Multiplayer prototyping and quest design for an educational massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Abstract

Digital games have proven to be powerful learning tools, and may hold the key to closing the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) achievement gap in the United States. Multiplayer play in particular can foster peer instruction, mentorship, and other productive learning interactions. However, few models of effective multiplayer mechanics exist for educational games. This paper outlines a scheme for developing synchronous multiplayer tasks for a Flash-based massively multiplayer online game (MMO), and discusses design considerations for creating meaningful multiplayer interactions. The results were applied to the design and implementation of multiplayer quest prototypes for the Radix Endeavor, an educational MMO.