For serious games on education, understanding the effectiveness of different learning methods in influencing cognitive processes remains a significant challenge. This study investigates the impact of serious games on graph structure learning. For this, we compared our in-house game-based learning (GBL) and video-based learning (VBL) methodologies by evaluating their effectiveness on cognitive processes by oxygenated hemoglobin levels using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We conducted a 2 x 1 between subjects preliminary study with twelve participants, involving two conditions: game and video. Both groups received equivalent content related to the basic structure of a graph, with comparable session lengths. The game group interacted with a quiz-based game, while the video group watched a pre-recorded video. The fNIRS was employed to capture cerebral signals from the prefrontal cortex, and participants completed pre- and post- questionnaires capturing user experience and knowledge gain. In our study, we noted that the mean levels of oxygenated hemoglobin were higher in the GBL group, suggesting the potential enhanced cognitive involvement. Our results show that the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) has greater hemodynamic activity during the learning period. Moreover, knowledge gain analysis showed an increase in mean score in the GBL group compared to the VBL group. Although we did not observe statistically significant changes due to participant variability and sample size, this preliminary work contributes to understanding how GBL and VBL impact cognitive processes, providing insights for enhanced instructional design and educational game development. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity for further investigation into the impact of GBL on cognitive engagement and learning outcomes.

翻译：对于教育领域的严肃游戏而言，理解不同学习方法对认知过程的有效性仍是一项重大挑战。本研究探究了严肃游戏对图结构学习的影响。为此，我们通过功能性近红外光谱技术（fNIRS）测量氧合血红蛋白水平，评估自研的基于游戏的学习（GBL）与基于视频的学习（VBL）方法对认知过程的影响。我们开展了一项2×1被试间初步研究，共12名参与者，设置游戏与视频两种条件。两组参与者均接受等长的图基本结构相关内容学习，其中游戏组参与基于测验的游戏，视频组观看预录视频。采用fNIRS采集前额叶皮层脑信号，并通过前后问卷评估用户体验与知识增益。研究发现，GBL组的氧合血红蛋白均值更高，提示其可能具有更强的认知参与程度。结果显示，学习期间外侧前额叶皮层（LPFC）的血流动力学活动更为显著。此外，知识增益分析表明，相比VBL组，GBL组的平均得分有所提升。尽管因参与者差异与样本量限制未观察到统计学显著变化，本初步研究仍为理解GBL与VBL对认知过程的影响提供了依据，为优化教学设计与教育游戏开发提供了启示，同时强调了进一步探究GBL对认知投入与学习效果影响的必要性。