2nd European Conference on Games Based Learning

Mini Tracks – Calls for Papers
Game Based Collaborative Learning Game Based Learning for History, Heritage and Politics User-centered Learning Game Design
Mini track on Game Based Collaborative Learning Track chair: Dr Wilfried Admiraal, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Today, learners have to be able to produce and not just consume, to make knowledge and not just receive it. Students want to do things that have meaning to them and to society, supported all the way by structure, leading to expertise, professional-like skills, and ability to innovate. Digital games seem to be excellent tools for facilitating and supporting this kind of learning. It makes a great deal of sense to try to merge the content of learning and the motivation of games. Moreover learning is a social process and computer technologies are not restricted to the individual learner. Rather, they provide rich opportunities for shared thinking and knowledge construction. The overall objective of this track is to increase knowledge on how game based collaborative learning might be effectively and efficiently designed in various educational settings or other learning contexts. Papers are invited that report on empirical research as well as reviews of studies on collaborative and cooperative learning through gaming. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, innovative designs, principles of social learning, collaborative learning through gaming, cooperation in game based learning, peer feedback, communication and interaction, differences between synchronous and a-synchronous communication, effects on collaborative and cooperative skills, and the larger social context of learning. For mini track submission details, see the call for papers page.	Wilfried Admiraal
Mini track on Game Based Learning for History, Heritage and Politics Track co-chairs: Dr Tobias Bevc, Political Science, Technical University of Munich and Dr Erik Champion, Digital Media, Media Arts, COFA, University of New South Wales, Australia If e-Learning can tackle the “Shavian monster” of ludology, (that is, games that are genuinely both fun to play and meaningfully educational), can these game-based learning environments also challenge and educate audiences on intangible and controversial values, opinions or beliefs? Inside a magic circle, gamers can ‘play’ with various hypotheses on the validity, construction, significance, use, maintenance, or disappearance of political views, symbols, and communities, as well as build counterfactual and conjectural realms featuring historic and heritage based sites, artifacts, and wider cultural beliefs. However, the use of games may popularize history, heritage and politics while treating or inviting the player to treat them at a superficial level. We could call this the “Indiana Jones” dilemma. Hence, the problem the research community has to solve is how to create a video game that is fun and thought provoking or otherwise educational. To increase knowledge and awareness of game-based learning issues, papers are invited to this mini track that aim to encapsulate and provoke research on computer game-based learning for history, heritage, and politics. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following: political games, persuasive games, games to promote historical learning, games to promote or challenge heritage issues and sites, interactivity scenarios designed for the social sciences, technical advances in game-based learning for history heritage and politics, evaluation studies, as well as pedagogical issues such as “the Shavian monster”. For mini track submission details, see the call for papers page.	Tobias Bevc Erik Champion
Mini track on User-centered Learning Game Design Track chair: Dr Kristian Kiili, Tampere University of Technology, Pori, Finland Research has shown that the quality of produced learning games have not met the standards and needs of end users. The only way we can develop learning games that are desired by users, that fulfil their needs and are easy to use, is through in-depth user research. However, user-centered design principles have not reached the same level of usage in game design as in other software applications. Thus, there is a need to study and develop learning game design methods that better take the needs and preferences of different end users into consideration, than do current industry practices. The overall objective of this track is to consider ways of improving the learning game design practices by exploiting user-centered design methods. The mini track seeks original, high-quality contributions in scholarly and practical contexts that will consider user-centered learning game design from different perspectives. The scope includes, but is not restricted to, the following themes: participatory design, prototyping, use of personas, expert evaluations, play testing, scenario-based design, integration of gameplay and pedagogy, user experience measurement, novel design methods etc. Overall, the track offers a forum to discuss issues that form a foundation to design high quality games desired by both teachers and students. For mini track submission details, see the call for papers page.