Phase 1 Evaluation Results
80Days devises 3 research and development cycles. at the end of each phase the research results will feed a demonstrator game. The primary goal of evaluating the first game prototype of 80Days is to evaluate usability and user experience and to validate learning efficacy resulting from the gameplay. A mixed-method approach aiming to gather both quantitative and qualitative data has been adopted. This evaluation methodology is based on triangulation of measures covering various dimensions: technical, affective, cognitive, and pedagogical.
We conducted two major phases of evaluation. In the first phase, an initial game design concept was developed prior to implementation. A survey with the aim of assessing the acceptance towards the game design was conducted with children in Germany and England (Study 1). In the second phase, Demonstrator 1 was produced. Expert reviews with game usability and game playability heuristics on the beta version were performed to eliminate major usability problems prior to testing it with children. User tests primarily in the form of observations and questionnaires were then conducted (Study 2). Results of Study 1 and Study 2 indicate significant gender differences in a range of variables. To further explore the issue of gender differences, two single-gender focus groups were conducted (Study 3).
In conclusion, Demonstrator 1 was a successful deliverable of 80Days, given the following fac
- the knowledge gain of the children as evident by the significant differences in the learning performance before and after playing the game; some children expressed their appreciation about the education value of the game;
- the usability of the game was generally perceived as satisfactory; the major game components are easy to operate; the level of cognitive load or frustration was generally perceived as low;
- the user experience of the children were generally positive; most of them intended to play the next episode of the game;
- the game character Feon was well accepted;
