Development of a board game and didactic platform to disseminate, stimulate and promote learning of evolution and several topics in biology

• Grant number: 21/12355-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal Investigator: Arthur Casulli de Oliveira
• Grantee: Arthur Casulli de Oliveira
• Company: Arthur Casulli de Oliveira
• CNAE: Atividades de apoio à educação ; Atividades de recreação e lazer não especificadas anteriormente
• City: São Paulo
• Pesquisadores principais: Karina Gabriele Alves Dias
• Associated researchers: Luiz Augusto Bovolenta ; Tiago do Amaral Moraes
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/08709-8 - Development of a board game and didactic platform to disseminate, stimulate and promote learning of evolution and several topics in Biology, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The concept of tangential learning suggests that we can learn indirectly and actively by being exposed to pleasurable experiences that arise interest in the topic presented. The objective of "teaching a content" is replaced by "stimulating its learning" based on the pleasure of learning about subjects of interest. Therefore, its relationship with the game industry becomes evident due to its success in providing such experiences. Tangential learning, however, demands guidance in the search for information, as it faces difficulties such as online misinformation and an audience with low critical capacity for sources. Thus, games can benefit from elements developed to support tangential learning, as long as they do not obstruct the game immersion or impede its progression without that information. Although several studies show the success of games in promoting tangential learning, this occurs mostly unintentionally. In this sense, there is a demand for the development of games that aim to go beyond fun. Currently, modern board games are gaining prominence, with their market valued at around ten billion dollars in 2020, with a CAGR growth perspective of approximately 13% for the next five years. We carried out a pilot research to identify the main elements present in the most successful board games, to develop the game Dawn of Life and the digital platform Firefly Dex, a game that aims to provide a unique experience and stimulate players interest in various topics of biology, and a platform that promotes the bridge between the game and its theoretical content in a gamified and interactive way. Now, in this project, we seek to assess whether the proposed model for the development of the game can arouse players' interest in the topic and stimulate the search for theoretical knowledge, guided by the digital platform, promoting tangential learning of its content. For this, we will carry out the development and writing of the theoretical content of two fictional creatures using biological concepts, and we will add these creatures to an existing board game. After the game matches, we will provide links to the theoretical content and to the Group created on the Habitica platform, which will provide the gamification experience of the reading. We will quantify the access to theoretical content and conduct semi-structured interviews with participants to assess interest in the search for the theoretical content, the knowledge acquired, and engagement with the gamification system. Finally, if the results demonstrate the success of the model in promoting tangential learning, they will be used to define the guidelines for the development of the Dawn of Life game, the writing of all content to be offered, and the gamification system of the Firefly Dex platform. (AU)