For the successful navigation through the methodology, we have endeavoured to take into account all parties affected during the game experience and try to best support them in achieving their individual goals. For example, students aim to play to win, get distinguished and in parallel to learn programming by enjoying the process. The game’s goal is for students to achieve these aims and to be able to communicate and collaborate with each other in an engaging manner towards understanding computer programming concepts. To this end, in the initial version of the game a series of scenarios have been produced for each computer programming unit of learning.
However, the parties affected by the game are not necessarily only the students. Unlike the aforementioned games, teachers also have a very active role in CMX. More specifically, teachers will be able to configure parts of the game according to the learning objectives they want to address in each lesson. Moreover, they can set the goals that will determine the winner gamer and will manage the game by setting their own rules to ensure smooth transactions. Teachers will also regulate the game so that it will serve as supplementary software during computer programming teaching, in accordance to the corresponding taught unit of learning.
Lastly, the game significantly affects the delivered computer programming knowledge and skills. Although these are concepts and not individuals, they should be a part of the methodology followed during the design and development of an educational game. A visual representation of these stakeholders’ goals is provided in the figure below, called “CMX Programming Prism”.
As it is shown in the above Figure, each stakeholder has a different view of the way the game will be used for its corresponding goals’ achievement. The game aims to deliver a number of skills to students by enabling easy communication and tasks’ execution for goals achievement, while programming knowledge (e.g. loops, if statements, functions etc) will be delivered during playing.