Evaluation of Narrative in Serious Games as an Educational Strategy on the Dangers of Smoking in Junior High School Students

This study explores the effectiveness of narrative design in serious games aimed at educating middle school students about the dangers of smoking. The game design process followed the Narrative-Centered Informant Design (NCID) method, which integrates user-centered design principles with narrative. The design also incorporated key pedagogical principles such as constructivism, problem-based learning, motivation and engagement, and continuous feedback to enhance the educational impact. Therefore, NCID will be combined with these pedagogical aspects to create a narrative in a serious game with an RPG genre to enhance motivation, engagement, and immersion. Two versions of the game, “Smoverse 1” without a narrative design and “Smoverse 2” with a narrative design, were tested using A/B testing. Ninety students aged 13–15 participated in the study, which included pre-tests and post-tests to measure knowledge improvement, as well as User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) and Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) to assess user engagement and narrative immersion. Results showed that “Smoverse 2” significantly improved knowledge (p-value 0.003) compared to “Smoverse 1” (p-value 0.105). Additionally, “Smoverse 2” scored higher in clarity, reliability, and immersion, indicating the critical role of narrative in enhancing educational outcomes. The study underscores the importance of integrating effective narrative designs, considering genre preferences and pedagogical principles, to create engaging and educational serious games for adolescents.