A design framework for balancing learning objectives and learner curiosity. Presented at the BYU Video Game Symposium - 2015.

1. Jonathan Spackman, PhD
Video Game Studies Symposium
February 13, 2015

2. (e.g., a cartoon movie)
Issue: Lack of interactivity decreases
intrinsic motivation, challenge,
curiosity, engagement, and
concentration (Szilas, 2007).

3. (e.g., “Craft” type video game world)
Issues: Player can create a boring “plot” and
loses interest (Louchart & Aylett, 2005).
Interactivity is complicated and laborious to
write into a story plot. (Cheong, Min, Shim, &
Kim, 2008).

6. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4
Learning
objectives
satisfied
Quiz
Issue: Lack of interactivity decreases
intrinsic motivation, challenge, curiosity,
engagement, and concentration (Szilas,
2007).

7. Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Extended
scene
Curiosity
satisfied
Eachextendscene
providesmorerichness

8. A narrative’s extendability affords the reader the
opportunity to explore deeper into the story by providing
additional scenes – optional scenes that are not necessary
for the reader to fully understand the story or to meet the
learning objectives.

9. Example Extendability
Walking through a museum Signs, mobile apps, videos
Playing on a team Game film, field trip, optional drills
Watching a movie Deleted scenes, director comments

10. A story about prom that teaches several learning
objectives of a high school economics class.
https://sites.google.com/site/extendablenarratives/