Educational Game Models: Conceptualization and Evaluation

The relationship between educational theories, game design and game development are used to develop models for the creation of complex learning environments. The Game Object Model (GOM), that marries educational theory and game design, forms the basis for the development of the Persona Outlining Model (POM) and the Game Achievement Model (GAM). POM provides researchers with a means to more easily match software development with the intended audience and expected outcomes. The concrete GOM interfaces are realized in GAM which provides a convenient way to develop and document educational games. These models were developed to better understand the relationships between story, play and learning. Both qualitative data collected from group workshops and qualitative data obtained from interviews with people closely associated with the game design process were used to evaluate GAM. Results indicate that GAM is an efficient, well conceptualised and supportive model that can easily contribute to successful development and writing of stories for complex learning environments.