The document describes a research project that engages elders and secondary students in intergenerational learning through participatory game design. Students interview elders about their life experiences and create open educational games based on the stories. The games aim to promote digital creativity, social participation, and heritage preservation among elders while allowing students to learn through real-life stories and game creation. Researchers facilitate the process and evaluate it using a methodology called HEXA-GBL for serious game creation.

1. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
7ème édition des Journées du E-Learning
Margarida ROMERO
Université Laval.
Québec, Canada.
• 29/06/2012
Engaging elders and secondary level students in
intergenerational learning about immigration through
participative game design.
@ m a rga r i d a ro m e ro
M a r ga r i d a . Ro m e r o @ f s e . u l a va l . c a
4th April, 2015. NY
Eugène LOSS
Utrecht University and
University of Amsterdam
Research supported by

2. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
2
… to you !
… to Different Games organizers;
… to those making game (design,
dev, critic) more inclusive (Katherine
Cross)
… to Kim Sawchuk (Ageing +
Communication + Technology
director, Concordia University) and
Constance Lafontaine;
… to Silver Gaming working group
within ACT;
… to Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of
Canada (SSHRC) for supporting the
ACT initiatives.

3. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Curious girl without superpowers…
Curious boy with superpowers…

4. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
later,
I became a scholar in education
(paying tuition fees with eLearning dev gigs)
Curious girl without superpowers…

5. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
later, I became a (norm-insurgent) mom …
angry about the mommy culture vehiculated by the media
(games included)

6. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl

7. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
– Prescholars (ScratchJR), primary/secondary learners
(Scratch), postsecondary (GameSalad) and their (pre-
service) teachers
Game design for everyone :

8. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Ageing + Communication + Technologies (ACT)
• a research project comprised of
researchers, students, community and
institutional partners from Canada, USA,
Spain, Peru, United Kingdom, Finland, The
Netherlands, Romania, Malaysia…
• together, we are investigating how to
address the transformation of aging
experiences in networked societies
Silver Gaming working group
• Aims: identifying different
types of digital game
activities among elderly
including:
• (1) intergenerational
learning;
• (2) cognitive maintenance;
(3) well-being;
• (4) entertainment,
creativity and serious fun!

9. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Intergenerational game creation (I)
Senior participant (50+)
Acting as Narrative director,
(s)he shares a life experience
related to the Social Sciences
curriculum.
Secondary level students
Acting as Multimedia directors,
(s)he creates a game-based
Open Educational Resource
(OER)
Digital creativity;
Social participation;
Heritage
preservation
Learning by real life
stories; Learning by
creating OER
Intergenerational learning through play (Davis, Larkin, & Graves, 2002) and game
creation. Participatory design of digital games (Blat et al., 2012; Vanden Abeele
& Van Rompaey, 2006).

10. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Intergenerational game creation (II)
Senior participant (50+)
Acting as Narrative director.
Secondary level students
Acting as Multimedia directors.
Teachers and researchers play a role as
facilitators providing the secondary level
students with
• a semi-structured interview template
to be used for discussing with the
senior participant
• a storyboard template including the
interactivity possibilities to be
considered for the game-based OER.

11. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Game creation methodology (HEXA-GBL)
Romero (2014)

12. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl

13. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Romero, M. (2015). Work, Games and Lifelong Learning in the 21st
Century. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 115-121.
Romero, M., & Barma, S. (2015). Teaching Pre-Service Teachers to
Integrate Serious Games in the Primary Education
Curriculum. International Journal of Serious Games, 2(1).
Romero, M., Usart, M., & Ott, M. (2014). Can Serious Games
Contribute to Developing and Sustaining 21st Century Skills?.
Games and Culture. doi:10.1177/1555412014548919
More on
http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Margarida_ROMERO

14. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Margarida ROMERO
Université Laval.
Québec, Canada.
@ m a rga r i d a ro m e ro
M a r ga r i d a . Ro m e r o @ f s e . u l a va l . c a
Eugène LOSS
Utrecht University and
University of Amsterdam
Research supported by
Thank you for your
attention!
All feedback is welcome 

15. Intergenerational learning through
participative game design
Research supported by Ageing + Communication + Technology www.actproject.ca
@MargaridaROMERO
e.f.loos@uu.nl
Game creation methodology
Purpose / (Educational) objectives
Learning objectives
Gaming experience
Positive (learning) experience
Game mechanics & rules
Purpose / (Educational) objectives
Learning assessment & feedback
Game modalities
Purpose / (Educational) objectives
Learner-centered need analysis
{
Serious (educational) Games
Game universe / Immersion
(cognitive & visual level) / Gameplay
(Educational) Gamification
Real life contexts/Non-game
Secondary task
Educationalization of Games
Repurposing entertainment games
for educational purposes
SG
Creation
Game
Creation
Romero (2014)