Collaborate or Compete? How Will Multiplayers' Interaction Affect Their Learning Performance in Serious Games
Serious games have received much attention in the field of education because of its interactive and complex learning environment which involves many people, contexts, academic knowledge and learning outcomes. It is a topic of concern that how cooperative and competitive peer relationship would affects users' learning performance. This study aimed to design an online multiplayer serious game to explore the difference in learning outcomes among learners in one on one competition, one on one collaboration, and solo play. The preliminary findings suggested that participants performed better and were more satisfied within multiple player interaction modes, whether it be with collaborative partners or competitive opponents. The results of participants' flow state also supported that the existence of peers affected participants' learning experiences positively. Based on the findings of the study, practical suggestions for libraries and museums to introduce serious games to the fields were provided.
HCI