SpaceRaceEdu: developing an educational multi-player videogame for self-study and assessment

TL;DR

SpaceRaceEdu is a multiplayer educational video game designed for self-study and assessment, combining competition and cooperation to enhance student engagement and learning in a social gaming environment.

Contribution

The paper presents the development of a functional prototype of a multiplayer educational game that integrates self-study, assessment, and social interaction for classroom use.

Findings

Prototype demonstrates effective engagement and learning outcomes.

Game balances competition and cooperation to motivate students.

Teachers can customize questions for subject-specific content.

Abstract

The teaching innovation project SpaceRaceEdu: development of an educational multiplayer video game for self-study and self-assessment has been carried out under the INNOVA call of the Autonomous University of Madrid during the 2022-2023 academic year. In this project, a functional prototype of SpaceRaceEdu has been developed: a multiplayer video game with a social and educational nature, which can be used both by teachers as a training and evaluation activity and by students as a tool for study and evaluation. In SpaceRaceEdu, several student teams try to launch a rocket before everyone else. To meet this objective, they must gather a series of resources by going through a scenario and answering questions of different types. The teachers can introduce these questions according to the contents of their subject. The videogame balances competition and cooperation to promote participation and learning. Competition occurs between teams who strive to answer all their questions correctly before their rivals. In contrast, cooperation occurs between students on the same team who can organize and support each other to be more effective.