=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2497/paper13
|storemode=property
|title=Stories or Scenarios: Implementing Narratives in Gamified Language Teaching
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2497/paper13.pdf
|volume=Vol-2497
|authors=Joan Tomàs Pujolà Font,M. Vicenta González Argüello
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/gamilearn/FontA19
}}
==Stories or Scenarios: Implementing Narratives in Gamified Language Teaching==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2497/paper13.pdf
Stories or Scenarios: Implementing Narratives in Gamified
Language Teaching
Joan-Tomàs Pujolà M. Vicenta González Argüello
Universidad de Barcelona Universidad de Barcelona
Barcelona, España Barcelona, España
jtpujola@ub.edu vicentagonzalez@ub.edu
ABSTRACT elements of the whole gamification procedure. As such, it is
This study focuses on the analysis of the narratives of 29 convenient that the dynamics and mechanics of the game
gamified didactic interventions (GDIs) by foreign language are closely related to the storyline chosen. The tension, the
teachers. Two types of narrative were identified: those conflict, the challenges or the characters generate emotions
which included a story, and those which only set up a in the students and thus make the experience immersive
scenario. Both types were analysed considering the and, consequently, more memorable. Listening to stories
following criteria: the narrative they were based on; the means the user will relate these stories to things they have
genre applied; the plot they followed; their duration; the experienced themselves, making new connections [14].
inclusion of roleplaying; and their design appeal. Results Narratives usually make engagement easier and longer-
show that most of the GDIs used a scenario since this lasting. According to Keller [16] “what we learn from
makes implementation easier for teachers. However, the games is that adding narrative, storyline, a theme, or fun
GDIs using a storyline as the backbone were more coherent graphics to our lessons and activities can help students be
in their gamification as the elements were integrated in a more engaged.”
meaningful way.
Stories help us to organize and remember information and
Author Keywords tie content together in a coherent way. Designing
Gamification; Foreign Language Teaching; Narratives, gamification as a series of narrative experiences means you
ACM Classification Keywords can design the emotional journey you would like you
- Applying computing participant to go on [14]. Adding stories to learning
Education programs allows teachers to connect to the learners on an
o Computer Assisted Instruction emotional level. Moreover, a story is the perfect way to
o E-learning introduce an element of playfulness. This narrative layer
opens up opportunities for being creative and could take
INTRODUCTION learners to a higher motivational level, a level to get them
Gamification narratives are a fundamental dynamic in a “hooked” on the storyline as if it were a book, a film or a
gamified process [36] [14] and directly influence the type TV series.
of gamification which is developed - that is, whether it be
structural or content gamification [15]. Although it is Storytelling is one of the most enjoyable and effective
possible to add a story, characters and other game elements pedagogical techniques in the development of language
to structural gamification, adding story elements to a course skills in one's first language, and also in the acquisition of a
could alter the content to make it more game-like [15] [8]. foreign or second language [18]. Digital storytelling
Werbach and Hunter [36] listed the narrative as one of the specifically has become a way to motivate students to use
game dynamics which is key for engaging participants. the language both inside and outside the classroom [25].
Narratives have always helped teachers to contextualise
Introducing a semantic layer, either using a story or a theme language use in a meaningful way since they prompt
[10], helps to give coherence to the gamification and helps learners to do something meaningful with the language they
to make it more easily understood [3]. According to van der are meant to learn [28]. In this sense, there is a long
Meer [23] “the narrative is the experiential scaffold within tradition in second language pedagogy of using role play
the thematic framework that you’ve chosen. It is the actual and simulations [4] [17] as a way to set up scenarios where
nuts and bolts of the experience that you want your players learners taking on roles can practise their language skills
to go through.” Adding a story, a theme or a scenario to a and, at the same time, gain an understanding of socio-
gamification could have a major impact on the other cultural aspects of the language they are learning. Reinhardt
Copyright © 2019 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under [28] underlines that “game-informed L2 instruction
Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). recognizes the power of contextualization, but takes it
In: J. Arnedo-Moreno, C.S. González, A. Mora (eds.): Proceedings of the
further and, wherever possible, situates the language in
3rd International Symposium on Gamification and Games for Learning
(GamiLearn’19), Barcelona, Spain, 22-10-2019, published at http://ceur- narrative and goal-directed behavior. [...] An activity,
ws.org lesson, unit, or curriculum may be thematically structured
around a narrative or set of narratives in which the learners hero must overcome throughout an adventure, subsequently
are immersed and invited to narrativize”. coming home changed or transformed. This journey is the
metaphor of the evolution of the character in the narrated
Bearing all these concepts in mind, the study presented in
story. The hero becomes the backbone of the narrative on
this paper attempts to describe how 29 foreign language
account of the vicissitudes through which he has to go.
