Application of adaptivity to serious games

In serious games, learning is intrinsic to play and in contrast to e- Learning systems, the learning process is based on exploration and experience. Serious games use goals, rules, challenge, and interaction in order to motivate learning activities. In the past serious games have focused mostly on customization that allows the player to manipulate the game world. E-Learning, on the other hand, has focused on observation of the learner to provide adaptivity of the learning process, where learning process consisted of learning content and different presentation types. One contribution of this thesis is a grounded theory of adaptivity in serious games. The theory is based on explorative and experimental studies that research the role of human tutors in serious games. Another contribution is a framework that enables observation of the user’s actions in a game and the connectivity of the game world and learning content. This framework provides a unified playing process and development process model for serious games supporting dynamic adaptivity for the game world as well as for the learning process. We have used the framework in several cases in games for children ranging from literacy acquisition to preschool mathematics. Based on these studies we conclude that the use of the framework lowers the effort to provide adaptivity in game development.