The Effect of Familiar and Fantasy Aesthetics on Learning and Experience of Serious Games - Entertainment Computing-ICEC 2014 - page 129

The Effect of Familiar and Fantasy Aesthetics
on Learning and Experience of Serious Games

Erik D. van der Spek 1 , Tatiana Sidorenkova 1 , Paul Porskamp 2 ,
and Matthias Rauterberg 1

1 Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513 5600MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2 T-Xchange, PO Box 217 7522NB Enschede, The Netherlands
{e.d.vanderspek,g.w.m.rauterberg}@tue.nl,
[e-mail], [e-mail]

Abstract. Serious games have shown potential as learning material, but are not
very engaging. One reason why games are considered to be fun is their ability
to provide us with an interesting fantasy world to explore and play in, but this
seems at odds with the more serious nature of formal training. In this study, a
two by two (familiar versus unfamiliar visual setting and familiar versus unfa-
miliar story setting) single-blind experiment (N=60) was performed, testing the
effect of the familiarity of aesthetics on game experience and learning. Signifi-
cant effects of story condition on learning and game experience was found, with
a familiar story setting leading to better learning, but subdued game experience.
Other effects were not significant.

1 Introduction

Games are learning systems, and what makes a game fun is in part the pleasure
derived from learning new patterns and being able to apply this new knowledge in
solving problems [1]. It is therefore unsurprising that games are now also applied to
learning and instruction of more serious materials (i.e. 'serious games'). After three
decades of development and research, serious games have been found to be on aver-
age efficacious and in most cases even more so than traditional instruction [2, 3].
However, as [3] notes, much is still unknown on how serious games should be de-
signed to be efficacious learning tools, and evidence for serious games to be more
engaging is even wholly lacking.

2 Fantasy and Familiarity

Games are fun, among others, because they provide a fantasy setting, and invoke
curiosity by showing virtual worlds that are alien or incongruous with everyday set-
tings [4]. This however can be at odds with the more grounded demands of serious
games, where it is the everyday setting or real world application that is regularly the
object of study. It is often argued that the better games mimic the real world, the