Teaching with Tutorials
For the final year of university, I focused my modules on education, specifically about efficient learning through game design theories. I intend to adopt these practices for academic purposes.
"The common understanding among researchers and industry alike seems to be that serious games have great potential of becoming more and more influential in many walks of life in the future" (Kankaanranta and Neittaanmäki, 2010)
Technology has always been a far-reaching goal in the past, currently, many of our systems rely on technology and it's clear that the future resides with the advancement of technology. More and more courses are published online. These tutorials are useful but they don't use the full potential of technology. Games have evolved to attract massive audiences, they can engage in deep narratives and compel players to play for hours. Most importantly, a lot of these games transfer information unknowingly to the player. Whether it be through branching mechanics or a database of skills and abilities, teaching occurs and that can be manipulated. Instead of teaching invaluable information that can only be applied to the features of that game, we can teach academic fundamentals. This is where the focus of my research and my game development will be situated, with a specific focus on Tutorials for their teaching principles.
Full research document can be Downloaded below
My research into educational game development also extends into mental health awareness. Video games have the capability to express emotions and present experiences through interactivity. The portrayal of mental health can be more accurately depicted through well-established game design. Furthermore, games have the potential to reach millions, who appear in a wide variety of social circles. Although there may be complications with exposure, the benefits of what these games could bring to the mental health industry may be worthwhile.
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The below documentation is a complete research paper I have written on Hellblade and VR-Chat, discussing their status and the influence they provide on mental health.
I have also designed a video game to improve the mental health of people with social anxiety. My intent was to create a game to help build conversational skills and thus provide a means to enhance these skills without the social pressure of influential negative responses. The user is playing the role of an investigator whose task is to find a specific person in the room. The target is described by their personal information and can only be determined through extended conversations. The gameplay can provide realistic experiences in conversation within a controlled environment. This could therefore help to better a particular skill that is lacking and could cause social anxiety.
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View the Full game design document below.