Abstract
This chapter describes the Number Navigation Game (NNG), a game-based learning environment aimed at the promotion of flexibility and adaptivity with arithmetical problem solving in 10- to 13-year-old students. The game design is based on an integrated approach in which the different elements of the game are directly related to the mathematical content, i.e., the use of rich networks of numerical connections in solving arithmetic problems. The interface of the game is a hundred square superimposed on various maps of land and sea, where players have to strategically navigate a ship by using different combinations of numbers and arithmetic operations. The game has two different modes encouraging the use of different arithmetic operations and number combinations. The openness of the gameplay allows players the opportunities to explore different numerical connections in an environment where there are no right or wrong answers. Future directions of the game development include additional game features and extensions to larger numbers and rational numbers.
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The present study was funded by grant 274,163 awarded to the first author by the Academy of Finland.
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Appendix
Appendix
Examples of Game Development in Two Consecutive Versions of the Number Navigation Game
Version 1 → | Observation → | Version 2 |
|---|---|---|
Coin display on main screen | Players had a hard time distinguishing between bronze and gold coins | Improved coin display |
On the sidebar, below a map’s thumbnail, the coin earned on that particular map would appear | Below a map’s thumbnails, the shadowed outlines of the 3 coins were displayed, with only the coin earned on that map highlighted | |
No number pad | Players disliked having to constantly switch between mouse and keyboard to input operations | Number pad |
Players needed to click on the operation and then type numbers into the command box | The number pad allows players to use only keyboard, only mouse, or a combination of both | |
No scoring mode icon | Players had difficulties noticing if a map’s scoring mode was moves or energy based | Scoring mode icons |
Small text above the gold/silver score limits indicated whether a map was moves or energy based | Visual cues were introduced, such as blue and footprints for moves-based maps and green and battery for energy-based maps | |
No material icons | Players said they would forget which materials had been collected and how many were still left | Material icons |
The sidebar did not have icons of the 4 materials | The sidebar shows an icon for each material, and the material a player is currently working on is highlighted | |
1 saving point | A large deal of progress could be lost due to external factors such as the length of class period or one mistake | 4 saving points |
When restarting a map, a player would need to retrieve all 4 items | Maps are automatically saved after each item is retrieved and players may restart from that point | |
Village icon | Players expressed a wish for villages to be displayed more prominently | Village pop-up window |
There was a small icon of the village on the sidebar above the command box | Upon retrieving all 4 materials, a pop-up window displays a large picture of the village | |
Moves and energy | Players thought the game could get monotonous and repetitive at times | Moves, energy, pirates, and hidden operations |
Players only needed to focus on the scoring mode | Pirates and hidden operations were introduced to add an extra angle to gaming | |
Log-data | Researchers saw the need for real-time feedback from users to complement pre and post questionnaires | Query pop-up function |
Researchers can include a pop-up scale question to appear after a map is completed, and have answers logged |
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Lehtinen, E. et al. (2015). Number Navigation Game (NNG): Design Principles and Game Description. In: Torbeyns, J., Lehtinen, E., Elen, J. (eds) Describing and Studying Domain-Specific Serious Games. Advances in Game-Based Learning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20276-1_4
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