Project: Reflective game-based learning and self-awareness

Using reflective game-based learning (GBL) approach to increase self-awareness

Deadline 12 May – now closed for applications

Project description:
Self-awareness involves having a clear perception of an individual’s personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, emotions, and personal health. People with strong self-awareness are neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful; instead, they are honest with themselves and others. People who have high self-awareness recognise how their feelings affect them, other people, and their job performance. Hence, self-awareness has a significant role in reducing differences between people’s actions and ideas. Lack of self-awareness causes people to indulge and exhaust their energies in the wrong direction and suffer from unawareness of emotional needs, depression, anxiety, discontentment, and other personality problems. Hence, self-awareness has a significant role in achieving a high level of personal and professional success. Self-awareness is directly related to self-reflection and can be increased by reflective practices. The concept of reflection leads from unconscious aspects of learning or experience to mindfulness and self-awareness. As digital games in game-based learning (GBL) offer interactive learning with authentic practice, therefore, they are considered a safe and immersive medium of stealth learning with the freedom to explore, identify, fail, and retry. Main game elements such as feedback in a user interface (UI), and head-up displays (HUDs) are reflective in nature; therefore, by default, games are reflection machines and appropriate media for triggering and supporting reflective practices to enhance self-reflection and self-awareness. Therefore, this study proposes the development of a digital game aimed at enhancing self-awareness of young adults (18-24 years old).

I, Anjuman, am from an Asian country, Pakistan. I have been working in the field of game design & development for over five years and remained engaged with multiple projects, mainly education, people’s wellbeing, and entertainment. Moreover, I have worked as a team leader and worked with people from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, I would appreciate it if a UG/PGT student from an underrepresented group would be interested in working with me.

Tasks and activities to be undertaken by the UG/PGT student:

  • Research task: Take part in conducting user research with me to design a digital game
  • Developmental task: Developing a digital game prototype using a game engine (e.g., Unity3D).

Experience and knowledge required/desired:

  • Game development concepts
  • Knowledge of game engines (Unity3D) and corresponding programming language (JavaScript, C#).
  • An innovative, passionate and problem solver mindset

 Skills, knowledge, experience to be gained:

  • Experience of conducting user research, using survey tools, and conducting co-design sessions.
  • Opening of a horizon to discover research topics for their future research studies
  • Game development experience such as storyboarding, game graphics, paper prototyping, playtesting, and developing a digital game.
  • A portfolio of a digital game for future job applications

Project lead: Anjuman Shaheen, A.Shaheen@brighton.ac.uk

School: Architecture, Technology and Engineering