Fostering collaboration and empathy through games

Abstract

Kids who can easily collaborate with their peers are often up to a great start in their adult life. For effective collaboration, the collaborating individuals must be empathetic enough to be able to understand each other well and resolve conflicts as and when they arise. However, such abstract concepts are difficult to teach in classrooms since they do not always adhere to the boundaries that theoretical definitions place on them. A much better way to explain such concepts lies in practicing them, and one of the key ways in which these skills can be practiced and taught in classrooms is through games. Games serve as an excellent learning tool since they make learning fun and help students pay attention and stay focused on the subject. For this reason, we have designed and developed a novel dual-player game called "Two Shapes"that makes use of its in-game mechanics as a tool to teach children the essential skills of collaboration and empathy. The game has been designed in such a way that the two players are required to recognize each other's strengths and abilities to overcome obstacles in their paths by leveraging them.