teachers developed their gamified didactic interventions in
When designing stories in gamification scenarios
relation to the selected narrative. Therefore, this study has
Marczewski [20] prefers to apply a simple variation of this
the following aims: to identify the type of narratives that the
pattern, called the Soap Hero’s Journey (as it is popular in
teachers chose for their GDIs; and to analyse their features
soap operas), which implies the following of 4 or 5 phases:
so as to understand the affordances of the narrative in
the Calling, the Challenge, the Transformation, (the Twist,
gamified language teaching.
an optional stage) and the Resolution. In addition, the user’s
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK journey can even be condensed into 3 stages [23]: the Call,
Stories have always been linked to the field of education. the Initiation and the Return. Nonetheless, Gomez [9]
Long before pedagogy, orality was the medium through points out that the classic hero's journey structure is no
which traditional fundamental knowledge was transmitted, longer useful since most narratives in the real world today
and stories or parables were the main way of conveying this are collective ones. In such journeys the protagonist is one
knowledge [5]. Likewise, popular culture has been passed member of a collective, the challenge can be huge or
down to new generations through narratives (for instance pervasive, there are multiple perspectives and shifting
stories, myths, legends, movies and novels). It is, in viewpoints, there is strength in diversity, and mentorships
essence, an element that is used to contextualize are distributed. In these collective journey narratives
information: "Narratives, like stories, function as cognitive everybody wins as they are able to move forward due to
frameworks that contextualize new knowledge because their capacity for cooperation.
some of the story elements are familiar" [34].
Some storylines in gamifications are imported directly from
Within a classic conception, the narrative is defined like as successful video games [37]. “The difference between
a text characterized by representing a succession of actions stories for games and stories for movies is that games are,
over time [35]. Succession implies progress from an initial by definition, interactive. They don’t have “viewers,” they
situation to a different final situation, a new state. This have “players,” and players play an active role.” [11]. In a
progression establishes what is meant by story: "From a game, stories must be interactive [33]; they are not only to
pragmatic point of view, the narrative must contain an be heard, read or seen. The player should have a sense of
element of intrigue that structures and gives meaning to the agency [14], take an active role and be at the centre of the
actions and events that take place over time." [21]. Todorov story. Regarding interactive narratives, Marczewski [20]
[35] asserts that the narrative sequence is constructed from talks about the concept of the narrative atom, narrative
five stages: units that can stand alone in a storyline. In non-linear
branching narratives, as found in many video games, “each
1. A state of equilibrium. A specific space and time is
narrative atom must be able to hold its own without the
presented, along with the characters and the background of
need for every other atom to support it”. Each atom should
the action;
have its own start, middle and end so the player can jump in
2. A disruption of that order by an event. A progression of
and out of them depending on the choices made. The key
incidents and episodes that entangle the action and maintain
factor in interactive narratives is to make sure that every
the intrigue is established;
choice feels like it has meaning. Narrative choice
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred. There is
architecture, either real or fake, should be built carefully so
recognition of the event that disturbed the equilibrium;
as to ensure that players' decisions have some effect on the
4. An attempt to repair the damage incurred during the
outcome [19].
disruption;
5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium. A new Sailer et al. [32] show that narratives, avatars and the fact of
state is shown, resulting from the actions taken and the working in groups and having teammates "affect
outcome itself. experiences of social relatedness" and give meaning to
gamification beyond the mere search for points, badges and
Therefore, the main requirement in such a story is that there
a better position in some classification. In this sense, Ruhi
must be a change of state prompted by a causal relationship
[31] considers that making a creative narrative context can
within a certain period of time.
