Educational Games for Soft-Skills Training in Digital Environments [book]

Dell’Aquila, Elena, ‎davide Marocco, Michela Ponticorvo, Andrea Di Ferdinando, Massimiliano Schembri, and Orazio Miglino. Educational Games for Soft-Skills Training in Digital Environments. Advances in Game-Based Learning. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017.

This essay analyzes the outcomes of some digital RPG for training soft-skills, mostly based on interactions with PCs and programmed NPCs. Chapter 2 describes very well all the RPG techniques traditionally used in real environment (from Moreno to now). Chapter 3 lists some general guidelines for designing such games. Chapter 4 observed that the digital RPG has the same effectiveness as a face-to-face experience. The participants appreciated the anonymity but they mentioned a lack of emotional involvement.

The gamemaster is extremely important, especially for his immediate feedbacks and for his expertise during complete debriefings. Rule-based digital games ease the work of the gamemaster, they are suited for more cognitive learning (acquiring knowledge, problem-solving, decision-making,...). Drama-based games, played in a traditional way, are better for emotional awareness, self-assessment and self-confidence.