The Influence of Gender and Cultural Differences on the Learning Experience of Participants During a Microgame Session

Abstract

Many factors influence the use and effectiveness of educational games. The game environment, its technology, or game mechanics are factors directly linked to the game itself. Other aspects show a stronger relationship to the player, like his or her experience with the subject and/or games in general, his or her motivation and expectations towards the gaming experience. Some of the personal aspects, like age, are already addressed in related research. Cultural and gender differences though, are not a main object of gaming research so far. Nonetheless, the experience of the authors with educational games allowed for certain assumptions about differences in game play, related to player’s cultural backgrounds and gender. Literature suggests that gender plays a role when it comes to game performance. This paper introduces outcomes of a study with a so-called microgame, a brief game used to raise the awareness of interdependent planning operations. It shows that in this game, gender and culture make a difference in relation to the learning experience, measured by game performance.