Pedagogy-Driven Smart Games for Primary School Children% - 2nd International Workshop on Evidence-Based Technology Enhanced Learning - page 38

The following section delves into how the design and development of the smart
and relaxing games is carried out via the TERENCE framework.

4 The Design and Development of Games via TERENCE
Framework

According to the game design guidelines [1] for specifying the gameplay of the
TERENCE games we analysed the data for the gameplay of each TERENCE
game, then we abstracted the common characteristics in the TERENCE game
framework presented in Table 1.

Table 1 The TERENCE game framework

Name name of the game

Instructions instructions concerning the game, for the learner: specific to the game in-

stance; motivational; concerning the rules

Choices the choices available to the learner; their availability is state depen- dent

Solutions Correct wrong

which choices are correct solutions which choices are wrong solutions

Consistency f correct wrong

a yes-message for correct solutions a no-message for wrong solutions

Explanatory f. correct wrong

explanatory message for correct so-
lutions

explanatory message for wrong solu-
tions

Solution f. a message consisting in the correct solution

Smart points (e.g.,
coins)

K.P (θ), where θ is the underlying ability of the learner for the game, and K
is a constant ranging over natural numbers

Relaxing points
(e.g., starts)

M, that is, a natural number from 1 up to N

Avatar the states of the avatar

Time resolution time t r

Rules the rules for the game mechanics, specifying the states of the system, the learners' ac-

tions and the transitions from state to state through the learner's actions

The framework serves to specify in a structured manner the above data for the
gameplay of the TERENCE smart and relaxing games, essentially, through a
timed transition system, with states of the system, and transitions labelled by the
player's actions and time constraints.
In the following, we firstly present the common elements of framework for re-
laxing of smart games:

• The instructions for the game are questions specific to the game instance; of

motivational type and usually related to the learner avatar; concerning the rules.