A modular approach to support the multidisciplinary design of educational game experiences

Abstract

The design of a computer game based educational experience is a multidisciplinary task that requires the collaboration of experts in game design, education and in the field of instruction. In this paper we present an educational game (EG) design method which tackles this multiplicity of backgrounds allowing each of the experts to focus on the aspects of the game design related to his/her area of expertise. The method is supported by a modular conceptual model that provides a common framework for describing an EG and facilitates the reuse of design components and the description of new game variants. In order to illustrate the proposal we describe the process of design and implementation of 'Maz-E-nglish', an EG for mobile devices which aims to help children learning English grammar. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.