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The infuence of virtual companion interaction on player engagement and learning outcomes in serious games
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Resumo(s)
Esta dissertaªo apresenta a conceªo, implementaªo e avaliaªo de um jogo educativo sØrio
destinado a apoiar a aprendizagem da hist ria da GrØcia Antiga no currculo do 10.” ano. O
trabalho centra-se na integra ªo de um companheiro virtual baseado em regras como ferramenta
de apoio aprendizagem, concebido para orientar os alunos ao longo de missıes narrativas, fornecer
informaªo contextual e reforar a motivaªo durante o jogo.
O prot tipo foi desenvolvido no Unreal Engine 5 e baseia-se num jogo sØrio colaborativo am
bientado na Atenas Antiga. No mbito deste projeto partilhado, a contribui ªo original desta tese
incluiu a conceªo de um arco narrativo de 5 missıes, a implementaªo do sistema de compan
heiro virtual, os sistemas de missıes e notas, o apoio navegaªo baseado numa bœssola e os
componentes da interface de utilizador relacionados com a orientaªo nas missıes. O companheiro
foi implementado utilizando sistemas do Unreal Engine, tais como `rvores de Comportamento,
Quadros Negros, NavMesh, Percep ªo de IA e o Sistema de Consulta do Ambiente.
Foi realizada uma avaliaªo com mØtodos mistos atravØs de trŒs estudos sequenciais: um estudo
explorat rio com estudantes universitÆrios, um estudo piloto comparativo com estudantes uni
versitÆrios e um estudo comparativo principal com alunos do ensino secundÆrio. Os dados foram
recolhidos atravØs de questionÆrios de conhecimentos, do QuestionÆrio de ExperiŒncia de Jogo, do
QuestionÆrio de ExperiŒncia do Utilizador, de entrevistas e de respostas abertas.
Os resultados indicam que o jogo sØrio promoveu o envolvimento com conteœdos hist ricos e
que o companheiro contribuiu principalmente para a coerŒncia narrativa, a orientaªo, a motivaªo
e o apoio emocional. Embora os ganhos quantitativos em termos de aprendizagem tenham sido
modestos e nem sempre estatisticamente signi cativos, os resultados qualitativos revelaram que os
alunos que jogaram com o companheiro consideraram o jogo mais orientado, estruturado e signi
cativo. Estes resultados sugerem que os companheiros virtuais podem ser valiosas ferramentas de
apoio aprendizagem em jogos sØrios, especialmente quando combinados com um design narrativo
alinhado com o currículo.
Traditional educational approaches often struggle to maintain student engagement, particularly in subjects perceived as less motivating, such as history. Low engagement is associated with reduced academic performance and increased dropout risk, highlighting the need for interactive learning strategies that can complement classroom teaching. This dissertation presents the design, development, and evaluation of a serious game aimed at supporting 10th-grade history education in secondary schools in Madeira, Portugal. The game integrates curricular content related to ancient Greek history and includes a rule-based virtual companion implemented in Unreal Engine 5. The companion was designed to provide contextual guidance, motivational feedback, and narrative support during gameplay. A mixed-methods research approach was adopted through three empirical studies: a preliminary exploratory study, a pilot comparative study, and a main comparative study with secondary school students. Quantitative data were collected using knowledge questionnaires, the Game Experience Questionnaire, and the User Experience Questionnaire, while qualitative feedback was gathered through interviews and open-ended responses. The results suggest that the serious game can support engagement with historical content and that the virtual companion contributes mainly to narrative coherence, guidance, motivation, and emotional support. Quantitative learning gains were modest and not always statistically signi cant, but qualitative ndings indicate that students who played with the companion experienced the game as more guided, structured, and meaningful. These ndings position virtual companions as promising learning support tools in curriculum-aligned serious games.
Traditional educational approaches often struggle to maintain student engagement, particularly in subjects perceived as less motivating, such as history. Low engagement is associated with reduced academic performance and increased dropout risk, highlighting the need for interactive learning strategies that can complement classroom teaching. This dissertation presents the design, development, and evaluation of a serious game aimed at supporting 10th-grade history education in secondary schools in Madeira, Portugal. The game integrates curricular content related to ancient Greek history and includes a rule-based virtual companion implemented in Unreal Engine 5. The companion was designed to provide contextual guidance, motivational feedback, and narrative support during gameplay. A mixed-methods research approach was adopted through three empirical studies: a preliminary exploratory study, a pilot comparative study, and a main comparative study with secondary school students. Quantitative data were collected using knowledge questionnaires, the Game Experience Questionnaire, and the User Experience Questionnaire, while qualitative feedback was gathered through interviews and open-ended responses. The results suggest that the serious game can support engagement with historical content and that the virtual companion contributes mainly to narrative coherence, guidance, motivation, and emotional support. Quantitative learning gains were modest and not always statistically signi cant, but qualitative ndings indicate that students who played with the companion experienced the game as more guided, structured, and meaningful. These ndings position virtual companions as promising learning support tools in curriculum-aligned serious games.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Jogos sérios Companheiro virtual Personagem não jogável Ensino de história Unreal Engine 5 Aprendizagem baseada em jogos Non-player character Serious game Virtual companion History education Informatics Engineering . Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia