Academy Camp VR: Serious Game Constructions as Active Learning Experiences for Children

Abstract

We have been running children’s play and learning camps since 2011, but we are withholding physical gathering after 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem with online videoconference camps is that it is difficult to design activities that encourage children to move spontaneously and engage with the world around them. Starting in 2021, we have launched a series of VR (virtual reality) camps with each camp aiming for the construction of a VR world. We believe that by having the children actively involved in the creation of the 3D objects that make up the worlds and in game design, we are fostering a sense of efficacy that allows them to actively work on the world surrounding them and change it. In this paper, we summarize our attempts, especially our experience of constructing a VR world with children in which the immune system of the human body is turned into a serious game.