A model-driven framework for educational game design

Abstract

We developed a web-based framework, which enables serious game designers to create the Game Design Document (GDD) of a game. By combining predefined menus along with non-predefined elements, this framework aims at facilitating designers to design the GDD faster, with more structure and with all the necessary element a GDD should have. The contributions of this framework with respect to regular GDDs is that it offers a more agile method for developing the document, due to its semi-structured environment, which offers more flexibility than a structured environment and more rigour than free text. Additionally, it’s a model-driven environment, which means that its development is based on a conceptual model of educational serious games. Finally, it offers innovative features, like hyperlinks to connect objects from the database with free text, a progress page where the designer can keep track of each aspect of the document and structured menus that connect objects from the database between them.