Design of a Conversational Adventure app to Promote Argumentation in Science

Currently, the use of energy has become a socio-scientific issue characterized by its complexity, controversy, and direct impact on society, where science and technology play a crucial role. Such open-ended problems, without definitive answers, require active citizen participation in making informed decisions, respecting the values and rights of all individuals in society. In this context, schools must assume a social commitment. With the aim of promoting argumentation skills in science education regarding socio-scientific issues, a research project focused on the creation of video games is being carried out. This work presents the design of the conversational adventure ‘Energy Island’, conceived as a mobile application intended to enhance these skills. This video game transports participants to a fictional island, where they encounter various scenarios, such as a school, a town hall, a scientific research center, a market, a bank, and a recycling point. In each scenario, players must solve different challenges through interaction with various characters. These challenges range from actions for water conservation to decisions about building a nuclear power plant, recycling components of a photovoltaic panel, or finding a cure for respiratory problems derived from pollution. The ultimate goal of the game is for participants to make an informed decision about the most suitable energy source for the island, considering options such as wind, solar, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, or natural gas energy. In an initial testing phase, the video game was implemented with preservice secondary teachers at the University of Malaga (Spain) to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the application. These participants completed a satisfaction and usability questionnaire, evaluating aspects such as ease of gameplay, potential drawbacks, need for prior explanations, complexity, motivation, accessibility, and encountered difficulties, using a 5-point Likert scale (from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree"). The application was generally well-received by the participants, who found it easy to use and did not perceive significant performance issues. However, it is suggested to provide additional resources to improve the user experience and maximize pedagogical use.