Design Method for Learning Games Based on Key Structure and Behavior

Learning games are promising to realize highly motivated learning. Developing effective and high-motivating learning games, the integration of learning and games is the main issue. In order to develop the learning games easier, we propose Partial Exchange Method for the integration. The method is a way to transform an existing game into a learning game. In the method, a game is divided into an object structure and a rule structure, and by exchanging the object structure for similar one, we can develop a new game. In the new game, a player must use the new structure. If giving exercises to use the new structure is a learning activity, the new game is a learning game. Developing a good learning game by the exchanging, it is important to keep attractiveness of the original game. We think that the attractiveness of a game is included in typical playing behavior in the game and to preserve the behavior is necessary to keep the attractiveness. We call the typical behavior “key behavior”. The key behavior depends on a part of the game structure. We call the part of the game structure “key structure”. Based on this consideration, in order to keep attractiveness of a game, it is necessary to find key structure, and then, to preserve the key structure in the exchange of object structure. This paper describes an outline of the method.