Design de um videojogo educativo : a narrativa interactiva

The first educational videogames emerged in the 1980s and began to be well received by the industry. However, its mass production and distribution – as well as its commercialization without prior investigation or support – have led to a marked decrease in the quality of these games’ supply. To this day, educational games are still received by the masses with some skepticism, but we must not ignore their potential as a medium. This research seeks to understand in which ways the videogame can be applied to the transmission of information or knowledge, using narrative as a structure. The development and exploration of this issue parts from game design principles and elements, learning theories and paradigms (namely the constructivist paradigm), and interactive or immersive narrative structures. As a support for narrative, immersion and learning, this research explores the Monomyth concept (also known as “The Hero’s Journey”) introduced by Joseph Campbell – a narrative structure present in most myths, legends and immersive literary or cinematic works. The cross-referencing of the information this structure supplies, along with other researched concepts, allowed for the design of a cyclical narrative structure as a game design support. This approach is applied as a support for the analysis of case studies, which are relevant to the topics addressed, and for the development of this research’s design component: the MetaPlay project, which seeks to apply the theoritcal component of the present research. This project is here described through its game design document and presented through its prototype. MetaPlay is a metafictional and non-linear, adventure and puzzle text-based game that aims to teach students or individuals who are interested in or curious about game design and narratology. Its prototype applies some of the mechanics and dynamics inscribed in the game design project and seeks to present an interactive storyboard of the game experienc