Opportunities for Serious Game Technologies to Engage Children with Autism in a Pakistani Sociocultural and Institutional Context: An investigation of the design space for serious game technologies to enhance engagement of children with autism and to facilitate external support provided

Sara Muneeb, Laurianne Sitbon, Faizan Ahmad

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Usability and design of serious game technologies have been widely investigated as academic interventions tools for children with autism. However, besides the technology, the sociocultural and institutional context also impacts the gameplay activities of children with autism as well as the external support provided by instructors. Therefore, this paper investigates i) the impact of sociocultural and institutional context over the engagement of children with autism with serious game technologies, ii) the types of external support children with autism are offered or require during gameplay session, and iii) the type of rewards and encouragers that can act as unbiased support to increase the engagement of the children with autism during gameplay. This paper investigates these factors with an inductive analysis of educational gameplay activities of 23 children with autism in Lahore, Pakistan. Our study found that sociocultural and institutional context has substantial impact over the gameplay activities of children with autism. Children required both physical and verbal support during the gameplay activities, and institutional context influences the behavior of instructors as well. Finally, dynamic animations, rewards and encouragers can keep the children engaged for longer in the gameplay.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 34th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference
Subtitle of host publicationConnected Creativity, OzCHI 2022
EditorsCharles Martin, Dana Mckay, Melissa Rogerson, Bronwyn Cumbo, Greg Wadley, Penny Sweetser, Jennyfer Lawrence Taylor, Luke Hespanhol, Jess Tsimeris, Mingze Xi, Jane Turner, Soojeong Yoo, Ned Cooper, Jessica Rahman, Josh Andres, Ajit G. Pillai, Cat Kutay
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages338-347
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9798400700248
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Apr 2023
Event34th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference: Connected Creativity, OzCHI 2022 - Canberra, Australia
Duration: 29 Nov 20222 Dec 2022

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference34th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference: Connected Creativity, OzCHI 2022
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityCanberra
Period29/11/222/12/22

Keywords

  • Game-based learning
  • and encouragers
  • children with autism
  • context
  • rewards
  • serious game technologies
  • support

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