Resumen de Using Alternate Reality Games to Teach Computer Science Concepts. Case: stop toilworn diamond
Alternate reality games (ARG) are games that deliver an interactive narrative to the players using different types of media.ARGs often blur the boundaries of reality and fiction and entice players to collaborative puzzle solving in order to solve amystery or quest included in the game. In this paper, we describe an alternate reality game that was organized to study thepotential of using ARGs in education and especially in computer science education. The game was evaluated in terms ofhow authenticity, intrinsic motivation, and replayability were taken into account in the game design. Furthermore, thelearning effects of the game were evaluated by analyzing the feedback collected after the game as well as the spontaneousplayer discussions during the game. The results show that the players were able to learn various computer science conceptsbecause of the game. Furthermore, the discussions during the game showed how the players were solving the puzzlescollaboratively. Main themes that emerged from the feedback about positive aspects of using ARGs in educational settingsas well as possible issues are also discussed in the paper. The educational potential of alternate reality games is notlimited toa certain discipline and the results reported in this paper can also be applied to topics other than computer science.
