The Game

“Space adventure: Defend the planet!” (https://gbl4deaf.itch.io/spaceadventure-en) is one of the outputs of the project GBL4deaf.

The GBL4deaf main goal, when envisioned, was to explore the impact of a research-based video game in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children’s learning of primary maths in a school context. Our initial sample are 28 DHH students of the 2nd and 3rd cycle of Basic Education in partner schools.

GBL4deaf research design included the design of engagement and immersion in a human-centred process, where students have been involved in game user research since the conceptual phase, in order Space adventure: Defend the planet! could match the children’s expectations in terms of aesthetics and playability. Therefore, intrinsic integration of mathematical content in playability was a major concern.

Our framework started with defining the learning objectives, an active learning  approach and challenges that enable the magic loop in video games, while using math and moving to more complex game levels when the previous math knowledge is consolidated. Failure is a motivational tool-Play it again!. Nevertheless, the video game has high entertainment potential and replayability. In Space adventure: Defend the planet!, the player controls a Commander in charge of rebuilding an abandoned and destroyed planet. To achieve the goal, the player will solve challenges using their math and management skills. Due to the pandemia situation, a convenience sample was used: five deaf,  ten hearing students, and among those eight have special educational needs: dyscalculia,  autism, Asperger Síndrome, cognitive deficits, Dravet Síndrome, ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder). This problem was in fact a great opportunity for a more inclusive educational model aligned with: “The New European Bauhaus is about our daily lives, focusing on better living together in more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive places” and particularly for education models in a digital transformation context.