Fuzzy states for dynamic adaptation of the plot of an educational game in relation to the learner’s progress

Abstract

Educational games are a powerful tutoring tool since they can increase the students’ interest, motivation, and engagement. However, they should provide adaptivity to the learners’ different needs and characteristics for better educational results. Towards this direction, this paper presents an educational adventure game that adapts its scenario dynamically to the learner’s knowledge level and the needs. The adaptation is based on the learner’s knowledge level. Due to the fact that modelling the knowledge level is not a straightforward process, but it is characterized by human subjectivity, we use fuzzy logic, which simulates the human thinking way and is ideal for “computing” vague data. In particular, in the presented game, four fuzzy sets are used to describe the learner’s knowledge. The defined fuzzy sets are turned to fuzzy states in a state-chart diagram that depicts the adaptation of the game in relation to the learner’s progress. More specifically, fuzzy states of the learner’s knowledge level determine if the game scenario is going to be dynamically expanded or not concerning her/his progress or nonprogress. The gain of this is that the game adapts its scenario dynamically to each learner’s needs and tracks in a state-chart diagram all the stages s/he passed during her/his navigation within the game, and her/his learning results at each interaction with the game. Thus, the learner and teacher receive valuable insight concerning the learner’s educational progress on top of maintaining the learner’s motivation through the adaptivity of the gaming scenario.