The role of competition and perspective in game-based learning for traffic rules education

Abstract

Computer games as a tool for education have showed improvements in certain domains. Different game design elements have effects that can improve to different extents the quality of applications used in this game-based learning process. The present thesis examined the effect that two of these design elements, competition and visual perspective, have in the use of an application intended to be used in game-based learning. Driving education, in particular the set of rules that control the situation of two cars meeting at an intersection, provided a natural domain to experiment with these two elements in particular. Using a prototype game where two players represent each car involved, analyze a static scene depicting the situation and choose the correct action to take, with the player, these effects can be examined. The scenes used are shown from three different perspectives, each one putting one of the cars as the focus or the situation prese nted from a bird-eye view. A single player version of the game provides a control group for the competition element, while providing more data on the differences in visual perspective. After the experiment, the data shows that the player’s performance is hindered by views that require them to view themselves from the perspective of the other car. It also shows that the game with competition elements motivates the player to give answers faster, without this increase in speed impacting their ability to answer correctly. This in turn could possibly mean that they are more immersed in the dynamic, a desired quality in educational games according to previous literature, although further work is needed to confirm this. These effects could be used to further tune applications in the same domain or other game-based learning applications.