PlayLearn: A Platform for the Development and Management of Learning Experiences in Location-Based Mobile Games

摘要

Mobile location-based games, exploiting the unique capabilities of mobile devices, such as camera, GPS and compass, can have high learning potential. On one hand, they present a very attractive form of learning for modern students, even very young ones, who have already developed their skills in computer games and are very familiar with the use of mobile devices. On the other hand, location-based games provide a unique opportunity for education since they connect an area with a story, and their activities may result in social, experiential and situated learning. These characteristics can make them a powerful tool in a number of applications, including education, nature and museum exploration, city sightseeing, natural disasters awareness and prevention training. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of PlayLearn, a platform for the development and management of learning experiences in mobile location-based games, consisting of: (a) an authoring tool, supporting the creation and management of games, scenario editing, user interface customization and organization of gaming activities, and (b) a mobile application, compatible with most state-of-the-art mobile devices and platforms, supporting the play of games created by the authoring tool. Our implementation supports the Experience API, allowing the activities that happen as part of gaming (learning) experiences to be recorded, tracked and shared in a Learning Record Store.