Galactic Journey Gamification

Brasília, October 2024

The Galactic Journey gamification, developed as part of the Canal Ciência Project , is a collaboration between the Center for Studies, Development, and Innovation in Software (CEDIS) and the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT), funded by Finatec. The project is coordinated at CEDIS by Professors Sergio Freitas and Cristiane Ramos , with Leda Sampson leading the coordination at IBICT.

Galactic Journey is an innovative platform that uses gamification to transform scientific learning into an interactive and engaging experience. Through a space exploration theme, users embark on educational missions, solving challenges that stimulate curiosity and deepen scientific understanding. This gamification is built on the Octalysis framework, which maps core behavioral motivators, ensuring that the dynamics are tailored to users’ motivational profiles.

A key innovation of Galactic Journey is its ability to personalize the experience for different motivational profiles. These profiles were identified through a process integrating assessments by judges, game dynamics, and motivation questionnaires such as the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). This approach allows the gamification to meet the diverse needs and interests of a varied target audience, including students from different age groups. By using techniques like level progression, continuous feedback, and personalized rewards, the platform significantly enhances engagement and retention of scientific content.

The development team included Mylena Angélica Silva Farias, a PIBIC advisee of Prof. Sergio Freitas, and Marcus Vinicius Martins and Wildemberg Sales, PIBIC advisees of Prof. Cristiane Ramos. The project has gained academic recognition through international publications on motivational profiling, gamification design, and the Galactic Journey experience at Canal Ciência, including a Best Paper award.

The Galactic Journey gamification is now available to the public and can be accessed on the Canal Ciência website at Galactic Journey.