Use of digital games in the education process: Zero waste example

The fact that developing technology is present in almost every moment of human life today has also enabled the transfer of games, which are entertainment tools, to the digital environment. There is a great deal of interest in this digitalized game sector. It is also known that especially young people and children spend a lot of time in front of digital games. For this generation that is so interested in technological life and in order to provide this generation with the skills and equipment of the 21st century that we are in, learning environments have also been greatly affected by technology and updated. Digital games have been prepared in line with the desired goals and have started to be used as educational digital games in learning environments. The aim of this research is to develop an educational digital game planned to be included in a formal education process and to obtain student opinions in this context. Design-based research constitutes the research pattern within the scope of this research and the "ADDIE" model has been used in this pattern. The subject of the research is Zero Waste, both because it prevents the formation of waste and foresees recycling for the unavoidable part and because it is included in both the country's policy and the curriculum today. In this context, the easy sampling method has been used in the research. The designed game was played by the students. Then, the data was collected with a focus group interview. An attempt was made to reach the students' opinions within the scope of the questions asked about the game. The data obtained at the end of the research indicated that the feedback received from the students was positive. The students stated that they had fun with the game. They also emphasized that the concepts related to recycling in the information boxes attracted their attention. It was determined that concepts such as competition and struggle came to the fore during the game. Improvements were made to the game by adding the things the students wanted to add to the game.