Game Mechanisms for Training Moral Sensitivity: A Research Design

Abstract

The competence of moral sensitivity is increasingly regarded as key for the morality of people's social and professional behavior. However, specialized training strategies have yet to be developed. Training moral sensitivity through video games seems to be a particularly promising approach. This paper presents a research design for a strategic evaluation of numerous game mechanisms concerning their ability to support the development of moral sensitivity. In the first step, the competence of moral sensitivity is broken down into more concrete sub-competences and learning outcomes, which shall be achieved. In the second step, a complementary framework for the strategic selection and implementation of suitable game mechanisms shall be designed. The present paper exemplarily introduces 15 training strategies, which effectively support the development of attitudes and values. Such validated strategies can aid the selection and design of relevant game mechanisms. Based on this framework, game mechanisms can be evaluated against their specific relevance for particular learning outcomes, and their general ability to realize relevant training strategies. Two game mechanisms are exemplarily evaluated in terms of their ability to foster the attitude of universalism, and their general ability to be used for the achievement of attitudinal learning outcomes. The overall framework shall enable a systematic evaluation of game mechanisms for the promotion of cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral learning outcomes linked to moral sensitivity. The framework will be transferable to the game-based training of other competences, though.