A semantic layer for knowledge-based game design in edutainment applications

Creating and maintaining complex and realistic virtual worlds is still a challenge in game design. Realism is not only related to visual appearance but also to the interactions and situations in the game. This issue is particularly crucial in edutainment applications where realism impacts the learning aspect of the game experience. Introducing semantics in virtual worlds helps define intelligent objects and interactions which would turn into a more realistic game. In this work, we propose to decouple the semantic definition of the game world from its actual implementation in a general-purpose game engine. A semantic layer has been developed to bridge the semantics formalized by ontologies with its realization in the engine. Thanks to this software library, semantics can be specified in a separate formal module and reused in different projects. The proposed approach has been tested to design a serious game concept set in the marine environment.