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An important step in the design of an effective educational game is the formulation of the to-be-achieved learning goals. The learning goals help shape the content and the flow of the entire game, i.e. they provide the basis for choosing the game’s core (learning) mechanics. A mistake in the formulation of the learning goals or the resulting choice in game mechanics can have large consequences, as the game may not lead to the intended effects. At the moment, there are many different methods for determining the learning goals; they may be derived by a domain expert, based on large collections of real-life data, or, alternatively, not be based on anything in particular. Methods for determining the right game mechanics range from rigid taxonomies, loose brainstorming sessions, to, again, not any method in particular. We believe that for the field of educational game design to mature, there is a need for a more uniform approach to establishing the learning goals and translating them into relevant and effective game activities. This paper explores two existing, non-game design specific, methods to help determine learning goals and the subsequent core mechanics: the first is through a Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA), which can be used to analyse and formalize the problem and the knowledge, skills, attitudes that it is comprised of, and the second is through the Four Components Instructional Design (4C-ID), which can be used to determine how the task should be integrated into an educational learning environment. Our goal is to see whether these two methods provide the uniform approach we need. This paper gives an overview of our experiences with these methods and provides guidelines for other researchers on how these methods could be used in the educational game design process.

Adaptive systems – fun for everyone! Presentation for honors students of CMI on the use of adaptive systems in the design of interactive media for social problems.

Een (korte) introductie op educatieve spellen. Presentatie voor de Stad en Toga bijeenkomst over serious games (in het onderwijs), 7 oktober 2015.

Educatieve games: leermiddel of lapmiddel? In sommige wetenschappelijke studies worden succesvolle resultaten gerapporteerd over het effect van educatieve games. Andere studies geven, in vergelijking met traditionelere methoden, geen of zelfs een negatief resultaat.

The role of “mechanics” in the serious game design process. Presentation held during the Sino-Dutch conference, March 2015. In the last few years, there have been many developments in the design and application of serious games, particularly in the field of ‘games for health’. This is possible due to the emergence of new technologies that enable us to better connect with users, for instance through continuous online availability, or to use games for new application areas, through for instance the Kinect and the Oculus Rift. While it is good to see that these games are being used more than ever, there are still many uncertainties with regard to their effectiveness. This uncertainty is also voiced by the scientific community, as there is no consensus yet about whether games are more effective than traditional materials. This may be due to our perception of games as a black box instead of a rather intricate and interconnected set of mechanics; each mechanic will have an impact on the intended outcome. An important question thus lies with understanding exactly how (and why) these games work. In this keynote, we will look at the different goals and applications of games for health and their implications on the design of these games. We will do so by looking at three major aspects of a serious game: the intended goal of the game (educational or persuasive learning goals), the way that goal is achieved through the game (the game mechanics) and the target audience (users).

Posterpresentatie USE Conferentie 2015.

Posterpresentatie USE Conferentie 2015.

For over thirty years, there has been a discussion about the effectiveness of educational games in comparison to traditional learning materials. To help further this discussion, we aim to understand ‘how educational games work’ by formalising (and visualising) the educational and motivational aspects of such games. We present a model that focuses on the relationship between three different aspects: user properties, game mechanics, and learning objectives. In two example cases, we have demonstrated how the model can be used to analyse existing games and their game/instructional design, and suggest possible improvements in both motivational and educational aspects based on the model. As such, we introduce a novel approach to analysing educational games and, by inference, a novel design process for designing more effective educational games.

Exergames, as one might infer from the name, are a combination of exercise and games. As such, they stimulate players to perform certain behaviours by providing them with engaging game mechanics (Whitehead, Johnston, Nixon, & Welch, 2010). While they can be used during physiotherapeutic rehabilitation sessions, they are particularly useful to increase therapy adherence at home (Song, Peng, & Lee, 2011). In this extended abstract, we explore an approach that addresses the first problem: how can we design a game that can be mapped on a wide range of therapeutic exercises?

Presentation for Intercultural Communication master students of Wageningen University about the design of educational games for teaching about cultural differences.

Presentation USE Conference 2015.

Designing games for health.A presentation for the yearly conference of movement sciences focusing on the design of games for health purposes.

Poster and poster presentation for internal/external KCO profiling meeting.