Emotions at play : gaining emotional knowledge using a video game

Abstract: The use of video games for teaching children different subjects is commonly believed to be a good  approach. In  general  has  learning  theme  for  these  games  focused  on  traditionally subject, such as math or biology. Important as they can be for education, other softer aspects can also be considered important for the children and education. One such aspect is emotions and the role it has on a social level. However, it is not much research showing how to use emotions  in  a  learning  game. In  this  thesis, I  examine  how  children  perceive  and  use emotions as they play a game specially designed for teaching emotions. The game utilises emotions  in  a  new  design  that  let  the  player  interact  with  cartoon  animals  in  different scenarios. I report findings based on a sample of thirty-three (33) preschool children, and six (6) parents who took part in the study. Data was collected using a qualitative method in a two step procedure with observation of play and follow up interviews in the first step, followed by video recordings of play and demonstrations using cuddly pets in the second step. Using an ecological framework for analysis and theory from the field of emotional intelligence, I show that children playing this game can perceive emotions expressed in the game. I also show that it is possible to play this particular game without the need to involve emotions. Children do not learn emotions from playing the game. These results carries important implication for the design of learning games as it illuminates that learning can come from possible sources other than the gameplay.