E-Learning Through Point and Click

Adventure Games

There are many forms of E-Learning, such as lectures, online tests and

quizzes etc. However, there is one realm of interactive media that has not been

as widely explored. Point and Click adventure games have unlimited potential

in relation to E-Learning. It is not only an interesting, eye-catching medium, but

it also encourages exploration, trial and error, and a new way of delivering

information. The benefit of point and click adventure games is that they create a

greater sense on engagement as well as providing an artistically captivating and

entertaining experience. It does require a significant amount of initial

preparation, generally a few months in advance, but the outcomes are far more

beneficial.

Making a game is quite a difficult process, as it requires a knowledge of

coding and the help of an artist. With that being said, there are many free and

affordable tutorials online, as point and click adventure games are very

simplistic in design. There are also many online artists who would be willing to

aid for a reasonable price. There are forums online where artists post their

commission rates, and more often than not, they are worth the price for the

quality of work. There are also many video tutorials on YouTube, and if you are

willing to pay, online courses on the website SkillShare are an invaluable asset.
 In point and click adventure games, you create a narrative experience

where you connect certain items to other items in order to progress. A basic idea

of connecting a rope to a hook and creating a grappling hook to escape a room

or get to a height. There are many opportunities to co-opt this concept and

reimagine it for a classroom friendly experience. You can also add flavour text

to all the items which creates an opportunity for deeper world building. In

simple terms, flavour text is a short item description that appears when you pick

up an item. This flavour text could contain information related to the course

work.

One example of a course this could be used on is any language-based

course. The module leader/creator could outline what language they want the

game to be in, what difficulty they would like the game to be. You could make

it so that every level could have multiple rooms with different puzzles. One the

player makes it through each room, there is a consistent rise in difficulty. Each

items flavour text could be in the particular language, and the visual aid of the

item would make it easier to deduce what the text means, while giving the

player agency to figure out what it means in relation to the game. Having a

gradual difficulty curve that compliments a broad range of learning styles would

be worth the effort of creating a game. Games are also subject to change and

can be updated in conjunction to the evolving world of academia. Once the

game is made it can easily be refurbished to suit the needs of the modules and
the students. Lastly, There are many platforms that provide a free space to host

and publish games, for example, Newgrounds and GameJolt

Process of creating an educational point and click

adventure game

Conceptualise a
narrative for the
game

Alternative: Hire a
Create art for
professional
the game
graphic artist

Alternative: Hire a
Code the game professional coder
or take online
course

Add flavour text to

interactive items

Release game on
free platform and
update when
needed