O significar dos jogos digitais na Educação: paisagens [auto]cartografadas de experimentações prévias

Abstract

This work aimed – initially – at the significance of digital games in the educational field, using an investigative process, whose methodological matrix was [auto]cartography. In this sense, we used a digital game with an emphasis on 2D RPG, developed in previous research and named “O Legado do Rei”, being a game directed to the learning of a linear function. It is noteworthy that during the process of creation and development of the same, landscapes were built that were (re)investigated in this research, as well as the exploration of territories specific to education, mathematics education, games and technology, as well as the game design. In the midst of the dissertation process, new meanings and research objectives emerged, resulting in a resignification of the work. In addition to the above, the digital game in educational fields is something more than an ambassador of disciplinary content, a mere virtualization of mechanical exercises that spoils the player's experience by its complete de-characterization, by the anxiety of making the game an evident part of a class. With that, the possibility of communion between the in-game puzzles with the school contents was raised, integrating them to the fictional universe of the game so that mathematics does not manifest itself as in exercise lists, but as part of a live plot that demands, from the player, basic notions of function for problems that are part of the history and exploratory course of the game. With this, room was created for the discussion of violence in the game and also of the player's expressiveness, and "O Legado do Rei" has a decision system that enables three different endings, giving the player the opportunity to express himself personally and promoting discussions of humanistic aspects in the classroom. Finally, we sought, through allegories and [auto]cartography, the elaboration of a cartographic map that represents the territories and the exploration of this research journey, contributing to the significance of digital games in educational spaces.