Narrative Serious Game Mechanics (NSGM) – Insights into the Narrative-Pedagogical Mechanism
- 2.2k Downloads
Abstract
Narratives are used to construct and deconstruct the time and space of events. In games, as in real life, narratives add layers of meaning and engage players by enhancing or clarifying content. From an educational perspective, narratives are a semiotic conduit for evoking critical thinking skills and promoting knowledge discovery/acquisition. While narrative is central to Serious Games (SG), the relationships between gameplay, narrative and pedagogy in SG design remain unclear, and narrative’s elemental influence on learning outcomes is not fully understood yet. This paper presents a purpose-processing methodology that aims to support the mapping of SG design patterns and pedagogical practices, allowing designers to create more meaningful SGs. In the case of narrative, the intention is to establish whether Narrative Serious Game Mechanics (NSGM) can provide players with opportunities for reasoning and reflective analysis that may even transcend the game-based learning environment.
Keywords
Game Design Digital Game Cognitive Apprenticeship Game Mechanics Game ElementPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
- 1.Propp, V.: Morphology of the Folktale. University of Texas Press (1998) (1st English translation published 1958) Google Scholar
- 2.Campbell, J.: The hero with a thousand faces. Fontana Press (1949) Google Scholar
- 3.Egri, L.: The Art of Dramatic Writing: It’s Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives. Simon and Schuster, New York (1942) Google Scholar
- 4.McKee, R.: Story. Methuen Publishing Ltd. (1997) Google Scholar
- 5.Vogler, C.: The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters. Michael Wiese Productions, 3rd edn. (2007)Google Scholar
- 6.Sheldon, L.: Character Development and Storytelling for Games (2004) Google Scholar
- 7.Chatman, S.: Story and Discourse, narrative structure in fiction and film. Cornell University Press (1978) Google Scholar
- 8.Dansky, R.: Introduction into Game Narrative. In: Game Writing Narrative Skills for Videogames. Charles River Media, Massachusetts (2007) Google Scholar
- 9.Karagiorgi, Y., Symeou, L.: Translating Constructivism into Instructional Design: Potential and Limitations. Educational Tech. & Soc. 8(1), 17–27 (2005) Google Scholar
- 10.Bellotti, F., Berta, R., De Gloria, A.: Designing Effective Serious Games: Opportunities and Challenges for Research. Special Issue: Creative Learning with Serious Games, IJET 5, 22–35 (2010) Google Scholar
- 11.Bellotti, F., Berta, R., De Gloria, A., D’Ursi, A., Fiore, V.: A serious game model for cultural heritage. ACM J. Comput. Cult. Herit. 5(4) (2012) Google Scholar
- 12.Kelle, S., Klemke, R., Specht, M.: Design patterns for learning games. IJTEL 3(6), 555–569 (2011) Google Scholar
- 13.Bellotti, F., Berta, R., De Gloria, A.: Games and Learning Alliance (GaLA) Supporting education and training through hi-tech gaming. In: Proc. of ICALT 2012, pp. 740–741 (2012) (6268245 ) Google Scholar
- 14.Wexler, S., Corti, K., Derryberry, A., Quinn, C., Barneveld, A.V.: The eLearning Guild: 360 report on immersive learning simulations (2008) Google Scholar
- 15.Serious Games Society, http://www.seriousgamessociety.org/index.php/83-content-popup/116-repository
- 16.Bateman, C.: Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames. Cengage Learning (2006)Google Scholar
- 17.Tochon, F.V.: Presence Beyond the Narrative: semiotic tools for deconstructing the personal story. Curriculum Studies 2(2), 221–247 (1994)Google Scholar
- 18.Karagiorgi, Y., Symeou, L.: Translating Constructivism into Instructional Design: Potential and Limitations. Edu. Tech. & Soc. 8(1), 17–27 (2005)Google Scholar
- 19.Lindley, C.A.: Story and Narrative Structures in Computer Games. Developing Interactive Narrative Content (2005)Google Scholar
- 20.Harrell, D.A.: Theory and Technology for Computational Narrative: An Approach to Generative and Interactive Narrative with Bases in Algebraic Semiotics and Cognitive Linguistics (2007)Google Scholar
- 21.Baalsrud Hauge, J., Bellotti, F., Berta, R., Carvalho, M.B., De Gloria, A., Lavagnino, E., Nadolski, R., Ott, M.: Field assessment of Serious Games for Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. J. of Convergence Info. Tech. 8(13), 1–12 (2013)Google Scholar
- 22.Lim, T., Louchart, S., Suttie, N., Ritchie, J.M., Aylett, R.S., Stănescu, I.A., Roceanu, I., Martinez-Ortiz, I., Moreno-Ger, P.: Strategies for Effective Digital Games Development and Implementation. In: Baek, Y., Whitton, N. (eds.) Cases on Digital Game-Based Learning: Methods, Models, and Strategies, pp. 168–198. IGI Global (2012)Google Scholar
- 23.Arnab, S., Lim, T., Carvalho, M.B., Bellotti, F., de Freitas, S., Louchart, S., Suttie, N., Berta, R., De Gloria, A.: Mapping learning and game mechanics for serious games analysis. British Journal of Educational Technology (2014), doi:10.1111/bjet.12113Google Scholar
- 24.Marchiori, E.J., Torrente, J., del Blanco, Á., Moreno-Ger, P., Sancho, P., Fernández-Manjón, B.: A narrative metaphor to facilitate educational game authoring. Comp. & Edu. 58(1), 590–599 (2012)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 25.Ott, M., Tavella, M.: A contribution to the understanding of what makes young students genuinely engaged in computer-based learning tasks. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 1(1), 184–188 (2009)Google Scholar
- 26.Kirschner, P.A., Sweller, J., Clark, R.E.: Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Edu. Psych. 41(2), 75–86 (2006)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 27.Vygotsky, L.S.: Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1978)Google Scholar
- 28.Chaiklin, S.: The Zone of Proximal Development in Vygotsky’s analysis of learning and instruction. In: Kozulin, A., Gindis, B., Ageyev, V., Miller, S. (eds.) Vygotsky’s Educational Theory and Practice in Cultural Context, pp. 39–64 (2003)Google Scholar
- 29.Bellotti, F., Berta, R., De Gloria, A., Primavera, L.: Supporting authors in the development of Task-Based Learning in Serious Virtual Worlds. BJET 41(1), 86–107 (2010)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 30.Bellotti, F., Berta, R., De Gloria, A., Primavera, L.: Adaptive Experience Engine for Serious Games. IEEE Trans. on Comp. Intel. and AI in Games 1(4), 264–280 (2009)CrossRefGoogle Scholar