Investigating the consideration of explorer player style in Iranian educational games

Abstract

Considering different player styles in games and their adaptability increases audiences' engagement, motivation, and learning, making it necessary to pay attention to the components of player styles in educational game design. One of the dominant player styles in educational games is the explorer style. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of explorer player style components in existing educational games. For this purpose, based on the systematic review method, the components of exploration player styles were extracted, and the evaluation framework was determined. Then, through the purposeful sampling method, 10 educational games introduced by Iran Computer & Video Games Foundation were evaluated using the quantitative content analysis method. One-sample t-test was used to analyze the data, and the results of the analysis showed that the mean score of the exploration components in the sample group was $0. 78$, which was significantly $(\mathrm{p} < 0.005)$ less than 1. This indicated that the exploration components had not been appropriately used in the selected educational games. Moreover, the existence of exploratory elements in the subsets of educational elements, dynamics, proportionality, and story of the game was not confirmed, but the existence of aesthetic and mechanic components in these educational games received confirmation. The results of the present study show that the application of exploratory game design style components needs more attention.