A Description Grid to Support the Design of Learning Role-Play Games

Abstract

Published online on Feb. 2011 - This article is a substantially modified rewrite of "Games classifications and Learning Games design", presented at the 40th ISAGA conference.International audienceTo strengthen the motivation of learners, the professional training sector is focusing more and more on game-based learning. In this context, the authors have become interested in the design of Learning Role-Play Game (LRPG) scenarios. The aim of this article is to improve the designers' confidence in the validity of the game-based learning programs developed by providing a methodology and tools to support their choices. The first stage of this work is the creation of a grid to describe LRPG scenarios. This grid will serve to support the design methodology, the collecting and sharing of LRPG scenarios and components, and the operationalization of the scenarios designed. First, this article details the purpose of the authors' work. Then, it outlines the main characteristics of the description grid constructed mainly based on Klabbers' work and on the study of game mechanics. Furthermore, applications of the description grid in a design-support environment are discussed and future work is presented

Proposal of a Conceptual Model for Serious Games Design: A Case Study in Children With Learning Disabilities

“…For adequate SG designing, Ibrahin and Jaafar [57] combined three factors: game design (usability, multimodal and fun), learning content modeling (syllabus matching), and pedagogy (learning outcomes, motivation theory, self-learning, and problem-solving). Mariais et al [58] defined aspects in the design of Learning Role-Play Game (LRPG) to validate the SG throughout three phases (Initial design, Adjustment to context, and Execution); based on the collection, the scenario exchange, and components of LRPG; considering the actors, rules, and functions. Klapztein and Cipolla [27] described a framework for gamification services.…”

Changing entrepreneurial intention and behaviour: a digital game-based learning environment dedicated to entrepreneurship education

“…Games are defined as a rules-based, conflict-driven quantifiable and unambiguous challenge that allows positive or negative outcomes (Hainley and Henderson, 2006;Haurie et al, 2012;Mariais et al, 2012). In general games contain well-defined rules and constrained fields of play that are complicated and rely on the ability to detect and exploit complexity.…”

Model and authoring tool to help teachers adapt serious games to their educational contexts

“…This same type of breaking down method is also used in the SG field. For instance, defining components of the scenarios with teachers' intentions was partially used by ScenLRPG (Mariais et al, 2012). This authoring tool for learning role playing games (LRPG) provides a model in which components are defined not only with intentions, but also with interactions and educational goals.…”

“…Regarding the idea of dividing scenarios into levels or stages, we wanted to highlight another feature that is often found in scenario models described in scientific papers: their components (e.g., levels) are organised and connected by the hierarchical structure of their goals. For instance, SG authoring tools like ScenLRPG (Mariais et al, 2012), or LAMS (Dalziel, 2008) and Collage (Hernández-Leo et al, 2006) for TEL systems, provide a hierarchical structure of components with their models. At first glance, their components look as if they are only sequenced in a linear fashion, but the components can also be nested: some components are containers of other sequences of components.…”