EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
A theoretical framework to achieve convergent design for serious games
PARMENTIER, Hélène SANCHEZ, Eric
04.12.2025
OUTLINE
Proposed framework
Integration in serious games
Our groundings
Q1. How to design well-integrated games, in which learning and playing form an indivisible whole?
Q2. Which theoretical foundations to inform this design?
‘WHY does this lesson need to be taught as a video game?’
Paraphrasing Bogost (2017)
Bruckman, A.: Can Educational Be Fun? In: Game Developers Conference 1999. pp. 75-79, San Jose, CA, USA (1999). Bogost, I.: Video Games Are Better Without Stories, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/video-games-stories/524148, (2017). Parmentier, H., Sanchez, E.: Repenser l’intégration : le jeu comme métaphore expérientielle pour l’apprentissage. In: Actes de la 12ème Conférence sur les Environnements Informatiques pour l’Apprentissage Humain. pp. 558–562. , Lille, France (2025).
InTEGRATION: CONCEPTS
- Malone's intrinsic fantasy (1981) - Fabricatore's edugaming (2000) - Habgood's intrinsic integration (2007)
- Clark et al's conceptual integration (2015) - Plass et al's alignment (2015) - Sanchez's metaphorization (2023)
Malone, T.W.: Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science.5, 333–369 (1981). Fabricatore, C.: Learning and videogames: An unexploited synergy. Presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT 2000) , Long Beach, CA February 17 (2000). Habgood, J.: The Effective Integration of Digital Games and Learning Content. PhD Thesis, University of Nottingham (2008). Clark, D.B., Martinez-Garza, M.: Prediction and Explanation as Design Mechanics in Conceptually Integrated Digital Games to Help Players Articulate the Tacit Understandings They Build through Game Play. In: Steinkuehler, C., Squire, K., and Barab, S. (eds.) Games, Learning, and Society: Learning and Meaning in the Digital Age. pp. 279–305. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2012). Plass, J.L., Homer, B.D., Kinzer, C.K.: Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist. 50, 258–283 (2015).25. Sanchez, É.: Enseigner et former par le jeu: développer l’autonomie, la confiance et la créativité avec des pratiques pédagogiques innovantes. ESF Sciences humaines, Paris (2023)
A DIFFERENT "WHY"
GAMES ARE experiential learning SITUATIONS
- LEARNING: CONTINUITY and INTERACTION
- PROCESS: INQUIRY (problem, hypothesis, test)
- PARADIGM: PRAGMATISM
Dewey, J.: Experience And Education. Free Press (1938).Dewey, J.: Logic: The Theory Of Inquiry. Henry Holt, New York, NY, USA (1938).
John Dewey in 1950 Bettman - Getty Images Retreived from https://www.neh.gov/
PLAY-TO-LEARN
GAMES ARE ADIDACTIC SITUATIONS
- EMANCIPATION FROM DIDACTIC CONTRACT
- KNOWLEDGE AS MEANS RATHER THAN GOAL
- NON-INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL
Brousseau, G.: Le contrat didactique : le milieu. Recherches en Didactique des Mathematiques. 9, 309–336 (1990). Brousseau, G.: Des dispositifs Piagétiens… aux situations didactiques. Éducation et didac-tique. 103–129 (2012).
Guy Brousseau Retreived from https://commons.wikimedia.org
"GRASPING" THE IDEA
CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR
"Understand and experience something in terms of something else." Natural meaning-making process grounded in bodily, sensible experience.
Bridges the gap between: Unfamiliar or abstract target (e.g. time) Familiar or tangible source (e.g. money)
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson Retreived from https://philosophyinpubliclife.org
Lakoff, G., Johnson, M.: Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press (1985).
