Kristine Øygardslia

Assistant Professor Department of Information and Communication Technology

Email: kristine.oygardslia@uia.no
Phone: +47 37 23 30 88
Mobile phone: +47 45 20 26 60

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Background and experience

I research, teach and develop computer games, with a main interest in how computer games can make the world a better place. I have a PhD in game based learning, focusing on students as game designers, while I in my postdoctoral project researched how computer games and digital stories can contribute to integrating newly arrived migrants into the society.

One of my main passions are game narratives, and I love researching storytelling and character development for interactive media.

Øygardslia, Kristine & Ringrose, Priscilla Marie (2023). Odyssey to the Model Norwegian State: De/Constructing Migration Journeys Step-by-Step from Students' Digital Stories. Nordic Journal of Migration Research. 13(3). doi: 10.33134/njmr.480. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This article examines digital stories about migration journeys produced by students in a mainstream upper secondary class in Norway. The digital stories were introduced as part of a social studies module designed to foster critical thinking around migration. The class was made up of ethnic Norwegian students, students with a family migration background, and recently arrived migrant students. Using multimodal analysis, we examined the storylines in the students’ digital stories, focusing on the understandings of migration and nation produced. Inspired by Bamberg’s (2004) conceptualisation of dominant and counter narratives, we explored the extent to which these understandings interpellated/resisted dominant narratives of migration and nation. We asked: What understandings of the migrant and of Norway do the storylines re/produce? To what extent do these understandings draw on dominant Norwegian narratives of migration? Our findings suggest that most of the digital stories draw on dominant narratives, especially that of Norway as an idealised model state. In conclusion, we discuss possible reasons for the narrative standardisation and suggest potential ways of opening up educational spaces for more counter narratives.
Øygardslia, Kristine & Ask, Kristine (2022). Facilitating Social Inclusion of Migrant Students through Digital Games: Design Principles and Pitfalls in Wanderers. Proceedings of the European Conference on Games Based Learning (ECGBL). ISSN 2049-0992. 16(1). doi: 10.34190/ecgbl.16.1.535. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Schools are central in facilitating the inclusion of migrants and refugees in society. However, research from the LIM: Language, Integration, Media project has shown a lack of activities where students from various cultural backgrounds can come to know one other on equal terms. To meet this need, we designed a collaborative puzzle game – Wanderers – with the goal of facilitating low-stakes social interaction and cultural exchange between high school students with and without migrant backgrounds. This article outlines this design process and explores the design principles and pitfalls for digital games that support the social inclusion of migrants in a classroom setting. In the study, we use a design-based research methodology to address the research question: what design principles can be used to support social inclusion through cultural exchange in local collaborative play? We outline and discuss the following key design principles for games designed to facilitate social inclusion: 1) Facilitating cultural exchange through “safe topics”; 2) Promoting mutual dependency; 3) Diversity in representation and 4) A stimulating theme. We argue that these design principles can be used to design positive experiences that support the idea of inclusion as a two-way process. However, our discussion also shows how these design principles can also reinforce existing majority/minority configurations, and how conventional game design principles may fall short when applied in this specific context. The paper argues for the importance of low-threshold activities, such as small talk about food and holiday traditions, while also highlighting specific challenges in designing games for social integration.
Øygardslia, Kristine & Ursin, Marit (2021). Dataspill - en arena for medborgerskap på barns og unges premisser? In Sørenssen, Ingvild Kvale; Abebe, Tatek & Ursin, Marit (Ed.), Barndomsstudier i norsk kontekst : Tverrfaglige tilnærminger. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 9788205519213. Full text in Research Archive
Svendsen, Stine H. Bang; Ask, Kristine; Øygardslia, Kristine; Skotnes, Christian Engen; Ringrose, Priscilla & Grut, Gunnar [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Migration narratives in educational digital storytelling: which stories can be told? Learning, Media and Technology. ISSN 1743-9884. 47(2), p. 201–215. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2021.1954949. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This article investigates use of digital storytelling as a learning activity in education about migration. Based on a study in two Norwegian schools and two adult education centers for refugees and migrants, the article analyzes student’s digital stories and observations of the process of production. Counter to research on the promise of digital storytelling to promote diverse perspectives, personal experience and creativity, our findings show that digital stories as a learning activity includes powerful standardization drivers. The standardization limits diversity in students’ knowledge and experience from coming into view in the final product. The identified standardization drivers are; (1) discursive blueprints of refugee experience, including the narrative about the ‘Good Refugee’ and idealization of the destination country, (2) challenges with representing traumatic experiences through photographic imagery, and (3) material affordances in the production process such as google algorithms. In conclusion, we argue that critical engagement with the involved modalities and standardization drivers is a condition for using digital stories to foster critical thinking about migration.
Øygardslia, Kristine; Weitze, Charlotte Lærke & Shin, Juhyung (2020). The Educational Potential of Visual Novel Games: Principles for Design. The Journal of Replaying Japan. 2, p. 123–134. doi: 10.34382/00013369. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Despite the increasing interest in computer games for educational purposes, there are genres with untapped potential for teaching, such as narratively driven, Japanese-style visual novel games, which is the focus of the present article. The aim is to set design principles for educators attempting to create visual novel games for their teaching purposes, by exploring the research question ‘What is the educational potential of visual novel game narratives, and how can this be translated into game design principles for educators?’ We explored the possibility of creating learning opportunities inside games by utilizing learning design theory and learning theory principles, as well as concepts related to learning, identity and narratives. Next, we conducted close readings of popular Japanese visual novel games localized for English-speaking audiences, and used examples from these games to elaborate on the principles. By combining the findings from both steps, we have proposed the following design principles: (1) Easy access to educational subject matter, (2) Exemplification of topics and ‘defamiliarization’ of the familiar, (3) Creation of well-developed characters that promote identification, (4) Use of branching narratives that are interesting for learners, (5) Use of a structured and creative design for learning, (6) Clear goals and strategies for assessment
Branlat, Jennifer & Øygardslia, Kristine (2019). Promoting gender equality from within: Women in STEM at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Gender and Culture in Asia. ISSN 2432-9525. 3, p. 43–56. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine & Aarsand, Pål (2018). “Move over, I will find Jerusalem”: Artifacts in game design in classrooms. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction. ISSN 2210-6561. 19, p. 61–73. doi: 10.1016/j.lcsi.2018.04.013. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
When game design is conducted in classrooms as a learning activity, the students usually have digital, as well as traditional, artifacts available. This article looks at how students organize the use of different artifacts when creating computer games about historical topics. The data informing this article consist of video data collected from one sixth-grade class and one seventh-grade class in Norway. A sociocultural perspective is used to show how the students use a combination of different artifacts as resources in the game design process, focusing on how students take epistemic stances and how the artifacts are given different epistemic status. The students jointly construct knowledge that they then integrate into computer games using artifacts such as textbooks, world maps, Google, and timelines. The article shows how designing games about historical topics is a complex process in which students use artifacts as the basis for knowledge claims and storytelling, and students need to negotiate and balance their own design preferences with historical accuracy and the expectations of the classroom setting.
Øygardslia, Kristine (2018). Enhancing learning practices by understanding formal and informal ways of using computer games. Barn – forskning om barn og barndom i Norden. ISSN 0800-1669. 36(2), p. 105–119. doi: 10.5324/barn.v36i2.2768. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
A 12-year-old boy – call him Lucas – is in the middle of a boss fight. This is a challenging test, in which he must beat an enemy harder than any he has encountered before. Through hours and hours of play, he has prepared for this moment. Now, he must combine and apply all of his skills to perform at his very best. If you were to try to speak to him, he would probably be so immersed in the game world that he would not even notice you. Tomorrow at school, however, he will tell his friends how he beat the boss and advanced in the game. He will be considered one of the experts within his peer group. He and his friends will then spend their breaks discussing strategies for the game, perhaps looking up YouTube videos of their favorite Internet celebrities playing the game. If it is anything like I was at that age, he will probably be thinking more on that day about the game than about the lesson his teacher has prepared about European Explorers. His teacher – call her Sally – notices this. She also knows that Lucas is not a special case; after all, most kids of his age in Norway regularly play digital games (Medietilsynet 2018). Sally would like to know if it is possible to design learning activities for her students in a way that connects the learning to what matters to them, making the topics they cover in class seem more relevant. At the same time, she wonders what it is about these computer games that enables an 11-year-old to remember hundreds of Pokémon, as well as details about how they evolve, their strengths, and where to find them (Gee 2005), while they struggle to put letters together correctly or to remember where to place Italy on a map. Perhaps, she thinks, games involve some learning principles that could be utilized when designing her lessons? Games and game elements permeate much of our society – so much so that some researchers argue that play is a key characteristic of the time we live in. Some call this the ludification of culture (Frissen et al. 2015), meaning that our culture has become more playful. Do you lack the motivation to exercise? Then grab your cellphone, put on your headphones, and see if it is easier to run when you are being pursued by zombies (Six to Start 2012). Do you want to meet new people in your neighborhood? Go hunting for Pokémon (Niantic 2016), and chat with the fellow collectors you encounter while looking for the rare Pokémon recently spotted near the local supermarket. Even such things as finding a job has been gamified; add a few more details to your professional network profile, and you will level up! Perhaps, then, it makes sense when designing learning practices to draw on young people’s use of computer games and the challenges they entail. That is the idea I wish to explore in this presentation, guided by the following question: “How can the design of learning practices be enhanced by understanding formal and informal ways of using computer games?” This intriguing question relates to interest-driven activities involving new literacy skills. What are the learning properties of computer games? What are the characteristics of formal learning environments, and how do all of these elements fit together when designing learning practices? My interpretation of this question involves the following central elements: designing learning practices, computer games, and formal and informal use of computer games. As this is an extensive topic, I had to make some choices in relation to focus. First, while many of the principles that inform game-oriented learning design are applicable to all ages, I have chosen to focus here on young people’s use of computer games. This relates to a second choice I have made, which is to center the discussion of designing learning practices on designing for formal learning environments. Finally, I have interpreted formal and informal ways of using computer games as computer game use in formal settings, such as classrooms, and in informal settings, such as playing or making games at home.
Øygardslia, Kristine (2018). Stories about History: Exploring Central Elements When Students Design Game Narratives. In Arnseth, Hans Christian; Hanghøj, Thorkild; Henriksen, Thomas Duus; Misfeldt, Morten; Ramberg, Robert & Selander, Staffan (Ed.), Games and Education: Designs in and for Learning. De Gruyter Brill. ISSN 9789004388826. p. 89–108. doi: 10.1163/9789004388826_006. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2018). ‘But this isn’t school’: exploring tensions in the intersection between school and leisure activities in classroom game design. Learning, Media and Technology. ISSN 1743-9884. 43(1), p. 85–100. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2017.1421553. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
While there are several positive outcomes from implementing game design in a formal learning context, there are also challenges that have to be considered in order to improve game-based learning. This is explored in the article, using the concepts of activity frames and stancetaking, focusing on the social organization of the game design activity. Building on video data from one 6th grade class and one 7th grade class designing computer games based on their social studies curriculum, this article shows that tensions arise when students fail to agree on what the activity they are doing is really about: The academic content and what students commonly perceive as school activities, or a game design activity informed by their leisure time. The main argument is that the students position themselves as students, game designers or characters, and that this may cause tensions in the students’ social interactions.