help participants to be more motivated when participating
There are diverse narrative patterns on how to develop a in a gamified action. Narratives, moreover, can be
story such as the ones introduced by Vonnegut’s concept of constructed from a range of possibilities, from the most
the universal shapes of stories [7]. Many narratives are complete fictional universe to a contextualization in the real
characterized by following a pattern in which the story world. According to Sailer et al. [32], this "can enrich
progresses from the monomyth or the Hero’s Journey [2]. boring, barely stimulating contexts, and, consequently,
This idea focuses primarily on raising a problem that the inspire and motivate players and particularly if the story is
in line with their personal interests". Stories help language education. The course was delivered in a blended-
participants to be involved in the activities [30] and help learning format in two phases. The first one was a five-
them to consider their own actions within gamified week online gamified program in which trainees received
activities as more meaningful. However, Nicholson [24] is input on gamification in a foreign language education
cautious in recommending the implementation of context. In the second phase, trainees had five months, with
fantasy/fantastical narratives since players are placed the help of a course tutor, to plan, design and implement
outside the real world, but finds the employment of analogy their own gamified didactic interventions (GDIs) for their
useful as it may provide richness that the real-world setting respective groups of students. Trainees designed their GDIs
does not. Gamification narratives may use metaphors as a according to their educational contexts taking into account
tool [23] since it is “a powerful hook for our imaginations their students’ needs. They were in-service foreign
to latch on to and is an efficient way to promote the trigger language teachers working in the EOI language schools in
for a (new) behavior”. Catalonia (Spain), teaching English, French, Italian,
German and Russian, all of them with ample language
Ruhi [31] proposes three types of narratives, which are used
teaching experience but none in gamification.
as a single layer of gamification: integrated narratives,
emerging narratives and interpreted narratives. The In a previous study Batlle & González [1] identified two
different narratives are related to the different elements of types of narrative, one that includes stories, and another that
gamification. The integrated narratives are related to the merely sets up imaginary scenarios to contextualise the
mechanics and are those proposed by the designer of the learning tasks. The aim of this study is to go deeper into
gamified action. The emerging narratives are related to the this concept to provide an answer to the following research
dynamics and actions of the players-participants: "they are question: What features emerge from the GDIs that can be
created by players during their interaction with the seen to characterize these two types of gamification
gamification application in a dynamic fashion as they narrative? The answer to this question will provide relevant
perform different activities" [31]. Finally, interpreted information on how language teachers are able to integrate
narratives are related to aesthetics, understood as "the gamification narratives into their teaching and which
desirable emotional responses evoked in the users when elements they use to develop them.
they interact with the gamified system" [31]. According to
Data in this study consists of 29 GDIs, their lesson plans,
Ruhi, a successful gamified experience must show
teaching materials and presentations of their interventions,
coherence between the three types of narratives, that is, the
collected from participants in two different editions of the
designer's proposal is the one that the players both develop
Gamelex course: 2016-17 and 2017-18. The analysis
and, at the same time, experience in a personal way as they
carried out followed a descriptive-interpretative approach
participate in the gamified experience.
that consisted of the following stages. Firstly, six areas of
In storytelling, genre plays a determining role. According to analysis were identified: type of narrative, genre, plot,
van der Meer [22], genre is a potent tool which creates a avatar or roleplaying, visual aesthetics, and duration of the
scaffold for concepts, contexts and rules which can be GDIs. Secondly, an exhaustive revision of GDIs was
placed on a narrative foundation, helping to connect the carried out in order to be able to determine which
story with the player. Thus, if a recognisable genre is added characteristics of the narratives were present. This
to the narrative it will deepen that connection even further. qualitative analysis for each area was carried out by the
Genre gives participants a recognisable, somewhat researchers independently, with results being compared
universal basis, which can then be transformed into a later and any disagreements being discussed jointly so as to
different world with different rules, cultures, and customs. achieve inter-rater agreement and thus to ensure a higher
reliability of the results. Finally, both researchers analysed
Reiners,Wood & Dron [29] define narrative as: “unique
the GDIs to identify patterns or trends in the narratives
paths through the story which also enliven the story and
combining the features of all the areas.
“unfold in space” and support the process of understanding
and building cognitive structures. Narratives are either pre- RESULTS
scripted (ready to reveal their sequences of milestones and The results of the analysis will be presented in the same
activities over and over again), or use exploration and goal- order as has been followed in the analysis of the data.
oriented triggers to multiply the possible narratives that Firstly, the type of narratives will be described in two
learners can indirectly choose from.” The scope of the categories: stories / scenarios; then the data related to the
narrative must be suitably wide for learners to engage a other areas will be presented in the following order: the
sense of curiosity and develop motivation for learning, genre the GDIs were based on, the plot they followed and
the duration of the GDIs, then the roleplaying of the
METHODOLOGY
participants in the gamified tasks, and finally the degree of
This study has been carried out within a continuing
visual aesthetics applied in their gamified designs.
professional development course about gamification called
Gamelex at the IDP-ICE in the University of Barcelona [1] Stories and scenarios
[27], which was devised to research gamification issues in
The value of analysing which elements form the core of their own narrative, which is repeated, and the sum of
gamification narratives comes from the importance of the all of them provides them with the solution to the
narratives that contextualize new content and new teaching challenge posed.
objectives [34] [6] [29]. This is even more relevant in the
Genre
context of teaching foreign languages, in which learning is "Genre is an overall categorization of a semiotic domain
contextualised in such a way that language teachers try to where narrative can take place" [24]. In addition, genres
help students live out communicative experiences similar to help to identify the students with the story from the moment
those that they could experience outside the classroom. This they can recognize it thanks to their previous experiences
implies that the stories or scenarios not only contextualize [24]. In the narratives of the GDIs there are different genres
the learning experience, but they also contextualize it depending on whether they are designed around a story or a
through themes that are close to the students’ reality, from scenario. These varied genres can be summarized as
their own experiences or from the socio-cultural reality of follows (ordered from highest to lowest frequency in each
the countries in which the target language is spoken. type group):
The analysed narratives of the 29 GDIs fall into three Genre in stories
categories (number of GDIs is indicated at the end of each Socio-cultural genres: in this group we have 13 GDIs that
category and an example provided): are based on topics related to culture, such as art or cinema,
with popular culture represented by some GDIs dealing
a) A first category consisting of narratives that develop with customs and traditions. The importance of
stories, in which the basic narrative stages of sociocultural issues lies in the fact that these are a key
beginning, development and resolution are present, and component of communicative competence [12] that
which culminate when the learning objectives are students of foreign languages usually work on in the
achieved. (13 GDIs) language class in order to acquire the necessary skills to
Example: GDI24 focused on the struggle of mafia communicate in the target language. There are five genre
clans to take control of different areas of Sicily. The types which these GDIs are based on: i) Art, customs and
goal was to get the maximum number of areas for each traditions of the countries in which the language is spoken
of the clans, which prompted students to perform (6 GDIs); ii) Novels, cinema or TV series (4 GDIs); iii)
language tasks in exchange for coins to buy more Famous people (1 GDI); iv) Serious games (1 GDI) and v)
areas, bribe the police, etc. an initiative journey (1 GDI).
b) A second category in which scenarios are set up to Genre in scenarios
contextualize the gamified didactic experience. These In this group of 16 GDIs there is also a variety of genres: 7
scenarios are characterized by not having introduced GDIs dealt also with socio-cultural genres based on art,
clearly the basic triadic stages of a story from the point customs and traditions of countries. For example, GDI17
of view of narratology. What they offer is a static celebrated 100 years of Russian cinema, while in GDI25
scenario in which events unfold. This type of narrative students were trying to recover lost art. There is also 1
is usually the same as the typical gamified tasks that GDI in which a scenario is created around a famous person.
imitate or reproduce contests or quizzes. (14 GDIs) In this group, two different genres from those found in the
Example: In GDI14 students had to participate in a story group are identified: 4 GDIs explored the knowledge
contest that followed the idea of the TV show of the participants regarding customs and habits and another
Masterchef. The goal was to get as many points as 4 GDIs were based on scenarios related to TV quizzes.
possible by going through 3 tests consisting of a All of the GDIs coincide in starting from well-known
simulation of “cooking” 3 different dishes. products easily recognizable to the participating students.
This recognition is a feature that seems to facilitate entering
c) A third category in which the narratives are constructed smoothly into the narrative storyline and the students’
from a succession of scenarios. In this group there are enjoyment thereof.
GDIs that have trips to different destinations as the
backbone of the narrative. In each of the destinations, Plot: Contextualisation or Storyline
students seek some information but the tasks done in The 16 narratives that set up a scenario described an
one destination are repeated in the following imaginary context where the learning tasks took place and
destination, so that there is no progression of a story. (2 no storyline is developed. They create only a situation,
GDIs) sometimes simulating real life experiences. However,
Example: If we look at GDI29, the students have to within the 13 GDIs that included a story, two types of plot
collect information about the different countries that were identified, according to their storyline complexity:
make up the Francophonie. The same tests are - a unique linear plot, in which a sequential storyline is
proposed for each of the countries, so each of the followed and no complications or twists are
groups worked through similar tasks in a different encountered (10 GDI). Example, in GDI13 the
scenario. In each of the places, each group develops students had to prepare a project to redesign the
Trans-Siberian journey, all the actions that they Those GDIs that covered up to 6 sessions but that did not
carried out were geared towards that final goal. exceed two months were characterized by leaving some
time in each class session to do activities related to the
- a complex linear plot in which a sequential storyline is
gamified experience.
also followed, but there is more than one puzzle or
challenge to overcome in various narrative threads (3 Roleplaying
GDI). Example: In GDI16, based on the film series Learners could take another identity in the GDIs as most
“The Hunger Games”, the students are divided into were assigned a role to play, a typical feature of some
different districts and have to interact with each other gamifications. However, these roles cannot be considered
in order to free them from the problem they have (they as avatars since they do not receive any particular
lost their memory). In addition to this common and personality traits. There are two groups of roleplaying
final goal, other specific objectives in the storyline identified in the data: in 12 GDIs the teacher assigned one
emerge such as identifying the infiltrators or role to learners and in 17 more than one role was assigned.
preparing a trip to gain the favour of the smuggler. From the first group some differences can be established:
there are 6 GDIs that consider the group of students as
The type of plot that does not appear in our data corpus is simply being themselves, not taking on a special role
that of a branching storyline, typical of a videogame. beyond the role of being a player. Example: In GDI10, the
Duration students participate in a game that imitates the competition
The length of time of the GDIs is also analysed to find out of the film Oscars in which they have to demonstrate their
if this factor has implications for how trainees managed to knowledge about cinema.
integrate the narrative. Three groups can be established:
In the second group there are another 6 GDIs which
those that were developed in a single class session (3
assigned a role linked to the narrative. It should be noted
GDIs), those that were developed in several sessions close
how these role plays have been integrated into the narrative
together in time (12 GDIs) and those that took place over a
through learners having to assume the peculiarities of the
more prolonged period of time (14 GDIs).
assigned roles and to act in accordance with the underlying
The GDIs with only one session are characterized by an story. Examples: Students played the role of travellers in
intensive session in which the storyline does not have time two GDIs and in the other GDIs the role of experts,
to become complex. walkers, cooks, and volunteers to work on the farm.
From the fourteen GDIs with more sessions two subgroups Regarding the second group, in which the teacher assigned
emerge: different roles to the learners, two more groups are
identified, the GDIs with 2 roles and those with 3 or more.
- few full sessions over time (7 GDIs). Example: GDI15 The 3 GDIs with two roles are characterized by one of them
(4 sessions in 4 weeks) GDI20 (4 sessions in 2 months), being the leader of the group (such as in GDI3, the captain)
GDI22 (6 sessions in a month), GDI25 (3 sessions in 1 and the rest of the group assuming the same role
month), GDI26 (4 sessions in 2 months), GDII27 (3 (guardians).
activities in 2) months), GDI8 (5 sessions in 4 months).
13 GDIs that include 3 or more roles are characterized by
GDI26 took place over 2 months, during which time each of the participants having to assume the features of
the students concentrated their tasks on written their roles in the context of a group. From the didactic
expression, reading comprehension and audiovisual perspective, this is a beneficial feature because students
understanding, but the actual gamification consisted of must clearly form collaborative groups of as many
4 sessions. In-between the teaching sessions, students participants as there are roles in the group [32]. Some
had the chance to carry out activities of a certain examples: In GDI2 there were 4 roles: "Commissaire de
degree of complexity. Police", "Officier de Police", "Ingénieur de la Police
Technique et Scientifique" and "Technique de la Police
- small parts of sessions repeated over time (7 GDIs)
Technique et Scientifique"; or in GDI25, each student in
Example: GDI3 (over the course of 3 months), GDII7
groups of three was an expert in a different art.
(8 weeks), GDI9 (4 months), GDI11 (4 months), GDI18
(3 months), GDI19 (3 months), GDI29 (4 months). There are also 2 GDIs that are halfway between the types
described above. In those cases, teachers divided the class
GDI3 took place over 3 months, during which time the
into groups and assigned a generic role. For instance: In
activities (video selection, audiovisual comprehension,
GDI24 the class was divided into 3 groups and each of the
etc.) were being carried out during class time and also
groups belonged to a different mafia clan, and in GDI16
outside the class. This extensive GDI was developed
students in groups were inhabitants of different German
with enough time for the students to receive feedback,
Federal States.
to review their own activities, to deliver them, to
receive their reward, and also to carry out other Finally, there is one unique case in GDI19 as there were 5
activities. roles assigned in a diverse way. In groups of three, students
were assigned the following roles: mission coordinator, feature into account in a serious way. Example: In GDI16,
communications & IT expert and linguistic expert. The the leaderboard took the form of the map of Germany by
same roles were assigned for each group. However, there graphically differentiating the different states that
was also a murderer and a secret link in the class group. participate in the game. On this map the students had to
move on earning points (currency created for the game)
To sum up, roleplaying is a key feature in the gamification
and badges (especially designed) won by each of the teams.
narratives in our data and is closely related to the concepts
of cooperation and competitiveness. There are those GDIs DISCUSSION
that included roles either individually or in groups in order As far as the narratives in our data are concerned, not all the
to compete with each other, or those in which teachers GDIs clearly presented the three basic classic narrative
assigned individual roles in groups who had to cooperate so stages: beginning, development and conclusion [35], but
as to achieve their gamified learning objectives. most presented scenarios that contextualized the GDIs and
did not develop a story. Similarly, the idea of the hero as
Visual aesthetics and design
the main protagonist [2] was surpassed [20] [23] and a
The aesthetics of the design is also a relevant feature to help
collective character in many of our cases was the main
enhance the narrative and it was therefore evaluated
protagonist [9]. This is not a surprising result as
qualitatively to see the degree to which it was incorporated
collaboration in performing language tasks is quite common
in the different GDIs. The elements to be considered in
in language learning and teaching. Moreover, all the GDIs
shaping this visual aesthetic construct include: drawings,
of the corpus are in the group of integrated narratives [31],
designs, visual details related to the themes incorporated in
incorporating mechanics such as competition, feedback or
some gamifications into points, badges or leaderboards
turns. In addition, we can also affirm that all can be
(PBL), the logos in the teaching/learning material, posters,
characterized as emerging gamifications, although in
infographics or even in some cases, t-shirts the participants
different degrees. This is so because although they all
have created to identify their groups; even, on a few
contain a narrative, depending on the type of narrative we
occasions, some scenography and decorations which were
can see differences in terms of progression.
used to set the atmosphere of the gamification theme.
Narratives based on a story have a clear progression in the
These elements were incorporated unevenly in each of the
storyline, to reach a clearly stated objective; on the other
GDIs so their value as a cohesive element of the
hand, in those based on scenarios an imaginary context is
gamifications is also unequal. In that respect, a simple
set up without a narrative moving forward. However, in
Likert scale of three points was defined: 1, a minimal
some cases there was a combination of scenarios designed
presence of visual aesthetic elements; 2, little presence but
to give the sense of progression. This idea reminds us of the
limited to the PBL and some elements of the teacher's
concept of the narrative atom [20] where each atom has
presentation material; and 3, high presence in many
identity of its own and can be connected to form a storyline.
gamification elements.
Nonetheless, both types of narrative, stories and scenarios,
In the data there were 13 teachers who, even having attempt to reproduce known worlds or establish analogies
incorporated some elements, did not take advantage of the with the real world which usually enrich the gamified
design elements to reinforce the narratives, 10 teachers who experience [25]. If we then focus on the interpreted
tried to take advantage of these elements to a greater extent, narratives, the same thing happened as the role of the player
and finally 6 who made the most of the aesthetic elements allowed students to adopt an active role towards the
to enhance and give greater coherence to their narratives. narrative and to create their own experiences [11] usually
participating in a sort of interactive story [33]. The intention
From the latter group, GTI27 stands out because all the was for students in all the GDIs to have a sense of agency
elements used were aesthetically marked by the design, [13].
enhancing the narrative: the letter found that set up the
story, the bloodstains on the wall, the use of only three The predominant genre of the narrative was a sociocultural
colours in the whole GDI (white, black and red) and the one, as an understanding of this realm forms an integral part
original typography of the murder case based on the movie in developing the communicative competence [12] that
poster, an email account created for the occasion through provides students with a more nuanced approach to the
which the teacher communicated with the detectives target language. In most GDIs the underlying genre was
(students), etc. related to the language world in that it showed the target
culture, traditions, customs, and even everyday situations.
Before discussing the main issues of the results, we would Fewer GDIs, in comparison, based their narratives on
like to point out that the analysis of the PBL elements in
genres such as adventure, thrillers, etc.
relation to the narrative was carried out but no relevant
differences stood out as all the GDIs in some way or In terms of the duration of the GDIs, we can only speak of
another integrated these components into their narratives. trends according to our data: the implementation of
However, in six occasions they were highly pertinent in gamifications in an intensive way seems to correspond to
their aesthetic design and the teacher took this aesthetic the sequence of a story with a complex linear plot (GDI16
and GDI24). The group with a longer period of time led to programme in which data collection took place. Webpage:
less complex storylines, as counter-intuitive as this may http://www.ub.edu/realtic/es/
initially seem. Looking at GDI16 and GDI24, these were
REFERENCES
intensive experiences, carrying out their tasks in one month. 1. Jaume Batlle y Vicenta González. 2017. Análisis de
In our data there are only three GDIs (GDI9, GDI16, secuencias didácticas gamificadas para la enseñanza de
GDI24) that are characterised, predominantly, by having a lenguas extranjeras: La importancia de la narrativa en
narrative based on a story, with a complex plot that favours la gamificación. Actas del V Congreso Internacional de
the progression of said story, with roles that in most cases Videojuegos y Educación CIVE'17
have to form teams that encourage cooperative work. And https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/915/6640/CI
there are also three other GDIs with a story with a simple VE17_paper_4.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
plot (GDI13, GDI27 and GDI29), which contain different 2. Joseph Campbell. 1949. El héroe de las mil caras.
gamification features that enhance the narratives (visual Psicoanálisis del mito. Fondo de cultura económica,
aesthetics, roles, plot). México
CONCLUSION 3. Aaron Chia Yuan Hung. 2017. A Crtique and Defense
This paper has described a study dealing with the narratives of Gamification, Journal of Interactive Online
of 29 GDIs devised by foreign language teachers and has Learning, vol.15, 1.
identified different features that enhance those narratives. http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/15.1.4.pdf
The predominant narrative in our data is based on the 4. David Crookall, & Rebbeca L. Oxford. 1990.
setting up of scenarios, followed by those narratives that Simulation, Gaming, and Language
develop a story with a simple linear plot. In these Learning. New York: Newbury House
narratives, teachers assigned students roles that allowed 5. Olga Cruz. 2013. Relatos digitales en la clase de ELE:
them to participate actively in the gamified tasks in a una propuesta para el aprendizaje significativo en un
roleplaying mode. Most of the aesthetics and appeal entorno multimodal. In Experiencias con el relato
elements in the gamified designs have been integrated digital, C. Gregori Signes and M. Alcantud-Díaz.
through the PBL, and a few also in the rest of the working Universitat JMP Ediciones, Valencia, Spain, 2013.
material (handouts, posters, etc.). The scenarios focused 6. Richard Donato,& Bonnie Adair-Hauck,. 2016. PACE:
mainly on sociocultural aspects, followed by those centred A Story-Based Approach for Dialogic Inquiry about
on the traditions and habits of the students. Both types were Form and Meaning. In Teacher’s handbook:
fully consistent with the context of foreign language Contextualized foreign language instruction (5th ed.),
education in which students commonly have to acquire J. Shrum & E. Glisan (authors) Cengage Learning:
communicative competence that includes the sociocultural Boston, MA, 206 – 230.
aspects of the language they are learning. 7. Jon Fusco. 2016. The 6 Emotional Arcs of Storytelling,
The duration of our GDIs marks a trend that shows that the Why You Should Use Them, and Which One is Best
lengthier GDIs seem to have been able to develop a more https://nofilmschool.com/2016/11/emotional-arcs-6-
complex narrative compared to those that were carried out storytelling-kurt-vonnegut
over several months but with few sessions. This is probably 8. Ole Goethe. 2019. Gamification Mindset, Ed. Springer
reasonable as it is difficult to maintain the narrative tension International Publishing
of a story over a long period of time. 9. Jeff Gomez. 2017. The Hero’s Journey is no longer
serving us, Gamification Europe, 2017
To conclude, although most teachers opted for scenarios
10. Jaroslaw Grobelny, Joanna Smierzchalska, Krzysztof
instead of stories, narratives with a story as the backbone of
Czapkowski. 2018. Narrative Gamification as a
the teaching sequence provided more opportunities for
Method of Increasing Sales Performance: A Field
teachers to integrate gamification elements into their
Experimental Study. International Journal of
teaching tasks in a coherent way.
Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 8(3), 430–447. DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i3/3940
J-T Pujolà and M.V. González gratefully acknowledge the 11. Tobias Heussner, Toiya Finley, Jennifer Brandes
grant from the Spanish Government to GAMELEX, “La Hepler, Ann Lema. 2015. The Game Narrative Toolbox
gamificación en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras en (Focal Press Game Design Workshops), Routledge.
adultos: un studio basado en diseño” (EDU 201567680-R). 12. Dell H. Hymes. 1972. On Communicative
Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness: Proyectos I+D Competence. In Sociolinguistics: selected readings, J.B
del Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigación Pride and J. Holmes, Penguin: Harmondsworth, UK,
Científica y Técnica de Excelencia, 2016-2018. 269–293.
We also would like to thank to the members of the research 13. Melinda Jacobs. 2017. Game mechanics SUCK
group realTIC for fruitful conversations on the topic and without narrative, Gamification Europe, 2017.
collaboration in the design of the teacher training https://gamification-europe.com/melinda-jacobs-
conference/
14. Melinda Jacobs. 2018. UX & Gamification: The Big 29. Torsten Reiners, Lincoln C. Wood, Jon Dron. 2014.
Picture, Gamification Europe 2018, From Chaos Towards Sense: A Learner-Centric
https://www.slideshare.net/gamificationeurope/ux- Narrative Virtual Learning Space. In: Gamification for
gamification-the-big-picture-melinda-jacobs Human Factors Integration: Social, Education, and
15. Karl M. Kapp. 2013. The Gamification of Learning and Psychological Issues, Bishop, J. (Ed.) IGI Global
Instruction Fieldbook: Ideas into Practice, John Wiley, Hershey, PA, 242-258.
San Francisco 30. Scott Rigby, Richard M. Ryan. 2011. Glued to Games:
16. Alice Keeler. 2015. Gamification: Engaging Students How video Games Draw Us Spellbound, Oxford,
with Narrative. PRAEGER
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/gamification-engaging- 31. Umar Ruhi. 2015. Level Up Your Strategy: Towards a
students-with-narrative-alice-keeler Descriptive Framework for Meaningful Enterprise
17. Glenn, S. Levine. 2004. Global Simulation: A Student- Gamification, Technology Innovation Management
Centered, Task-Based Format for Intermediate Foreign Review, 5(8): 5-16. DOI:
Language Courses. Foreign Language Annals, 37(1), http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/918
26–36. DOI: 10.1111/j.1944-9720.2004.tb02170.x 32. Michael Sailer, Jan U. Hense, Sarah K. Mayr, Heinz
18. Claudio R. Lucarevschi. 2016. The role of storytelling Mandl. 2017. How gamification motivates: An
on language learning: A literature review. Working experimental study of the effects of specific game
Papers of the Linguistics Circle of the University of design elements on psychological need satisfaction,
Victoria 26(1), 23–44 Computers in Human Behavior, 19: 371-380. DOI:
https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/WPLC/article/view/1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.033
5309/6820 33. Chris Solarski. 2017. Interactive Stories and Video
19. Andrzej Marczewski. 2016. Narrative Choice Game Art: A Storytelling Framework for Game
Architecture and Gamification Design, London. Taylor & Francis group
https://www.gamified.uk/2016/07/04/choice- 34. Julie Sykes and Jonathon Reinhardt. 2013. Language at
architecture-gamification/ Play. Digital Games in Second and Foreign Language
20. Andrzej Marczewski. 2017. Narrative Atoms and The Teaching and Learning. Boston (MA): Pearson.
Soap Hero’s Journey 35. Tzvetan Todorov. 1969. Grammaire du Decameron,
https://www.gamified.uk/2017/05/30/narrative-atoms- The Hague, Mouton.
and-the-soap-heros-journey/ 36. Kevin Werbach, Dan Hunter. 2012. For the Win:
21. Ernesto Martín Peris (coord.).2003. Diccionario de How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your
Términos Clave de ELE, Centro Virtual Cervantes, Business. Philadelphia: Wharton Digital Press.
http://cvc.cervantes.es/obref/diccio_ele/ 37. Lincoln C. Wood and Torsten Reiners .2015.
22. Albert van der Meer. 2017. Storytelling: The strength Gamification. In Encyclopedia of Information Science
of metaphors when gamifying. and Technology (3rd ed), M. Khosrow-Pour (Ed.),
https://aestranger.com/metaphors-gamifying/ Information Science Reference, Hershey, PA: 3039-
23. Albert van der Meer. 2018. Game Tools: The power of 3047. DOI:10.4018/978-1-4666-5888-2.ch297
purpose and narrative to engage your players
https://aestranger.com/game-tools-purpose-narrative/
24. Albert van der Meer. 2019. Connecting players and
narratives with a genre.
http://aestranger.com/connecting-players-and-
narrative-with-a-genre/
25. Scott Nicholson. 2015. A RECIPE for meaningful
gamification. In Gamification in education and
business, T. Reiners and L. A. Wood (Eds.),
Springer, New York, NY, 1-20.
26. Hayo Reinders. 2011. Digital Storytelling in the
Foreign Language Classroom, ELTWO Journal, 3.
27. Joan-Tomàs Pujolà, Andrea Berríos, Christine Appel.
2017. Applying DMC in a gamified teacher course on
gamification. V Congreso Internacional de
Videojuegos y Educación CIVE 17 Retrieved June 21,
2019 from https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/4769
28. Jonathon Reinhardt. 2019. Gameful Second and
Foreign Language Teaching and Learning
Theory, Research, and Practice, London, Palgrave
Macmillan