Serious Games Get Smart: Intelligent Game-Based Learning Environments

Intelligent game-based learning environments integrate commercial game technologies with AI methods from intelligent tutoring systems and intelligent narrative technologies. This article introduces the Crystal Island intelligent game-based learning environment, which has been under development in the authors' laboratory for the past seven years. After presenting Crystal Island, the principal technical problems of intelligent game-based learning environments are discussed: narrative-centered tutorial planning, student affect recognition, student knowledge modeling, and student goal recognition. Solutions to these problems are illustrated with research conducted with the Crystal Island learning environment.