Weekly Selection

Brom, C., Dobrovolny, V., & Bromova, E. (2015). Towards in Situ Measurement of Affective Variables During Playing Educational LARPs: A Pilot Study. In R. Munkvold & L. Kolas (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th European Conference on Games Based Learning (ecgbl 2015) (pp. 767–769). Nr Reading: Acad Conferences Ltd.

Live action role playing games can be used for educational purposes (edu-LARPs), but information about their learning effectiveness is limited. To our knowledge, even quantitative instruments for in situ measuring (i.e. during playing the game) of affective constructs, for instance flow or generalized positive and negative affect in edu-LARPs, are lacking. Existing instruments cannot be applied straightforwardly due to several reasons; most notably, because they are not gamified. Administering a non-gamified inventory in the game can influence/interrupt the states it is supposed to measure. The research aim of our new project is to investigate acquisition of mental models of mechanical devices learnt within an edu-LARP and correlate the quality of the acquired mental model with in situ flow and generalized positive/negative affect (planned N (similar to) 10 groups x 10 participants). So far, we have conducted three pilots (N = 10, 12, 13) for which we developed a new method for assessing these constructs by in-game questionnaires (and tested the LARP’s plot, a sci-fi space opera). The results so far are promising in that we are able to administer the respective questionnaires in situ without adverse effects of the measurement process on these states; as reported by participants in post hoc focus groups. Our method can be probably used in other edu-LARPs provided certain requirements on the LARP’s plot are met. Another result is that some components of flow (such as fluency/sense of control) seem to be influenced by role playing but others (such as absorption or time alteration) not so. This indicates that the notion of flow as a unitary construct may not be applicable in LARP contexts.

Çapan Tekin, S., & Aslım Yetiş, V. (2016). Réduire l’anxiété langagière en production orale: Jeux de rôles en FLE. Humanitas: Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi/International Journal of Social Sciences, 4(7), 73–102.

L‘objectif principal de cette étude a été de déterminer le niveau d‘anxiété d‘apprenants de français langue étrangère (FLE) et d‘utiliser une technique appropriée pour la réduire. Pour ceci les jeux de rôles, qui permettent aux apprenants d‘être plus actifs, motivés et créatifs, ont été utilisés. Avec un échantillon de 17 apprenants de FLE suivant le cours de production orale, il a été collecté des données quantitatives et qualitatives.  Un questionnaire d‘anxiété à parler (FLSAS) pour déterminer leur niveau d‘anxiété a été administré avant et après l‘intervention qui consistait à réaliser 8 semaines de leçons de production orale avec jeux de rôles. Avant l‘intervention, les apprenants ont également participé à un examen de production orale (test préliminaire). Afin de voir si une différence s‘avérait dans leur niveau d‘anxiété selon que leur niveau de langue augmentait, un second examen s‘est fait après l‘intervention. A l‘aide d‘un entretien semi-dirigé, il a été cherché à connaître les opinions des apprenants concernant les effets des jeux de rôles. L‘analyse des résultats quantitatifs ont montré que ces jeux engendraient une diminution du niveau d‘anxiété et une hausse de la compétence de production orale.  Selon les données qualitatives, les jeux de rôles diminuent l‘anxiété à parler, créent un environnement d‘apprentissage plus créatif, renforcent les autres compétences linguistiques des apprenants et permettent une interaction culturelle.

Kusc, A. (2015). The psychological conditions for developing the creative thinking of high school students by role-playing games. In M. Rymes & I. Gillernova (Eds.), (pp. 163–175). Presented at the Psychologie práce a organizace 2015: Kvalita pracovního života, Prague: Univerzity Karlovy v Praze.

The study aims to examine the conditions of development of creative thinking, the introduction of new methods of assessing the level of development of creative thinking, development and implementation of innovative programs the usage of role-playing and business games for students of secondary vocational schools. The psychological essence of the concept of “creative thinking”, the analysis and study of the psychological conditions for the development of creative thinking of the person through the study of its structure as a complex multidimensional personality traits. Scientific study describes the psychological mechanism of intellectual activity. In the work accented the feasibility of using role-playing games and their varieties, business games, as methodological tools for the development of creative thinking of students of secondary vocational schools. In accordance with known rules psychometrics created an innovative method that focuses on evaluating, measuring personal and procedural indicators of creative thinking (methodology of axio-cognitive assessment of thinking). The author has proposed and proved the hypothesis that a specially organized professional activities in the form of the game significantly affect the level of creative thinking of the individual. To ensure the effectiveness of high resolution, cognitive process and development of creative thinking orientovananeho on various professional profiles, the author is looking for new approaches and methodology of innovative educational programs. The author has created innovative educational programs within the framework of an integrated role-playing games, focused on business thinking, which is called “Fundamentals of business”.

Martin, L. J., Harrison, B., & Riedl, M. O. (2016). Improvisational Computational Storytelling in Open Worlds (pp. 73–84). Presented at the Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Interactive Digital Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA: Springer International Publishing.

Improvisational storytelling involves one or more people interacting in real-time to create a story without advanced notice of topic or theme. Human improvisation occurs in an open-world that can be in any state and characters can perform any behaviors expressible through natural language. We propose the grand challenge of computational improvisational storytelling in open-world domains. The goal is to develop an intelligent agent that can sensibly co-create a story with one or more humans through natural language. We lay out some of the research challenges and propose two agent architectures that can provide the basis for exploring the research issues surrounding open-world human-agent interactions.

Snyder-Young, D. (2015). Warriors, wizards, and clerics: Heroic identity construction in live-action role-playing games. In M. Omasta & D. Chappell (Eds.), Play, Performance, and Identity: How Institutions Structure Ludic Spaces (pp. 22–32).

Down the stairs, three warriors creep, trailed by a hooded monk, a girl clutching a teddy bear, and a bosomy noblewoman taking frantic field notes (that’s me!). Clad in duct-tape armor, clutching swords and axes made of PVC pipe, foam, and more duct tape, the warriors slide stealthily up to a closed door. The lead warrior gestures to the monk and the women to hide in a corner; the monk positions his body between the women and the door. With a synchronized cry, the three warriors throw open the closed door, surprising two duct-taped goblins and a black-cloaked wizard. The warriors coordinate their strikes, delivering fatal blows to the goblins and injuring the wizard’s hands so he is unable to cast spells. The leader of the warriors instructs the others to tie up the wizard so he can be questioned.