Abstract
Background: Educational games have been proven to support the teaching of various concepts across disciplines. Plagiarism is a major problem among undergraduate and postgraduate students at universities. Objective: In this paper, we propose a game called Plagi-Warfare that attempts to teach students about plagiarism. Methods: To do this at a level that is beyond quizzes, we proposed a game storyline and mechanics that allow the player (or student) to play as a mafia member or a detective. This either demonstrated their knowledge by plagiarizing within the game as a mafia member or catching plagiarists within the game as a detective. The game plays out in a 3D environment representing the major libraries of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. In total, 30 students were selected to evaluate the game. Results: Evaluation of the game mechanics and storyline showed that the student gamers enjoyed the game and learned about plagiarism. Conclusions: In this paper, we presented a new educational game that teaches students about plagiarism by using a new crime story and an immersive 3D gaming environment representing the libraries of the University of Johannesburg.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | e33459 |
Journal | JMIR Serious Games |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2022 |
Keywords
- Education
- Educational games
- Game mechanics
- Library games
- Plagiarism
- Serious games
- Teaching
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Rehabilitation
- Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Biomedical Engineering