Designing Educational Games as Learning Media for Lontara/Bugis Script: Indonesia

This research addresses the decline in Lontara script literacy among children in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, by proposing a mobile educational game as a pedagogical tool. The primary thesis posits that traditional, monotonous teaching methods contribute to poor student mastery of the script, and that integrating formal and dramatic game design elements can increase engagement and retention for children aged 7–8 years.

The study utilizes the Double Diamond methodology—comprising discovery, definition, development, and delivery phases—to create a memory-based game titled "Tara & Lontara." Preliminary data gathered from 35 regional language teachers in Parepare revealed that 88.6% of respondents reported that their students had not mastered the Lontara script at the start of the academic term. Teachers identified the primary obstacles as difficulties in memorizing the visual forms and phonetic pronunciations of the characters, leading to repetitive and ineffective classroom instruction.

The resulting game design incorporates Tracy Fullerton’s framework, balancing formal elements—such as rules, objectives, and challenges—with dramatic elements like storytelling and character development. By framing the learning process as an adventure where the protagonist, Tara, must save Lontara scripts from an illiterate monster, the design aims to foster emotional involvement. The game functions as a memory-matching puzzle that provides immediate audio-visual feedback, reinforcing character recognition through iterative play. The findings conclude that such educational games serve as viable, engaging alternatives to traditional rote learning, offering a structured yet interactive medium to preserve the Lontara script for future generations.