TIMECRAX: TIME-TRAVELLING TO LEARN HISTORY

Abstract

The work described in this paper, focus on the conceptual development of an educational game for History learning. One of the challenges for this task is to avoid a logical sequentialization of historical events, giving the player an opportunity to contact with a reality in construction. Another challenge is that the game should have a cooperative mechanics. According to this model, players are on the same side and win, or lose, together [Vasel and Phillies 2012]. To cope with these challenges, we choose to ignore one of the basic rules of game design [Adams 2014], taking the role of a hero to the player and giving him the role to assist the other players. An analogy can be made with an astronaut, supported by a team on earth with different functions and personalities. According to the cooperation proposal, players should work together to repair a time machine allowing a safe return to the present, collecting materials and information necessary to keep it working and preventing breaking the spacial-temporal continuum. We seek player engagement, allowing them to make decisions, feel tension and assume risks, and, at the same time, exchange information between them, associated to the game narrative. We hope that this approach builds a collaborative learning context, responsibility for the decisions and collaborative teamwork to achieve a common goal: to win.