Assessment in Serious Alternate Reality Games

Abstract

The pedagogical application of Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) is relatively new, and there is little knowledge in how to align ARGs and Game-Based Learning (GBL). Presented is a design-based research study that included the creation of an artefact, Plunkett's Pages, an ARG designed to teach players about events from Ireland's rebellious 1916 Easter Rising. The ARG portrays the actual events of the era through interactive storytelling, detective work, social media, and multimedia technologies and produces a collaborative, treasure-hunt style game as players go on a voyage of discovering the missing pages of a rebel's diary in a bid to uncover the 'truth' behind 1916. The study of Plunkett's Pages provides insights into the pedagogical application of such games, addressing the challenge of reconstructing a century-old narrative for the digital age. Lessons are abstracted as guidelines to assist game designers and educators in the creation and management of quality Serious ARGs. One such guideline, Assessment, is detailed herein.