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING
IN TERMS OF SOMETHING ELSE
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING
IN TERMS OF SOMETHING ELSE
learning by experience
using a conceptual metaphor
CASE STUDY : ODYSSée board game
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING
IN TERMS OF SOMETHING ELSE
learning by experience
using a conceptual metaphor
is a journey is a navigator are passengers are TTM stages are dangerous is longer but safe
Change Change manager Trainees Islands Shortcuts Respecting the path
CASE STUDY : ODYSSée board game
CONVERGENT DesiGN
PRINCIPLES
CONVERGENT DesiGN
EXAMPLE
PRINCIPLES
TITLE: "ODYSSEE" GOAL: RESCUE PASSENGERS
ADIDACTICITY
Why they play
CONVERGENT DesiGN
EXAMPLE
PRINCIPLES
TITLE: "ODYSSEE" GOAL: RESCUE PASSENGERS
ADIDACTICITY
Why they play
ex: TAKING SHORTCUTS = LOSING PASSENGERS OR STAGNATING AT THE START
INTERACTION
How they play
CONVERGENT DesiGN
EXAMPLE
PRINCIPLES
TITLE: "ODYSSEE" GOAL: RESCUE PASSENGERS
ADIDACTICITY
Why they play
ex: TAKING SHORTCUTS = LOSING PASSENGERS OR STAGNATING AT THE START
INTERACTION
How they play
COHERENCE
"CHANGE IS A JOURNEY"
What they play
PERSPECTIVES
CONCLUSION
A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK TO INFORM SERIOUS GAME DESIGN
A MODEL TO ANALYZE AND DESIGN
- Grounded in experiential learning and conceptual metaphor theories
- Relying on experiential metaphor concept and convergent design model
- Requiring special attention to debriefing (Sanchez, 2024) : without it, the game can be "just a game"
- Analyzing awarded serious games with the principles as criteria : adidacticity, interaction, coherence
- Designing and testing an operational convergent design method based on this framework
Sanchez, E.: Jeu et Apprentissage: Qu’apprend-On en Jouant ? ISTE Editions Ltd., London, UK (2024).
ANY QUESTIONS?
Advice and discussion are welcome!
METAPHOR
to reach an indivisible whole
Implicit but coherent analogy between game system and target knowledge, appropriate and meaningful for the players.
- Relevance (context)
- Consistant (mechanics, graphics, worldbuilding)
- Coherent (target / source)
(serious) game
Interaction
is epistemic
Rather than learning then playing, or playing then learning, interacting with the game is teaching.
- Embed target knowledge within mechanics
- Engaging meaningfully with the target knowledge is required to progress and succeed
Target knowledge
as MEANS rather than goal
To hinder attempts to infer expectations, and to foster individual engagement with target knowledge.
- Game's goal =/= educational objective
- Educational goal is not explicit
- Teacher = co-designer, expert
Target knowledge
as MEANS rather than goal
To hinder attempts to infer expectations, and to foster individual engagement with target knowledge.
- Game's goal =/= educational objective
- Educational goal is not explicit
- Teacher = co-designer, expert
Context
- Change managers in the field of ecological transition
- Using the Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM: Prochaska, 1984)
- Stages 6 + 1
- Challenges
- Opportunities
Prochaska, J.O.: Transtheoretical approach: crossing traditional boundaries of therapy. Dow Jones-Irwin, Homewood (Ill.), (1984).
Illustration : Oriane Masserey
Target knowledge
as MEANS rather than goal
To hinder attempts to infer expectations, and to foster individual engagement with target knowledge.
- Game's goal =/= educational objective
- Educational goal is not explicit
- Teacher = co-designer, expert
Interaction
is epistemic
Rather than learning then playing, or playing then learning, interacting with the game is teaching.
- Embed target knowledge within mechanics
- Engaging meaningfully with the target knowledge is required to progress and succeed
JCSG 2025 - experiential metaphor
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Transcript
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
A theoretical framework to achieve convergent design for serious games
PARMENTIER, Hélène SANCHEZ, Eric
04.12.2025
OUTLINE
Proposed framework
Integration in serious games
Our groundings
Q1. How to design well-integrated games, in which learning and playing form an indivisible whole?
Q2. Which theoretical foundations to inform this design?
‘WHY does this lesson need to be taught as a video game?’
Paraphrasing Bogost (2017)
Bruckman, A.: Can Educational Be Fun? In: Game Developers Conference 1999. pp. 75-79, San Jose, CA, USA (1999). Bogost, I.: Video Games Are Better Without Stories, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/video-games-stories/524148, (2017). Parmentier, H., Sanchez, E.: Repenser l’intégration : le jeu comme métaphore expérientielle pour l’apprentissage. In: Actes de la 12ème Conférence sur les Environnements Informatiques pour l’Apprentissage Humain. pp. 558–562. , Lille, France (2025).
