CPS-GBL Framework to Evaluate Game Systems Promoting Intrinsically-Motivating Complex Problem-Solving Processes

Developing complex problem-solving is crucial to deal with the uncertainty, unpredictability and continuous changes that permeate and dynamise our complex world. Accordingly, complex problem-solving skills should be a central focus in modern learning. This requires specific learning environments suitable to promote and motivate holistic engagement (heads, hands, hearts) in meaningful complex problem scenarios. These needs defeat educational paradigms centred on reductionist approaches to problem-solving and the physical boundaries of traditional classrooms. Serious games have the potentialities to address these needs by: i) engaging players in meaningful problem-solving processes set in simulated complex environments; ii) promoting the cognitive, affective and behavioural involvement of players in an integrative way in game-based learning scenarios. Even though serious games have been effectively used to foster problem-solving skills, researchers have suggested that serious games face challenges related to the successful integration of engaging game environments and meaningful game-based learning experiences. Therefore, there is a need for instruments to support the evaluation of serious games, in order to facilitate the identification of games suitable to promote the development of complex problem-solving skills through motivating and meaningful gameplay experience. Motivated by this context, we developed a framework to evaluate game systems suitable to promote intrinsically-motivating problem-solving processes in complex game-based learning scenarios. The framework comprises a theory-based model conceptualising gameplay as a contextualised activity process engaging the players holistically in the management of complex problem scenarios and an instrument to analyse games in order to identify affordances that may promote such processes. This article presents the evaluation framework, along with an exploratory evaluation of the analysis instrument based on an empirical case study.