Work

Supporting Narrative Design in Video Games: Proposal and Case Study with an Educational Video Game

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Among the elements to consider when designing a video game, narrative stands out due to its importance in contextualizing and motivating. However, there are no standard processes for creating interactive digital narratives. In educational video games, a suitable narrative is even more essential to captivate players with a story, which serves as a vehicle for transmitting and evaluating knowledge. Consequently, this article proposes a narrative design process for video games, developed for general application but particularly useful for educational games. It defines a narrative structure, a set of design steps, and the documents generated during the process, each one representing a different perspective of the game’s narrative. To validate the proposal, a narrative-rich game called Time Invaders was designed to teach reading comprehension. It was tested with 237 school-age children, measuring their experience and satisfaction. The study revealed that the narrative was the most valued element of the game.

Source: International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction

DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2024.2440143

Authors: Francisco L. Gutiérrez, Nuria Medina-Medina, Jesús Gallardo, Patricia Paderewski, Eva Cerezo

Institutions: Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Zaragoza

Language: English

Topic: Educational Games and Gamification

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funders: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación