Solaris One – A Serious Game for Thermodyanmics

Stagnating growth in our educational systems has piqued interests in alternative teaching methods such as the inclusion of “serious games” into curricula. In response to those needs, a series of educational games have been developed in accordance with pre-engineering programs such as Project Lead the Way (PLTW). The focus of development is in creating an engaging, educational environment by balancing fun and learning whilst meeting the standards of commercial-level games and engineering and science curricula. This paper, in particular, presents the design and pedagogical methods, and the implementation of those methods, in a thermodynamics serious game, Solaris One, that accommodates the integration of game mechanics with learning. The game has broad learning outcomes, namely enhanced understanding of thermodynamics laws, strengthened problem-solving skills, and increased knowledge and skills of using games, simulation, modeling and collaborative learning tools.