Player and Learner eXperience

Guest Editors

Monica Divitini, University of Science and Technology of Trondheim, Norway

Gabriella Dodero, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

Rosella Gennari, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

Important dates

• Deadline: June 1, 2016 -> June 25 (extended)

• Notification to the authors: July 31, 2016

• Camera ready paper: October 15, 2016

• Publication of the special issue: mid November, 2016

Overview

In recent years, a gamified or game-based perspective on learning contexts has gained momentum: corroborated by findings in the education literature, game-based or gamified approaches to learning stress the role of motivation and engagement in shaping and enabling an individual’s learning experience. Learners are then seen as players.

In game-based learning, learning contexts are enhanced with games for learning in an interactive and playful manner. Alternatively, gamified learning contexts have game-inspired objects created for specific learning contexts, or are re-structured following game design principles. More generally games, game-inspired objects or game-like tasks are inserted into a context for achieving a learning goal.

The equation “learners as players” is thus emerged as a trend in the area of ID, as also witnessed by conferences or events concerning game-based learning, participatory design or game design for children, technology enhanced learning with games or gamification as key topics.

Focus Section in IxD&A Journal The PALX focus section in IxD&A derives from the PALX workshop at CHItaly. It capitalises on the information acquired through the workshop, and it aims at critically reflecting on how to design for a learner and player experience, and how to evaluate it.

Topics of Interests

Suitable topics include but are not limited to the following:

• learner and player experience design guidelines or patterns

• design guidelines or patterns for users with special special needs

• learner and player experience evaluation methods

• learner and player experience evaluation instruments

• learner and player experience case studies

• learner and player experience products

• game design and gamification principles for learning

• games for learning

• gamified objects, tasks or environments for learning

• smart gamified objects or environments for learners

• the internet of gamified things for learners

• engagement in playing and learning

• collaboration and competition design for playing and learning

• feedback design for playing and learning

Submission procedure 

Starting from papers presented at the PALX workshop, this call for papers is open to everybody. All papers will be refereed through a selective double peer review process.

All submitted papers must not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. PALX workshop participants are invited to resubmit extended versions of their papers following the IxD&A journal guidelines.

The manuscripts should be submitted anonymized either in .doc or in .rtf format. 
All papers will be blindly peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers. Perspective participants are invited to submit a 8-20 pages paper (including authors' information, abstract, all tables, figures, references, etc.). 
The paper should be written according to the IxD&A authors' guidelines .

More information on the submission procedure and on the characteristics of the paper format can be found on the website of IxD&A Journal the where information on the copyright policy and responsibility of authors, publication ethics and malpractice are published.

For scientific advices and for any query please contact the contact guest-editor:

• divitini [at] ntnu [dot] no 

• gabriella [dot] dodero [at] unibz [dot] it

• gennari [at] inf [dot] unibz [dot] it

marking the subject as: 'IxD&A focus section on: Player and Learner eXperience''.