A quick prototyping framework for adaptive serious games with 2D physics on mobile touch devices

Abstract

In recent years mobile devices like the iPhone and Android became even more powerful than netbooks. This computational power can be used for complex simulations and games that were until now limited to desktop computers. We propose adaptive games with 2D physics on mobile devices that can be used for learning purposes. We argue that even young children can understand and apply physical laws in such games. Abstract physical concepts can be made more tangible as one can directly touch objects on the screen. Furthermore, digital games can provide an individualized learning and playing experience for each child with the integrated Adaptivity. In this work we show the problems that arise when developing serious games featuring adaptivity and physics and we propose a solution to them: a quick prototyping framework called TangoPhysics. TangoPhysics suggests a new way of prototyping mobile games: The prototypes are constructed directly on the mobile device, and can be tested at any moment. We show that the development time of a serious game can be dramatically reduced with our framework. At the same time, the framework allows not only programmers, but also teachers and in the long run maybe even students to develop their own games.