The purpose of this study was to compare student learning experiences and outcomes between a serious game-based and non-game based online American History course. The data sources were data provided from Florida Virtual School (FLVS) and student and teacher interviews. Random samples of 92 students were statistically analyzed. A group of 8 students and 4 teachers were interviewed. FLVS data provided were analyzed using an independent t-test and the Mann-Whitney test and the student and teacher interview were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results of an independent t-test revealed that there was a significant (p > .01) difference in the mean number of days necessary to complete the course (MGB = 145.80, SDGB = 50.64, MNGB = 112.63, SDNGB = 49.60). The Mann-Whitney results indicated a significant difference between course performance and the type of American history course (Z = -5.066, p > .01); students in the serious game-based online course had an A average whereas students in the non-game-based online course had a B average. The thematic analysis of the relationship between student performance and motivation in both courses indicated that students and teachers of the game-based online course provided more reasons for student motivation than the students and teachers in the non-game-based online course. The thematic analysis of what aspects do students perceive as helpful and/or hindering to their learning indicated that students and teachers of the game-based online course provided more desirable, more helpful, less undesirable, and less hindering aspects for their course than the students and teachers in the non-game-based online course. As a result of the unique nature of this study, the findings provide new information for the fields of research on online learning, serious video gaming, and instructional design as well as inform instructional-designers, teachers, education stakeholders, serious video game designers, and education researchers.