AMELIA - Emotional Modelling to Enhance Learning with Games

The AMELIA (emotionAl Modelling to Enhance Learning wIth gAmes) project is a research initiative focused on the future of education, addressing the pressing challenges related to the right to education and gender equality using digital games. It aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, which strive to provide accessible, inclusive, and high-quality education for everyone.

Traditional education methods often follow a one-size-fits-all paradigm, failing to cater to diverse learning needs and contributes to learning exclusion and gender inequality. However, game-based learning environments (GBLEs) present a promising solution. GBLEs not only shatter physical barriers via digital learning but also allow for the customization and adaptation of game mechanics to support a wide range of learning needs. Game mechanics, such as aesthetic design, narrative, and incentives, play a crucial role in sustaining learners' engagement and interest, which, in turn, may enhance cognitive processes and foster effective learning.

Despite the advantages of GBLEs, there is a need for more research to develop adaptive game mechanics that can effectively support diverse learning needs. But little is known about the effectiveness of specific game mechanics in eliciting distinct emotions, such as engagement or frustration, which can positively or negatively impact cognition and learning in GBLEs.

Thus, the mission of the AMELIA project is to apply an innovative interdisciplinary framework that integrates the Component Process Model (CPM) of Emotion, rooted in cognitive science, with principles from nonlinear dynamical systems within complexity science. In addition, a mixed multi-modal methods study will be conducted to explore the relationships between game mechanic interactions, in-game emotions, cognition, and learning outcomes. This study will gather data from various sources, including emote-think-aloud protocols, facial expressions of emotions, electrodermal activity, eye tracking, neuro-imaging measures, and data related to gender identity.

The AMELIA project will be carried out at Tampere University and the University of Graz. The project also involves collaboration with Psyon Games, an international game company based in Finland. The project has three primary research objectives (ROs):

RO1: Conduct a mixed multi-modal methods study to collect process-level data on emotions and cognition before, during, and after learners' interact with game mechanics in a GBLE named Antidote COVID-19 across diverse learners (including considerations of gender identity).

RO2: Utilize non-linear dynamical analyses to assess how emotional processes emerge before, during, and after diverse learners interact with game mechanics using multi-modal data.

RO3: Identify key relationships between game mechanic interactions, emotion dynamics, cognition, and learning outcomes within Antidote COVID-19 among diverse learners.

In summary, the AMELIA project's impact extends across the domains of science, society, and technology. It not only advances the scientific understanding of emotion dynamics in game-based learning but also has the potential to improve knowledge and learning efforts with GBLEs on a global scale. Additionally, it contributes to the development of more inclusive and effective design of GBLEs, fostering more emotional support and equitable access to quality education for all learners, regardless of their gender, identity.