Design and evaluation of an educational resource to promote social and emotional competences with indie games through design based research

ABSTRACT

This work covers the design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational resource for teachers in 3^rd and 4^th grade of secondary education that aims to promote social and emotional competences in students through independent videogames. Built on a design-based research approach, this paper covers the phases of this methodology: analysis and definition of the problem, design of a solution, testing and evaluation, and reflection to produce design principles. After reviewing the possibilities of indie games, we show how working with teachers helped to develop a first version of the resource, including a section on games literacy and five activities for the selected game (Braid). Then we analyze how the resource evolved into an e-book and an online teacher training which was very well received. Finally, we propose several design principles that will allow an iterative adjustment of the project in the following years.

Keywords:
Video Games; Emotional Education; Design-Based Research; Game Studies