Serious Games as Technical Artifacts Mediating Learning Objectives

Sigtenbjerggaard, Jeppe

4. term

Techno-Anthropology, Master

2023

2023-10-16

42 pages

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the serious game, PluriCards, and investigate whether the technical artifacts of the game mediate its learning objective - to learn about sustainability and ideate potential futures through dialogue with the opposing players. To understand what games and serious games are, the problem analysis provides a brief overview followed by an introduction to PluriCards. The problem formulation is as follows: How does the serious game ‘PluriCards’ perform as a technical artifact for mediating learning objectives? Throughout the analysis, different theories of learning are presented to provide the reader with an understanding of how learning processes occur. Thereafter, the same theories are used in an evaluation of PluriCards. The analysis concludes that PluriCards performs effectively during game mode one, the conversation starter. However, during game modes two and three, the game rules frustrate the players and hinder the learning objectives from occurring frequently and favorably. To tackle this issue, three possible solutions are proposed, encompassing new rules and new cards.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the serious game, PluriCards, and investigate whether the technical artifacts of the game mediate its learning objective - to learn about sustainability and ideate potential futures through dialogue with the opposing players. To understand what games and serious games are, the problem analysis provides a brief overview followed by an introduction to PluriCards. The problem formulation is as follows: How does the serious game ‘PluriCards’ perform as a technical artifact for mediating learning objectives? Throughout the analysis, different theories of learning are presented to provide the reader with an understanding of how learning processes occur. Thereafter, the same theories are used in an evaluation of PluriCards. The analysis concludes that PluriCards performs effectively during game mode one, the conversation starter. However, during game modes two and three, the game rules frustrate the players and hinder the learning objectives from occurring frequently and favorably. To tackle this issue, three possible solutions are proposed, encompassing new rules and new cards.

Serious games ; educational psychology ; techno-anthropology ; PluriCards

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