InTEGRATION: CONCEPTS
- Malone's intrinsic fantasy (1981) - Fabricatore's edugaming (2000) - Habgood's intrinsic integration (2007)
- Clark et al's conceptual integration (2015) - Plass et al's alignment (2015) - Sanchez's metaphorization (2023)
Malone, T.W.: Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science.5, 333–369 (1981). Fabricatore, C.: Learning and videogames: An unexploited synergy. Presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT 2000) , Long Beach, CA February 17 (2000). Habgood, J.: The Effective Integration of Digital Games and Learning Content. PhD Thesis, University of Nottingham (2008). Clark, D.B., Martinez-Garza, M.: Prediction and Explanation as Design Mechanics in Conceptually Integrated Digital Games to Help Players Articulate the Tacit Understandings They Build through Game Play. In: Steinkuehler, C., Squire, K., and Barab, S. (eds.) Games, Learning, and Society: Learning and Meaning in the Digital Age. pp. 279–305. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2012). Plass, J.L., Homer, B.D., Kinzer, C.K.: Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist. 50, 258–283 (2015).25. Sanchez, É.: Enseigner et former par le jeu: développer l’autonomie, la confiance et la créativité avec des pratiques pédagogiques innovantes. ESF Sciences humaines, Paris (2023)
A DIFFERENT "WHY"
GAMES ARE experiential learning SITUATIONS
Dewey, J.: Experience And Education. Free Press (1938).Dewey, J.: Logic: The Theory Of Inquiry. Henry Holt, New York, NY, USA (1938).
John Dewey in 1950 Bettman - Getty Images Retreived from https://www.neh.gov/
PLAY-TO-LEARN
GAMES ARE ADIDACTIC SITUATIONS
Brousseau, G.: Le contrat didactique : le milieu. Recherches en Didactique des Mathematiques. 9, 309–336 (1990). Brousseau, G.: Des dispositifs Piagétiens… aux situations didactiques. Éducation et didac-tique. 103–129 (2012).
Guy Brousseau Retreived from https://commons.wikimedia.org
"GRASPING" THE IDEA
CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR
"Understand and experience something in terms of something else." Natural meaning-making process grounded in bodily, sensible experience.
Bridges the gap between: Unfamiliar or abstract target (e.g. time) Familiar or tangible source (e.g. money)
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson Retreived from https://philosophyinpubliclife.org
Lakoff, G., Johnson, M.: Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press (1985).
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING
IN TERMS OF SOMETHING ELSE
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING
IN TERMS OF SOMETHING ELSE
learning by experience
using a conceptual metaphor
CASE STUDY : ODYSSée board game
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHOR
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING
IN TERMS OF SOMETHING ELSE
learning by experience
using a conceptual metaphor
is a journey is a navigator are passengers are TTM stages are dangerous is longer but safe
Change Change manager Trainees Islands Shortcuts Respecting the path
CASE STUDY : ODYSSée board game
CONVERGENT DesiGN
PRINCIPLES
CONVERGENT DesiGN
EXAMPLE
PRINCIPLES
TITLE: "ODYSSEE" GOAL: RESCUE PASSENGERS
ADIDACTICITY
Why they play
CONVERGENT DesiGN
EXAMPLE
PRINCIPLES
TITLE: "ODYSSEE" GOAL: RESCUE PASSENGERS
ADIDACTICITY
Why they play
ex: TAKING SHORTCUTS = LOSING PASSENGERS OR STAGNATING AT THE START
INTERACTION
How they play
CONVERGENT DesiGN
EXAMPLE
PRINCIPLES
TITLE: "ODYSSEE" GOAL: RESCUE PASSENGERS
ADIDACTICITY
Why they play
ex: TAKING SHORTCUTS = LOSING PASSENGERS OR STAGNATING AT THE START
INTERACTION
How they play
COHERENCE
"CHANGE IS A JOURNEY"
What they play
PERSPECTIVES
CONCLUSION
A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK TO INFORM SERIOUS GAME DESIGN
A MODEL TO ANALYZE AND DESIGN
Sanchez, E.: Jeu et Apprentissage: Qu’apprend-On en Jouant ? ISTE Editions Ltd., London, UK (2024).
ANY QUESTIONS?
Advice and discussion are welcome!
METAPHOR
to reach an indivisible whole
Implicit but coherent analogy between game system and target knowledge, appropriate and meaningful for the players.
(serious) game
Interaction
is epistemic
Rather than learning then playing, or playing then learning, interacting with the game is teaching.
Target knowledge
as MEANS rather than goal
To hinder attempts to infer expectations, and to foster individual engagement with target knowledge.
Target knowledge
as MEANS rather than goal
To hinder attempts to infer expectations, and to foster individual engagement with target knowledge.
Context
Prochaska, J.O.: Transtheoretical approach: crossing traditional boundaries of therapy. Dow Jones-Irwin, Homewood (Ill.), (1984).
Illustration : Oriane Masserey
Target knowledge
as MEANS rather than goal
To hinder attempts to infer expectations, and to foster individual engagement with target knowledge.
Interaction
is epistemic
Rather than learning then playing, or playing then learning, interacting with the game is teaching.