Listen and play: Auditory-motor interaction in a Bard’s tale video game

Abstract

Serious video games represent an immersive way of learning, providing an interaction between learning and game-play. Serious games have shown to be motivational and train the player to acquire certain skills. However, designers should find a balance between pedagogical goals and game-mechanics. Recent investigations show the learning benefits that players obtain by playing music-video games and how these games can support players to improve their musical skills due to embodied music cognition. In the current study, we develop a music-video game to improve the pitch recognition of players. We use the LM-GM model to assess the design of the video game. Moreover, a pilot case study was conducted where the participants performed the video game and answered a Game Experience Questionnaire. Thus, we analyzed the player experience and preliminary results display a relation between learning and game-play. Nevertheless, more studies are needed for appraising the learning effects.