Abstract

Under the Virtual Environments for Ship and Shore Experiential Learning (VESSEL) project, we developed the VESSEL Damage Control Trainer (DCT) to help address a key training need at the U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command. Using an agile development methodology and a multidisciplinary team of instructional, gaming, story, and assessment experts, we created a highly successful training game. Our goal was to bridge the gap between the classroom-based instruction recruits received during their boot camp and their final hands-on capstone assessment event. We designed DCT with a focus on using a scaffolded guided practice instructional approach with a relevant story and authentic game elements and interactions. Our team used regular playtesting as well as empirical validation studies to guide the evolution of our design. We introduce our team and development methods and describe some of the key design decisions we made. We discuss some of the lessons we learned and provide some of our recommendations for you to consider in your efforts to create effective learning games.