Nordby, Anders; Øygardslia, Kristine; Sverdrup, Ulrik & Sverdrup, Harald Ulrik (2016). The art of gamification; teaching sustainability and system thinking by pervasive game development. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning (EJEL). 14(3), p. 152–168. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2015). Students as Game Designers: Learning by Creating Game Narratives in the Classroom, Interactive Storytelling: 8th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, ICIDS 2015. Springer. ISSN 9783319270357. p. 341–344. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-27036-4_32. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This paper explores the role of game narrative for learning when elementary school students design their own computer games in the classroom. The paper is based on data from a research project where one 6th grade class and one 7th grade class designed their own computer games in the classroom, related to concepts from their social studies curriculum. Data was collected through video observation, and analyzed using interaction analysis. In this short paper, selections of the initial findings are summarized, to show how the process of creating the game story, designing the game world and developing game characters might impact the students’ learning outcomes.
Øygardslia, Kristine (2015). Computer games for promoting global awareness: Methods and modes. Proceedings of the European Conference on Games Based Learning (ECGBL). ISSN 2049-0992. 2015-January, p. 703–710. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Computer games have come a long way not only as a form of entertainment, but also as a means for changing the world for the better. An increasing number of researchers, educators and even politicians now emphasize the value of using computer games with a purpose beyond entertainment, such as education, health and social change. This article is a study into one segment of these serious games: Social impact games. The aim is to answer the following questions: What methods do these computer games use to promote global awareness to their players? And how might the chosen modes, such as images, video, narrative and procedures, contribute to the games reaching their goal? In this study, seven computer games with a goal of promoting global awareness were analyzed. The method for analysis was inspired by Consalvo and Dutton’s (2006) framework for analyzing computer games qualitatively, having a theoretical and methodological foundation within game studies, and inspired by multimodal analysis. Selected findings are presented in this article, centered on the following principles which emerged from the analysis: 1) Learning on the player’s terms, 2) Meaningful choices, 3) Using real-world images and video, 4) Social mechanics. Based on this, the paper will then argue that research on computer games for global awareness should not necessarily pay attention mainly to game mechanics, as some of the main methods these games use are based on images, video and more linear narrative. Lastly, the paper briefly discusses the importance of leading players from awareness to action, as a facilitator for social change. The findings in this article aim at being helpful not only to researchers within the domain of social impact games, but also to serve as a resource for designers and developers of games with the aim of creating awareness and changes in the society.
Nordby, Anders; Øygardslia, Kristine; Sverdrup, Ulrik & Sverdrup, Harald (2015). “THE BEST SCHOOL DAY EVER” - TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY AND SYSTEM THINKING BY PERVASIVE GAME PLAYING. EDULEARN Proceedings. p. 689–698. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
“The best school day ever” was the term used by the children in 5th and 7th graders in elementary school after a day of pervasive game playing in school. They hardly noticed the learning when playing, but tests after the game reveled through knowledge acquiring in Sustainability and System Thinking. The project was conducted in 2013 Hedmark University College in Norway. The task was simple; game development students in a System Thinking course was asked to developed and test a Pervasive Game for teaching Sustainability and Systems Thinking to children in elementary school. The overall game goal was to “sneak in” learning while the children was having fun. The was tested on 5th and 7th graders in elementary school, spending one school day in each of the classes. The presentation and the articles focus on two aspects of the project; firstly the development process done by the university students, and secondly the game days in the elementary school where children played the game and named the day “the best school day ever". In the presentation we introduce relevant theory and learning goals and discuss the development and the playing process. Finally we discuss findings and conclusions. Pervasive games is an emerging genre of games, blending the real world and games in new and exciting ways. Although they have previously been used successfully for marketing campaigns, they have many properties that will make them well suited for learning. They do, for example, facilitate collaboration, learning just in time, and creative problem solving. In addition, they provide a natural context for the tasks they have to solve, and the content they have to learn. Systems thinking is based on seeing causalities and causal connections between different variables, and understanding how different components in the world are connected to make a dynamic system. Systems Thinking is an important part of the K12 curriculum in the United States, and has successfully been used together with games in the New York-based Quest to Learn school. Sustainability is the capacity of the Earth to continue supporting human life, and is an important part of the Norwegian elementary school curriculum. For this project, we collaborated with the PERL Network, or Partnership for Education on Responsible Living. The Learning Goals were taken from the Norwegian Core Curriculum and Subject Curricula.

