The Role of Metaphor in Serious Games Design: the BubbleMumble Case Study

Metaphors represent a powerful cognitive tool through which it is possible to facilitate the understanding of abstract concepts or concepts belonging to unfamiliar domains. In the field of Serious Games (SGs), metaphors connect the user's previous experience in the game domain to the information load that is intended to be conveyed. This paper presents a prototype of a model for the design of SGs based on the extensive use of the concept of metaphor. As a case study, the design of the digital SG BubbleMumble is introduced. BubbleMumble is intended to convey the fundamental concepts behind the extracellular vesicle biogenesis and production processes exploiting metaphor-driven SG design.