The potential of interactive digital storytelling for the creation of educational computer games

The usage of computer games for educational purposes is currently widely discussed. But, to what extend do computer games cope with the requirements for learning? In this paper we discuss the application of digital games to learning and the problems and demands resulting from this integration. The question on how to integrate learning successfully with elements of play and games seems to be unsolved. We propose to integrate Interactive Digital Storytelling (IDS) with game-based learning (GBL) as a concept for building educational computer games. Furthermore, we discuss the requirements for effective learning applications based on the IDS paradigm.