Developing a serious game design framework for educational tabletop games with digital components

Developing a serious game design framework for educational tabletop games with digital components

Developing a serious game design framework for educational tabletop games with digital components

By Veruschka Pelser-Carstens

Abstract

“Accountancy teaching professionals should consider various factors when conductingaccounting education. These factors include a new generation of students as well as amyriad of evolving changes in the business environment, which in turn demand changesin the skills required from novice accountants entering the workplace. Research studieshave demonstrated that accountancy teaching professionals shun change to traditional teaching and learning practices. It is therefore pivotal to creatively contemplate practicalsolutions for the challenges facing lecturers and students in accountancy.Researchers in accountancy education have argued that accountancy lecturers shouldrethink their teaching and learning practices to address prevalent workplacerequirements, such as students’ development of pervasive skills (e.g., critical thinking andthe use of technology). Researchers in serious game design for educational use posit that the use of serious games as a teaching and learning tool can enable pervasive skilldevelopment. Furthermore, the use of serious games in the classroom may encourage, empower, inspire, and motivate learners. However, not all lecturers have the know-howto develop serious games that can be purposefully used within the accountancycurriculum to address workplace requirements. Therefore, this study aimed tocoordinate serious game design elements, mechanics, and dynamics with curriculumoutcomes to develop a serious game design framework for lecturers who are new toserious game design and who endeavor to use serious games as a teaching and learningtool. To develop such a framework, the following primary research question wasproposed: How can a serious game design framework be developed for educationaltabletop games with digital components? The following secondary research questionswere also proposed: (i) How do serious games enable accountancy education? (ii) How can serious game design elements, mechanics, and dynamics be consolidated withaccountancy education outcomes and workplace requirements? (iii) How can tabletopgame features be combined with digital game components? Design science research was employed to develop a framework foreducationaltabletop games with digital components and to develop a serious game in accordancewith the framework.The outcomes of this study are: (i) This study developed a framework for educationaltabletop games with digital components that can be followed by lecturers who have noexperience in serious game design. (ii) This study developed a serious tabletop game for accountancy students that encompasses pervasive skill development. The recommendations proposed by this study are not only for lecturers in accountancyeducation but also for any lecturers in other fields of study who want to design seriousgames as a teaching and learning tool. Therecommendations include the following: (i)the developed serious game design framework can be used by lecturers who are new toserious game design because it includes theoretical explanations that are prevalent totopical workplace needs and requirements; (ii) the serious game design framework can thus also be used for curricula other than accountancy education; and (iii) additions andexclusions can be made to the framework to serve a specific purpose or curriculumoutcome because the framework is not stagnant. In conclusion, the decision to employ serious games as a teaching tool should be basedon a well-grounded theory of learning as well as on the skills required for the learningarea. An iterative approach to serious game design regarding how to combine gamecharacteristics such as game mechanics, elements, and dynamics, with curriculumoutcomes is indeed required. Prior to this study, an iterative approach in the form of aserious game design framework foreducational tabletop games with digital componentswas not readily available for lecturers new to serious game design, and thus, this studydeveloped such a framework to address the research questions. Furthermore, a seriousgame for accountancy education called Liike was developed in accordance with the framework.”

Reference

Pelser-Carstens, V. (2022). Developing a serious game design framework for educational tabletop games with digital components (Doctoral dissertation, Itä-Suomenyliopisto) https://erepo.uef.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/27459/urn_isbn_978-952-61-4553-2.pdf?sequence=1

Keyword

Serious games, game design, educational, tabletop, games, research