The popularity and usage of digital games has increased in recent years, bringing further attention to their design. Some digital games require a significant use of higher order thought processes, such as problem solving and reflective and analytical thinking. Through the use of appropriate and interactive representations, these thought processes could be supported. A visualization of the game's internal structure is an example of this. However, it is unknown whether including these extra representations will have a negative effect on gameplay. To investigate this issue, a digital maze-like game was designed with its underlying structure represented as a decision tree. A qualitative, exploratory study with children was performed to examine whether the tree supported their thought processes and what effects, if any, the tree had on gameplay. This paper reports the findings of this research and discusses the implications for the design of games in general. 1. Introduction Digital games have become a significant force, not only in popular culture but also in the commercial market place. Popular games can sell millions of copies each, with revenue from the digital game industry reaching billions of dollars [1, 2]. However, there is concern about the impact digital games may have on players, particularly on children [3, 4]. Although only a quarter of all those who play digital games in the United States are children [2], they still spend an average of nine hours of their leisure time per week playing digital games [3]. Several studies have indicated that digital games can positively or negatively affect both physical as well as mental capabilities of players [4–6]. Currently, there is great hope that games can play an important role in promoting the highly-valued skills of the 21st century, namely, expert problem solving and complex communication [7]. In this paper we are interested in the design of digital games that promote mindful, analytical reasoning skills. Previous research indicates that strategies can be incorporated in digital games that support players’ higher-order thought processes, such as analytical thinking and reasoning [8]. One design strategy that may affect players’ reasoning in a digital game is incorporating visual structures in the game through which play is mediated [8, 9]. Designing a game in this manner may change how players approach it, and thus may actually impact the resulting gameplay. If we are going to design digital games that prepare the next generation of players who are critical thinkers, one of the research questions
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