The Development of a Community-Based Participatory Simulation Game for Mulberry Cultivation and Sericulture

Abstract

The purposes of this research were as follows: 1) To study the guidelines for developing a community-based simulation game on mulberry cultivation and sericulture. 2) To develop the simulation game. 3) To evaluate the use of the simulation game. The study consisted of three sample groups as follows: 1.) Game Development Guidelines and Game Implementation Group: This group included 30 volunteer youths from the community. The research instruments consisted of: (1) Interview form No.1, (2) an agricultural knowledge test, and (3) a five-point Likert scale satisfaction questionnaire. The statistical methods used were: (1) frequency and percentage, (2) Effectiveness Index (E.I.), and (3) mean and standard deviation. 2.) Game Development Group: This group included 12 participants who were involved in game development and community members. The research instrument was Interview form No. 2.Data analysis was conducted using triangulation. 3.) Game Quality Evaluation Group: This group consisted of 5 experts. The research instrument was a five-point Likert scale game quality evaluation form. The statistical methods used were mean and standard deviation.

The research results were as follows:

1. The results of studying the development guidelines found that most youths preferred simulation games (40%), and the stylized art style was preferred the most (50%).

2. The results of the simulation game development were as follows: 1) The game should be designed with a mission-based system, use stylized art for characters, include mulberry planting activities, have an easy-to-use interface, and be developed using Blueprint (BP) in Unreal Engine. 2) The overall game quality evaluation by experts was at a high level (=4.15, S.D.=0.75), with the highest level in the design aspect (=4.40, S.D.=0.59).

3. The results of the simulation game evaluation found that the Effectiveness Index (E.I.) was 0.37, and the overall satisfaction was at a high level (=4.13, S.D.=0.74), with the highest level in the design aspect (=4.31, S.D.=0.72).