Development Process of an Educational Game:

An experience in Brazil
Wilk Oliveira dos Santos Anderson Alves de Souza Ayane Karine Tenrio da Silva
Millena Lauyse Silva de Oliveira Sebastio Rogerio da Silva Neto Ariane Nunes Rodrigues
Clovis Gomes da Silva Junior

University of Pernambuco, Campus Garanhuns, Av. Cap. Pedro Rodrigues, 105 So Jos,
CEP 55.294-902 Garanhuns PE Brazil
Abstract
This work presents a development process of an educational game. The Challenge With Sticks which aims to develop a mathematical
logical reasoning, through problems associated to numeric, symbolic and textual representations. This study maker the development
process, from the requirements specication stage, passing by the stages of prototyping, implementation, and usability tests of software. Its
development is part of a research Project of the Degree Course of Computing from the University of Pernambuco Brazil, maintained by
CNPQ.
Keywords: development of educational games, development process, Challenge With Sticks
Authors' contact:
{wilk.upe, anderson.dercio, ayanek18, millena.lauyse, sebast.rogers}@gmail.com
{ariane.rodrigues, clovis.gomes}@upe.br
1. Introduction
Increasingly, it is common to notice the presence of digital games in the daily lives of any age group of people. According to [Buchinger
2012] the electronic games are gaining more space in the international market and begin to draw the educational institutions attention. [Mattar
2010] claims that attributes of games can be useful for education, in the sense of motivation and orientation to goals, even after the failure.
However, the main challenge associated with the educational game is pointed by [Albuquerque 2009]. This author point out that not all
educational games, can relate the educational content with the game operation.
In this sense, [Meira 2014] accentuates that there is a consensus that educational games in general are boring and often clueless, based
on pedagogical concepts that should be "hidden behind the game", so that the learner can play a game fun.
In order to unite the playful aspects of the games with the diculties in hard subjects learning, several studies support the use of games in
teaching subjects like Mathematics. [Silva Junior 2008] believe that through the games, can be identied development of language, creativity
and deductive reasoning, required in a play choice and an argumentation necessary for the exchange of information. So, serving not only as
an aid to learning mathematics, but also in the routine activities of daily life.
Associated with this context, is noticed the absence of formal process for the educative software development. According to [Rodrigues
2010] among the various models of software development designed in recent years, some have been adapted to create specics models for
games development. However, these are usually supercial and not always t the needs of games that include pedagogical approaches.
In this scenario, this paper describes the development process of an educational game entitled Challenge with Sticks, for the
Mathematics teaching. The activities adopted in this process approach since the game intention until the phase of usability tests. It is
important to mention that the development is based on Games Virtualization (Games Virtualization Technique). According to [Carissimi 2009]
The virtualization is to extend or replace a resource or an interface, existent, on the other, to mimic a behavior. In other words, the
virtualization can be understood as the creation of a virtual place that simulates a real place.
In development of games, this is a technique utilized to develop digital versions for traditional games, looking for keeping the pedagogical
aspects of the original versions, allowing the game has a mechanical contemporary of games [Santos 2013]. The game presented here it is an
educational game that consists of ten phases, which have a series of mathematical teaching concepts such: symbolic numerical and textual
representations, conversion values and logical reasoning.
2. General Recommendations
The Cognitive Load Theory, according to [Nunes 2003], refers to the human information processing, that is a set of principles that create
an eective learning place increasing the cognitive process of a human being. According to [Tarouco 2004] this theory aims to make the
human interaction with the technology aligned with the cognitive process.
Therefore, because it is a process of developing of an educational game, it is useful to adopt certain principles of this theory in order to
facilitate the cognitive process by players. The criteria adopted for the game refer to: i) Principle of Individual Dierences that argued that each
student has their own way of learning, some more easily and quickly than others. ii) Consistency Principle because greater the simplicity of
the information, easier the learning user.
In the construction of the prototypes of screens, it was decided to use the Corel Draw X6 software over prototyping software as Balsamiq
Mockups. This choice by interface designers was done because of the possibility to create more reliable images as well as to use them in the
future during the implementation of the game.
In the implementation stage, rst was considered the choice of the games development engines, by means of an analysis of four engines.
These instruments were analyzed empirically by the development team and according to the game requirements and the characteristics of
each instrument analyzed, were chosen the one.
The analyzed tools are described in the table 2 comparatively regarding the type of game that can develop, just as well the platforms that
are supported in order to understand the limitations of each instrument, directly impacting the development of the game.
Given the observations made in the earlier stages of the research, it was decided to use the Construct 2 instrument, according to enable
the development of 2D games for Android platform. It is also possible to use the drag-and-drop programming, linked to traditional
programming (via source code) facilitating the development of the game. At the same time, it oers an extensive documentation and with
available quality on its ocial website. The game was implemented by a team of a programmer, an interface designer, an IHC professional and
three consultants, from areas of Mathematics, Pedagogy and Psychology.
The home screen of the game developed, as well as some of its phases, are shown in Figure 2
Figure 2: Game Screens
Therefore, after the development of the game, the game was subjected to the software validation phase. This time, it was evaluated by a
group of 15 users with age between 15 and 17 years of the city of Garanhuns, located in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. These users were
invited to play freely for about twenty minutes to respond in sequence a series of questions based on Likert Scale [Likert 1932], in order to
evaluate the performance of the game. The data collected during this developmental stage are given in table 3 (validation set). Seven
assertions were presented, in order to evaluate questions related to interface, learning, memory and satisfaction.

A software development process, according to [Kotonya 2005], is a set of activities that leads to the production of a software product. In List of assertive:
this sense, the same author also indicates a series of stages that answer to the development process of a software, which are: Assertive 1: The game recognizes my touch-screen and moves the sticks correctly.
requirements specication (also dened as "elicitation"), implementation and software validation. However, dealing with the development of Assertive 2: The games colors are pleasant.
educational software, there isn't in the literature homogeneous processes dened for the development of such software. Assertive 3: Understand what each icon represents.
In this sense, the game development process followed the traditional software process dened by [Kotonya 2005]. The Figure 1 (Steps of Assertive 4: The interface has little information. The information is easy to understand.
the development process) shows the process followed during the game implementation. Assertive 5: Quickly understand what to do in the challenges of the game.
Assertive 6: The challenges of the game are motivating and makes me want to continue.
Assertive 7: Happy to be able to solve the challenges.
Game Validation
Assertive Likert Scale
SA A I D SD
Assertive 1 36% 55% 9% 0% 0%
Assertive 2 46% 18% 18% 18% 0%
Assertive 3 46% 27% 19% 9% 0%
Figure 1 (Steps of the development process) Assertive 4 27% 55% 18% 0% 0%
Assertive 5 30% 30% 10% 20% 10%
Each of these steps is described in the following: The requirement specication step, according to [Kotonya 2005], represent the activities Assertive 6 45% 44% 11% 0% 0%
involved in the discovery of a system's requirements. Therefore, in the game requirements specication, the following steps are considered:
interview, analysis of similar software and analysis of related academic papers. Assertive 7 46% 36% 9% 9% 0%
Considering the information acquirement process, was chosen an open and non-structured interview because it is believed that in this Table 3: Game Validation
way, teachers could discuss freely and express their views collaboratively, similar to what occurs in the preparation of traditional software. In
the occasion, the diculty of students in obtaining logical thinking, the incapacity to solve routine problems and the absence of specic
software for the teaching of Mathematics was topics. Caption: 'SA': Strongly Agree. 'A': Agree. 'I': indierent. 'D': Disagree. 'SD': Strongly Disagree
At the core of the similar software analysis, were analyzed four games, which two for mobile dispositive and two for online use, which are:
i) Puzzle Matches ii) Matchsticks iii) Sticks: Head Crack and iv) Sticks Game . The above games were analyzed in relation to its aspects of 3. Conclusion
usability and cognitive processes, considering in a special way the attention, memory and perception principles, suggested by [Preece et al.
2005]. The analyses of the elements of these principles are shown in Table 1 (Analysis of similar games). Following a framework is presented The development of this educational game established that it is possible to rely on the same principles of development of traditional
with the analysis around these software, that were fundamental in making decisions on the principles adopted in the game proposed in this games, in the development of educational games. It is important to note in this type of game the importance of collaboration of a
paper. multidisciplinary team that can assist the entire game development process.
Analysis of Similar Games The results of the validation of this game provided an opportunity to realize that it recognized the interface touches and movements of most
Considerable Use of colors to users, who considered the colors of nice game. The most also agreed that understood the icons representation associated with the buttons, as
information highlight words and well as the mathematical challenges available in the game
pictures Another goal as future works is the development of new phases that can make a game more long lasting and motivation for its users, and to
(X) Puzzle Matches evaluate the same in new scenarios and new audiences. It is important to point out that this work is a project maintained by CNPq (National
(X) Matchstick (X) Puzzle Matches Council for Scientic and Technological Development), which has been extended for the last three years and already has a number of other
(X) Head Crack (X) Matchstick
developed work, standing out [Santos et al. 2013] and [Santos et al. 2014].
(X) Sticks Game (X) Head Crack
(X) Sticks Game
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Information presented Interfacing overloaded
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