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- Playfulness and communication for children with autism spectrum disorder: guidelines for a videogamePublication . Alves, Valter; P. Duarte, Rui; Fonseca, F.; Bernardo, Marco V.; Barreto, Pedro; Silva, C.E.; Felizardo, Sara; Videira, I.; Matos, A.; Henriques, C.Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects sensory processing and conditions the development of communication skills and social interaction. Literature shows that children with ASD are fond of technologies and videogames in particular. The predictable and constant behaviour of technological components, the visual appeal, and the challenges are often highly appreciated (Zakari et al., 2014). Besides, videogames typically allow users to play alone, which is adequate to the profile of such an audience. The use of videogames by autistic children has shown to be relevant, and studies are evidencing gains in several areas (Malinverni et al., 2017; Hedges et al., 2018; Ng & Pera, 2018; Valencia et al., 2019; Baldassarri et al., 2020). Even so, existing solutions that were specifically developed for this audience have assumedly pedagogical goals, which systematically compromises their ludic dimension (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015). A study is being developed to design and implement a videogame that focuses on pure playfulness and provides an advantage to players who adopt specific strategies that rely on communicating with other players. This videogame is conceived for both intervention and research. The game mechanics explores the flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 2011), in order to dynamically adapt the challenges to the skills shown by the players, trying not to let them reach states of anxiety (due to lack of skills) or boredom (due to lack of challenge). This reasoning is extended to motor skills, as autistic people may have difficulties. In this context, it is important to clarify that the study is limited to children with ASD without associated intellectual development disorders that compromise the viability of the very act of playing. Also instrumental to the project, different scenarios are designed so that researchers can observe and collect scientific data, aiming at better understanding the related issues. Such scenarios support the analysis of the influence of physical proximity between the players, their prior level of familiarity, and their relative communicational abilities. Also under analysis is the impact of repeating the experience, both in terms of in-game performance and regarding a possible contribution to the relationship between participants and, eventually, with third parties. The core of this paper is the presentation of the design guidelines that were created to support the videogame. The guidelines result from the contributions of experts, organised according to a Delphi technique (Green, 2014). The set of experts cover the fields of ASD, game design, special education, occupational therapy, rehabilitation, and educational research. Also included is the description of the videogame development, which resorts to agile methodologies, allowing for an incremental and iterative production, supported by recurrent tests and consistently validated according to the intended objectives.
- Learning with a Newborn Bee - Design and Development of a VideogamePublication . Alves, Valter; Carapito, Nuno; Sousa, Catarina; P. Duarte, Rui; Braguez, Joana Rita Cerieira; Fonseca, F.; Pereira Cardoso, José Carlos; Lamelas, Bruno; Costa, Cristina Amaro DaIn Europe, there are several challenges for beekeeping, such as low level of professionalism and the general public unfamiliarity with bees. Given the importance of beekeeping for rural development and of bees themselves for the preservation of biodiversity and the sustainability of the planet, knowledge promotion about bees and beekeeping is of utmost importance. The project “beeB – Foster for beekeeping bridges through innovative and participative training” (2019-1-PT01-KA202-60782) was developed with the contribution of six countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Norway, and Estonia) and created tools to allow family beekeepers, or any other non-professional beekeepers, to acquire skills in this area by using innovative and adaptive forms of training that are based on ecological and good practices. The project also set out to create innovative ways of disseminating knowledge associated with the world of bees and its wonders, raising a general interest that might contribute to value the beekeeping sector and to stimulate novel beekeeping pathways. One of the outputs of the project was Ba-Bee-Bee, a videogame that develops as an interactive narrative. The plot is based on the discoveries of a newborn bee inside the hive. The bee can move through scenarios and trigger conversations with other characters. Along the dialogues, when some key concepts are introduced, the game unlocks collectible cards that can be revisited at any moment via the game inventory. In the back of each card, players can find a short paragraph systematizing or adding some more information on the topic. Players can roam freely through the world game, making it possible to repeat interactions and unlock cards that they might have missed. The game runs in desktop computers and mobile devices. All the text presented, in the dialogues, cards, and interface was localized for the partner languages. The process of developing the game was a combination between game design decisions and integration of scientific knowledge targeting the intended public. It implied to distil pieces of information about bees and beehives and translate them into a narrative that led the game environment, the plot and character actions, and the gameplay itself. Developing games that promote learning but are not strictly didactical is a challenge for interdisciplinary teams. The paper intends to contribute with the analysis of the experience of Ba-Bee-Bee, starting with the description of its design and development, followed by a critical discussion of the solutions found for combining playfulness, flow, and learning