Shingo Takeda

An Empirical Study Regarding the Educational Usefulness of Art-based Board Games

Shingo Takeda – Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan

Abstract:

This study aims to clarify the educational potential of art-based board games that combine the characteristics of both art and games from the perspective of fostering collaboration and intimacy among children.

Game-based learning makes it easier to understand concepts and learn experientially by visually showing the outcomes of learners’ decision-making processes. Board games also address a variety of topics, such as environmental issues and bullying interventions, and social interactions between players are believed to promote the development of social skills. In the field of art education, art games that use images of artwork in the form of cards and play in a style similar to playing cards are used for art appreciation activities in school education and museum workshops. However, despite the wide variety of art-based games produced by the board game industry, they are rarely used in education.

Board games typically involve sharing rules and tangible objects, thus encouraging structured social interactions. In contrast, art is basically a subjective experience grounded in personal perceptions and interpretations. This study hypothesizes that where the interactive structures of board games intersect with the characteristics of art, a unique educational value can be found (i.e., cultivating collaboration in co-creating meaning, and intimacy through shared experiences).

Case studies were conducted using a gaze behaviour analysis to observe children’s social interactions during gameplay. The findings suggest that children enjoy recognising both similarities and differences in their perceptions and images, and that the systems of each game inevitably make players aware of the presence of others and form the basis for developing communication in which players give meaning to the same object through joint attention.