Generic Platform Accelerates Serious Game Development for Complex Cognitive Skills

Why It Matters

For designers and developers creating educational or training tools, the efficiency and accessibility of the development process directly impact the feasibility and scalability of their projects. A well-designed platform can democratize the creation of sophisticated learning experiences, making them more widely available and adaptable to diverse user needs.

Key Finding

The EMERGO platform successfully simplifies and accelerates the creation and deployment of serious games designed to teach complex cognitive skills, offering a more efficient and economical alternative.

Key Findings

• The EMERGO platform provides common components that cater to most functionalities needed for scenario-based games.
• The platform supports users in managing, developing, delivering, and playing a broad variety of scenario-based games.
• Evaluation data indicate that the platform enables faster, more user-friendly, and less costly development and delivery of scenario-based games.

Research Evidence

Aim: Can a generic, user-friendly platform streamline the development and delivery of scenario-based serious games for complex cognitive skill acquisition, proving to be faster, more cost-effective, and less rigid than existing solutions?

Method: Platform design and evaluation

Procedure: The EMERGO platform was designed and developed based on identified requirements for scenario-based serious games. Its components and functionalities were outlined, and its usability for various user roles (managers, developers, players) was explained. Evaluation data were collected and presented to support claims of improved development efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Context: Educational technology and serious game development

Design Principle

Develop adaptable platforms with modular components to facilitate rapid and cost-effective creation of specialized digital experiences.

How to Apply

When developing a system for creating digital content, break down the process into reusable modules and design interfaces tailored to different user expertise levels.

Limitations

The study focuses on a specific platform and its evaluation, and the long-term adaptability to unforeseen future needs is not fully explored.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: Creating special games to learn difficult skills can be slow and expensive. This research shows that a well-designed tool (a platform) can make it much faster, easier, and cheaper to build these learning games.

Why This Matters: This research highlights how good platform design can make complex design and development processes more accessible and efficient, which is crucial for many design projects.

Critical Thinking: To what extent can a 'generic' platform truly accommodate the unique requirements of highly specialized cognitive skill acquisition without compromising depth or effectiveness?

IA-Ready Paragraph: The development of the EMERGO platform demonstrates how a generic, user-centric approach to tool design can significantly enhance the efficiency and reduce the cost of creating specialized digital learning experiences. By providing modular components and catering to diverse user roles, such platforms accelerate the acquisition of complex cognitive skills through scenario-based serious games, offering a valuable model for future design projects in educational technology.

Project Tips

• Consider if your design project could benefit from a platform approach, where reusable components speed up development.
• Think about the different types of users who will interact with your design tool and tailor the experience accordingly.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the benefits of using a structured development environment or platform for your design project, especially if it involves complex digital content creation.

Examiner Tips

• When evaluating a design project, consider the efficiency and scalability of the development process. Did the designer leverage existing tools or frameworks effectively?

Independent Variable: Platform design (generic, user-friendly, modular components)

Dependent Variable: Development time, cost, user-friendliness, flexibility of serious game creation

Controlled Variables: Type of cognitive skills targeted, complexity of scenarios, specific game mechanics

Strengths

• Addresses a clear need for more efficient serious game development.
• Provides a concrete example of a successful platform with long-term viability.

Critical Questions

• What are the trade-offs between generality and specificity in a serious game development platform?
• How can the long-term evolution of such a platform be managed to keep pace with emerging learning theories and technologies?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could explore the design principles of educational platforms, comparing EMERGO with other systems, or investigating the impact of platform features on the pedagogical effectiveness of serious games.

Source

Developing Scenario-based Serious Games for Complex Cognitive Skills Acquisition: Design, Development and Evaluation of the EMERGO Platform · Open University of the Netherlands Research Portal · 2020 · 10.3217/jucs-020-04-0561