INTERACTIVE EDUTAINMENT: ASPECTS OF EDUCATIONAL GAMING
A. S. Sartori1, V. J. R. Monteiro2
1 Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (BRAZIL)
2 Cybermidia, tecnologia da informação e da comunicação Ltda (BRAZIL)
This article discusses the new practices in education through digital entertainment: the Educational Games – Serious games – production and its applicability to education. From a multidisciplinary approach, the game possibilities are discussed on the light of relevant bibliographic basis for the subject, and also from other fields such as system technology, design applied to digital game development and Distance Learning. A Pedagogical approach allows the discussion of one vital need for today’s society: communications and education. It has been observed that in the use of digital means for educational ends, the interactivity and entertainment are the main catalysts to reach the pedagogical objectives. The fun learning proposes paradigm changes to the current educational model, incorporating the act of learning into the quotidian of society, since this quotidian, according to Lévy (2000) is increasingly lost in this “informational sea”, creating its own personal culture, the cyber culture. To Alava (2000), the cyberspace represents communicational configurations consecrated by use, such as: pedagogical, technological and communicational niches. This idea contemplates the social, cultural and technical space, although its greater characteristic is in the proposed interactivity: virtual reality, virtual community, virtual campus and collective economy. No matter the niche to which it is targeted – pedagogical, technological or communicational –, the cyberspace interactivity is manifested through each media dispositive that forms it. Besides, the process is including and versatile, once the digital convergence is already a reality, the application of these Learning Objects may occur in a variety of digital platforms, and utilizing different technologies. The main characteristic of a game is to “teach” the user how to play. The learning curve of a game determines its success or failure. A more efficient learning curve, adequate to the target public, contemplates the ideal challenge-reward proportion, allowing for success in both entertainment and learning. The game industry sales have reached 9.5 billion dollar revenue in 2007, a 27% increase from the previous year, according to data collected by the NPD Group, reported by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). According to Anita Frazier, industry analyst for the NPD Group, the demographic data show that two non-traditional audiences have increased above average during the year: women and men over 35 years old, revealing that the interest for this type of entertainment is growing exponentially in many different levels of society. Incorporating pedagogical objectives in a Game Design Document requires innumerous amounts of considerations, and coordinating activities of many different areas. The search for efficient processes to developing educational games requires innovation, however, this article proposal is to demonstrate that such processes may develop from interpreting and adapting successful case studies in the games industry, Distance Learning initiatives, collaborative learning – Wiki – and in the cyber culture universe.