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Øygardslia, Kristine; Shin, Juhyung & Weitze, Charlotte Lærke (2019). The educational potential of visual novels: Principles for design. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2019). Innovasjon i prosjektet LIM: Language, Integration, Media. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2019). The Wanderer: Game Design Strategies for Promoting Inclusion Through Play. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2019). The Wanderer: Promoting integration through computer games. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2018). Women in STEM in Norway: Promoting gender equality from within through technology and networking. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2018). LIM: Language, Integration, Media. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2016). Prøv deg som spilldesigner! Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2015). Students as Game Designers: Learning by Creating Game Narratives in the Classroom. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2015). Computer Games for Promoting Global Awareness: Methods and Modes. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2015). Forsker Grand Prix 2015. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2015). Elever spiller seg til bedre læring. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2014). Computer games for promoting global awareness: Pedagogical implications. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2014). On the design and development of a framework for collaborative computer game creation in the classroom: Digital literacy in practice. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine & Nordby, Anders (2014). Pervasive gamification: How pervasive games can be used as motivation in teaching. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine (2013). Pervasive Games - Prinsipper og metoder. Full text in Research Archive
Øygardslia, Kristine; Aarsand, Pål & Wang, Alf Inge (2018). Students as Game Designers: Exploring collaborative game-based learning activities in the classroom. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. ISSN 9788232631438. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Sammendrag: Dataspill er en viktig del av barn og unges fritid. Hva hender om spilldesign introduseres som en læringsaktivitet i klasserommet? Dette spørsmålet blir utforsket i denne avhandlingen. Studien baserer seg på analyser av videodata fra en sjetteklasse og en sjuendeklasse som designet sine egne dataspill i klasserommet, knyttet opp mot temaer fra historiedelen av læreplanen i samfunnsfag. Det overordnede forskningsspørsmålet i avhandlingen er: Hvordan utspiller elevenes læringsaktiviteter seg når spilldesign introduseres i formell utdanning? Studien tar utgangspunkt i et sosiokulturelt perspektiv på læring, der læring blir sett på som situert i sosiale og kulturelle kontekster. Samarbeid og bruk av artefakter er vektlagt som sentrale for elevenes læringsaktiviteter. Studien er en fokusert etnografi som tar utgangspunkt i videodata samlet gjennom korte, dataintensive feltbesøk. Samtidig er studien inspirert av designforskning (design-based research) i prosessen med å utvikle og implementere læringsressurser i klasserommet. Avhandlingen inneholder tre artikler. Den første artikkelen utforsker spenningene som oppstår mellom elever som posisjonerer seg innenfor ulike, og raskt endrende, aktivitetsrammer. Den andre artikkelen fokuserer på hvordan elevene bygger kunnskap i spilldesignprosessen gjennom samarbeid. Den tredje artikkelen ser på hvilken rolle artefakter har i spilldesignprosessen, og hvordan dette bidrar til den sosiale organiseringen av elevenes klasseromsaktiviteter. Spillbasert læring har ofte som formål å bygge broer mellom unges interesser og akademisk læring. I denne avhandlingen argumenteres det imidlertid for at når spilldesign introduseres i formell utdanning, vil aktivitetens natur endres, siden interesser må balanseres med å oppnå kompetansemål. Spilldesignaktiviteten formes av klasseromsmiljøet, som blant annet inkluderer sosiale normer og verdier, og etablerte artefakter som lærebøker. Elevene i denne studien bygger broer mellom skole og fritid, men også grenser, der de selv vokter grensene for hvordan læring i et klasserom bør være. Elevenes læringsaktiviteter utspiller seg i dette skjæringspunktet, hvor spenningene mellom elevenes muligheter til å følge egne interesser og forventningene til hva klasseromslæring handler om ofte setter i gang elevenes kunnskapsbygging.

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Published July 3, 2026 5:53 AM - Last modified Aug. 10, 2026 10:33 AM