Evaluating Multiple Aspects of Educational Computer Games: Literature Review and Case Study

Table 5

Answers for the heuristic based questions.

Aspect	Answer
Interface	(Q1) The graphical elements are consistent together, and also are in the context of the learning proposal of the game.
	(Q2) The game screen could be increased in height, for the elements to have more space to fall. Though this change could require other adjustments about resolution.
	(Q3) The roma-ji fonts along the game are in an acceptable size, but the game should provide personalization for this feature, for possible players with sight issues.
	(Q4) The characters inside the ships are in a size sufficient enough to be seen clearly. Though, it is interesting to give the player the opportunity to personalize this feature.
	(Q5) Considering the audience as learners with abilities to see the elements on the screen and type commands on the keyboard, the interaction mode is adequate.
	(Q6) In the menu screen and inside the menus, the elements are identifiable, but when the game is on, there is no button that indicates pause, menu, configurations of sound or screen. These elements should be represented by icons while the game is being played, for the player to have more control over the game.
	(Q7) Yes, the menu options are well divided.
Educational/pedagogical	(Q8) There is not a presentation of the game in the beginning. The help menu provides some information, but it would be interesting to have some kind of initial animation to present the educational and fun goals of the game.
	(Q9) The gameplay is invaders-like, so it can be engaging for those who like this kind of game. Also can be incentive the fact that the player is learning a new language while playing the game.
	(Q10) Considering the player with no knowledge at all about Japanese language, s/he will get considerable knowledge (an entire alphabet and vocabulary—words related to the culture of the country). For the ones who play Karuchā Ships Invaders for training hiragana skills, there are still the cultural words to be learned.
	(Q11) Yes, the game provides three difficulty modes.
	(Q12) The difficulty modes are just different in velocity. Considering that, they are not discrepant. But related to content, there is no increasing based on the difficulty.
	(Q13) The game provides three different difficulty levels. To suit all paces, it is desirable that the game provide some kinds of personalization, which it does not.
Content	(Q14) Yes. The hiragana content is presented in alphabetical order, and the cultural words are presented just when all the characters that compound it have been presented before. The amount of content by level is also acceptable.
	(Q15) The stories become available as the player passes through the levels (one story for each three levels). Once available, the player has the option to read it as many times as needed, in the level choice screen.
	(Q16) Considering the audience is a native English or Portuguese speaker. The content is well divided and exhibited for the player.
	(Q17) The stories present all the content that will be charged in the game, so it provides all the knowledge the player needs to reach the end of Karuchā Ships Invaders.
	(Q18) The stories are displayed in text and images. Maybe animations could be more engaging and less tiring.
	(Q19) The content is only viewed as a whole when the player gets to the end of the game (30 levels).
Multimedia	(Q20) In general, the multimedia elements follow the context of the game. The music and sounds could be more related to the theme.
	(Q21) The multimedia is in good amount.
	(Q22)
	(a) The images in the stories are fundamental to teach the cultural words, once they are the same images that will appear in the game for the player to recognize.
	(b) The text in the stories is adequate and fundamental.
	(c) The ambient music could be more related to Brazil and Japan at the same time.
	(d) The sounds for laser, shot and explosion are common sounds that can be adequate, but they could remind more of the theme (Brazil—Japan)
	(e) The Japanese pilot is adequate to the context.
	(Q23) The use of educational stories is more acceptable for the player when it presents not only plain text, but images and animations; the multimedia elements should not be considered dispensable in this case. Plus, the gameplay becomes more joyful when the game provides an immersive environment related to the theme, what happens in Karuchā Ships Invaders.
	(Q24) The elements of multimedia are in good quality.
Playability	(Q25) The presentation of elements follows a logic order and the number of levels corresponds to the content that is well distributed between each level. The difficulty grows increasingly including the cultural words that can be formed only by the characters that have already been presented.
	(Q26) Considering a desktop environment, the controls feel adequate, once it focuses on the standard keyboard. The controls are intuitive, since the player just has to type the roma-ji to the symbols and words presented.
	(Q27) The time, difficulty mode and level are clear on the screen; the hit points bar does not indicate a fix number or the amount of loss in a crash. The total points are also not exhibited.
	(Q28) Considering the audience as learners of hiragana that can be from knowing nothing to be conversant to the alphabet; for the former, it can be considered little hard if the player chooses not to read the educative stories that are presented. The cultural words can be a plus challenge for those who only learnt the alphabet itself. The possibility of choice of difficulty mode embraces most of the audience needs.