Theory of activity and fun factor in serious games: The case of social game about financial literacy for the classroom.
Abstract: During the past 40 years, economics has become a famous theme for video games. However, games are generally not adapted to the classroom because of the lack of social dimension: teacher has no specific instructional role and must become another player or a technical facilitator. Also, there are goal differences between succeeding in the game versus acquiring useful skills. Our research proposes to redefine what is learning with serious games in the context of economics based on the Theory of Activity and Theory of Fun. We have developed Eko, a prototype of serious game, for learning credit and resources management, with a methodology of design-based research. Results of this study show that the way the game Eko is designed allows students to acquire skills and have fun within the classroom, while redefining the role and the relationship with the teacher. According to our results, it would be safe to conclude that the fun experience originates, in fact, from the learning process.