A Personalized Achievement System for Educational Games : Targeting the achievement goals of the student

Abstract: This thesis is an interdisciplinary project based on motivation research in educational games and research on psychological achievement goals. The purpose was to present a model for a gaming achievement system that adapts to suit the player. The player profile is constructed using an achievement goal questionnaire based on educational achievement goals from previous research. To test the model appropriately, a game prototype was developed. The results derived from the thesis project and the included study is based mainly on qualitative data from game sessions as well as questionnaires. The results indicates that the model works as intended, but that individual choice of gaming achievements can be more useful for some people. The results also show that the model is a viable for implementation in future projects and a suitable alternative for low-budget educational games. The model still needs further evaluation to ensure its efficacy, but shows great promise.