Abstract:

Today’s students are spending most of their time playing games either on their smartphones, tablets, or PCs. This is not surprising especially since NewZoo conducted market research in 2013 reviewing the global games market from 2012 and predicting the trend until 2016. The results show a steady increase in market sales of games worldwide (for all platforms) predicting a ~$20 billion increase by 2016. Also, according to the Entertainment Software Association’s (ESA) 2014 industry survey, fifty nine percent of Americans routinely play video games with an increase of one percent from last year’s findings. Globally, 1.2 billion people are active gamers. These statistics have played a significant role in increasing the interest of research in educational gaming.

In recent years, many researchers have explored the educational benefits of using videos games in the classroom. Some studies have been conducted to assess how games affect test scores. Many have concluded that they improve test scores especially for students in the K-8 grade levels. A survey was conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center on teaching with digital games. The survey had 694 K-8 teachers participate, among which 74% reported using some form of digital games in their classroom. The survey results show that 71% of teachers reported that “games have been effective in improving their students’ mathematics learning”, 42% of teachers “reported improvements in science”, and 80% percent of teachers wished there were more curriculum-based games. Games are a great way to keep students motivated; researchers have found that a video game has the potential to be the learning tool for future generations. Games deeply engage students in the learning system and help build a variety of skills such as critical thinking, multitasking, and problem solving which are critical for their education. Based on these findings, educational institutions are taking bigger steps to incorporate computer and mobile games into their curricula.

This paper describes Kwizopia, a 3D quiz game, intended to help assess K-12 students using a medium currently regarded as second nature to the digital natives. Kwizopia is based on the famous TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” It is a two player educational game that provides the user practice as well as assessment on the K-12 Standards of Learning concepts and released exams. Kwizopia was developed using a 3D game engine and can be deployed on multiple platforms. Including more than 500 questions covering all grades and subjects, Kwizopia uses a randomization system for both questions and answers. The game is composed of five levels with three main degrees of difficulty: Rookie, Champ, and Pioneer. It also allows the users to customize their own challenge time. Designed with modularity, Kwizopia allows both teachers and students to create their own quizzes using their own set of questions.

Keywords:

Games, education.