Abstract

The consistent number of fatalities from traffic accidents involving bicycles highlights a need for effective education on traffic rules specifically focused on cyclists. Serious games are a teaching tool employed in various fields of education, including traffic safety. The currently available serious games in the field of traffic rule education are, however, relatively limited both in target group and methodology. This thesis proposes learning through rule-breaking as an alternative approach for traffic rule education in serious games. Where conventional approaches make the player follow all traffic rules and punish rule violations, this approach actively encourages breaking rules. Through trying to violate rules, players should experience the actions and circumstances that lead to violations more consciously. Through the development of the serious game Chaos Bike, implications of this teaching approach for game design considerations are explored. This game is evaluated in a user study in terms of usability, enjoyability and learning outcomes in order to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of this teaching approach. The findings of this thesis demonstrate the potential of this novel learning approach in improving player enjoyment as well as learning outcomes and highlight the significance of serious games as a valuable tool in traffic education.

Implemented Prototype

Screenshots from the implemented Serious Game Prototype Chaos Bike: