Serious game
Encyclopedia
A serious game is a game
designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion, and politics.
s and advergame
s, political games, or evangelical games. The category of serious games for training is also known as "game-learning".
It is not a new idea. Military officers have been using war games in order to train strategic skills for a long time. One early example of a serious game is a 19th century Prussian military training game called , the German name for .
Mike Zyda provided an update and a logical approach to the term in his 2005 article in IEEE Computer entitled, "From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games". Zyda's definition begins with "game" and proceeds from there:
Long before the term "serious game" came into wide use with the Serious Games Initiative in 2002, games were being made for non-entertainment purposes. The continued failure of the edutainment space to prove profitable, plus the growing technical abilities of games to provide realistic settings, led to a re-examination of the concept of serious games in the late 1990s. During this time, a number of scholars began to examine the utility of games for other purposes, contributed to the growing interest in applying games to new purposes. Additionally, the ability of games to contribute to training expanded at the same time with the development of multi-player gaming. In 2002, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
in Washington D.C. launched a "Serious Games Initiative" to encourage the development of games that address policy and management issues. More focused sub-groups began to appear in 2004, including Games for Change
which focuses on social issues and social change, and Games for Health
which addresses health care applications.
Other authors, though, (as Jeffery R. Young) consider that Serious Games didn't obtain the success that was expected, and new theories, like "Smart Gaming" have appeared to replace it.
There is no single definition of serious games, though they are generally held to be games used for training, advertising, simulation, or education. Alternate definitions include the application of games concepts, technologies and ideas to non-entertainment applications. This can also include specific hardware for video games, such as exergaming
.
Serious games are aimed for a large variety of audiences, including primary or secondary education, professionals and consumers. Serious games can be of any genre, use any game technology, and be developed for any platform. Some may consider them a kind of edutainment
; however, the mainstay of the community are resistant to this term.
A serious game is not a simulation alone. It may be a simulation
combined with elements of game-play, specifically a chance to win. All have the look and feel
of a game, a chance to win, but correspond to non-game events or processes from the real world, including business operations
and military operations (even though many popular entertainment games depicted business and military operations). The games are made to provide an engaging, self-reinforcing context in which to motivate, educate and train the players. Other purposes for such games include marketing
and advertisement. The largest users (unsubstantiated by business intelligence) of serious games appear to be the US
government and medical professionals
. Other commercial sectors are actively pursuing development of these types of tools as well.
. Though these games were popular among teachers and students, they were also criticized due to the fact that they did not provide the player with new kinds of learning, and instead provided a “slightly easier-to-swallow version of drill-and-practice” learning.
In the 1990s, newer games such as the Incredible Time Machine and the Dr. Brain series
were introduced to challenge kids to think in new ways, apply their current skills, and learn new ones, but these games were unpopular among teachers because it was difficult to map these newer games to their curriculum, especially in a high school setting where in-class time is at a premium. The 1990s also saw the Internet
being introduced to schools, which with limited computer resources took precedence over playing games.
The early 2000's saw a surge in different types of educational games, especially those designed for the younger learner. Many of these games were not computer-based but took on the model of other traditional gaming system both in the console and hand-held format. In 1999, LeapFrog Enterprises
introduced the LeapPad
, which combined an interactive book with a cartridge and allowed kids to play games and interact with a paper-based book. Based on the popularity of traditional hand-held gaming systems like Nintendo’s
Game Boy
, they also introduced their hand-held gaming system called the Leapster
in 2003. This system was cartridge-based and integrated arcade–style games with educational content.
In 2002 another movement had started outside of formal educational sector that was coined as the "serious game movement," which originated from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
, where David Rejecsk and Ben Sawyer started the initiative. The primary consumer and producer of serious games is the United States Military, which needs to prepare their personnel for enter a variety of environments, cultures, and situations. They need to understand their surroundings, be able to communicate, use new technologies and quickly make decisions. The first serious game is often considered to be Army Battlezone, an abortive project headed by Atari
in 1980, designed to use the Battlezone
tank
game
for military training. Two other well known serious games that were commissioned by the Army are America’s Army (2002) and Full Spectrum Warrior
(2004).
Outside of the government, there is substantial interest in serious games for formal education, professional training, healthcare, advertising, public policy and social change. For example, games from website
s such as Newsgaming.com are "very political games groups made outside the corporate game system" that are "raising issues through media but using the distinct properties of games to engage people from a fresh perspective," says Henry Jenkins
, the director of MIT's comparative media studies program. Such games, he said, constitute a "radical fictional work."1
to create low-cost simulations that are both accurate and engaging. Game developers' experience with gameplay and game design
made them prime candidates for developing these types of simulations which cost millions of dollars
less than traditional simulations, which often require special hardware or complete facilities to use.
Advantages to this include:
offers an MSc in Game and Media Technology
offers a Serious Games MA, a Master of Arts
graduate program and graduate certificate in serious game design.
Additionally Julian Alvarez and Olivier Rampnoux (from the European Center for Children’s Products, University of Poitiers) have attempted to classify serious games in 5 main categories: Advergaming, Edutainment, Edumarket game, Diverted game and Simulation game.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion, and politics.
Definition and scope
Serious games are designed for the purpose of solving a problem. Although serious games can be entertaining, their main purpose is to train, investigate, or advertise. Sometimes a game will deliberately sacrifice fun and entertainment in order to achieve a desired progress by the player. Whereas video game genres are classified by gameplay, serious games are not a game genre but a category of games with different purposes. This category includes educational gameEducational game
Educational games are games that have been designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play...
s and advergame
Advergaming
Advergaming is the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. The term "advergames" was coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis, and later mentioned by Wireds "Jargon Watch" column in 2001...
s, political games, or evangelical games. The category of serious games for training is also known as "game-learning".
Overview
The term "serious game" was actually used long before the introduction of computer and electronic devices into entertainment. Clark Abt discussed the idea and used the term in his 1970 book Serious Games, published by Viking Press. In that book, his references were primarily to the use of board and card games. But he gave a useful general definition which is still considered applicable in the computer age:It is not a new idea. Military officers have been using war games in order to train strategic skills for a long time. One early example of a serious game is a 19th century Prussian military training game called , the German name for .
Mike Zyda provided an update and a logical approach to the term in his 2005 article in IEEE Computer entitled, "From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games". Zyda's definition begins with "game" and proceeds from there:
- Game: "a physical or mental contest, played according to specific rules, with the goal of amusing or rewarding the participant."
- Video Game: "a mental contest, played with a computer according to certain rules for amusement, recreation, or winning a stake."
- Serious Game: "a mental contest, played with a computer in accordance with specific rules that uses entertainment to further government or corporate training, education, health, public policy, and strategic communication objectives."
Long before the term "serious game" came into wide use with the Serious Games Initiative in 2002, games were being made for non-entertainment purposes. The continued failure of the edutainment space to prove profitable, plus the growing technical abilities of games to provide realistic settings, led to a re-examination of the concept of serious games in the late 1990s. During this time, a number of scholars began to examine the utility of games for other purposes, contributed to the growing interest in applying games to new purposes. Additionally, the ability of games to contribute to training expanded at the same time with the development of multi-player gaming. In 2002, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
in Washington D.C. launched a "Serious Games Initiative" to encourage the development of games that address policy and management issues. More focused sub-groups began to appear in 2004, including Games for Change
Games for Change
Games for Change is a movement and community of practice dedicated to using digital games for social change. An individual game may also be referred to as a "game for change" if it is produced by this community or shares its ideals...
which focuses on social issues and social change, and Games for Health
Games for Health
Games for Health is a series of conferences made possible in part by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of their Pioneer Portfolio program...
which addresses health care applications.
Other authors, though, (as Jeffery R. Young) consider that Serious Games didn't obtain the success that was expected, and new theories, like "Smart Gaming" have appeared to replace it.
There is no single definition of serious games, though they are generally held to be games used for training, advertising, simulation, or education. Alternate definitions include the application of games concepts, technologies and ideas to non-entertainment applications. This can also include specific hardware for video games, such as exergaming
Exergaming
Exergaming or exer-gaming is a term used for video games that are also a form of exercise. Exergaming relies on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been credited with upending the stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity, and promoting an active lifestyle...
.
Serious games are aimed for a large variety of audiences, including primary or secondary education, professionals and consumers. Serious games can be of any genre, use any game technology, and be developed for any platform. Some may consider them a kind of edutainment
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
; however, the mainstay of the community are resistant to this term.
A serious game is not a simulation alone. It may be a simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
combined with elements of game-play, specifically a chance to win. All have the look and feel
Look and feel
In software design, look and feel is a term used in respect of a graphical user interface and comprises aspects of its design, including elements such as colors, shapes, layout, and typefaces , as well as the behavior of dynamic elements such as buttons, boxes, and menus...
of a game, a chance to win, but correspond to non-game events or processes from the real world, including business operations
Business operations
Business operations are those ongoing recurring activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders...
and military operations (even though many popular entertainment games depicted business and military operations). The games are made to provide an engaging, self-reinforcing context in which to motivate, educate and train the players. Other purposes for such games include marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and advertisement. The largest users (unsubstantiated by business intelligence) of serious games appear to be the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government and medical professionals
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. Other commercial sectors are actively pursuing development of these types of tools as well.
History
Gaming has been used in educational circles since at least the 1900s. Use of paper-based educational games became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but waned under the Back to Basics teaching movement. (The Back to Basics teaching movement is a change in teaching style that started in the 1970s when students were scoring poorly on standardized tests and exploring too many electives. This movement wanted to focus students on reading, writing and arithmetic and intensify the curriculum.) With the proliferation of computers in the 1980s, the use of educational games in the classroom became popular with titles that included Oregon Trail, Math Blaster, and Number MunchersNumber Munchers
Number Munchers is an educational/edutainment computer game in the Munchers series produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium for several operating systems. Designed to teach basic math skills, it was popular among American school children in the 1980s and 1990s and was the...
. Though these games were popular among teachers and students, they were also criticized due to the fact that they did not provide the player with new kinds of learning, and instead provided a “slightly easier-to-swallow version of drill-and-practice” learning.
In the 1990s, newer games such as the Incredible Time Machine and the Dr. Brain series
Dr. Brain
Dr. Brain is a series of educational games made by Sierra On-Line in the 1990s. The objective of each game is solving a series of puzzles in order to proceed further into the game. The series was later picked up by Knowledge Adventure who turned it into a more action-oriented game.The original two...
were introduced to challenge kids to think in new ways, apply their current skills, and learn new ones, but these games were unpopular among teachers because it was difficult to map these newer games to their curriculum, especially in a high school setting where in-class time is at a premium. The 1990s also saw the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
being introduced to schools, which with limited computer resources took precedence over playing games.
The early 2000's saw a surge in different types of educational games, especially those designed for the younger learner. Many of these games were not computer-based but took on the model of other traditional gaming system both in the console and hand-held format. In 1999, LeapFrog Enterprises
Leapfrog Enterprises
LeapFrog Enterprises Inc is an educational entertainment company based in Emeryville, California. LeapFrog designs, develops and markets technology-based learning products and related content for the education of infant through grade school children at home and in schools internationally.- History...
introduced the LeapPad
LeapPad
LeapPad is an electronic interactive children's book platform for children aged 4–8 produced by LeapFrog Enterprises from 1999 to 2008. Various models of the toy were released up until 2008 when the Tag reading system superseded it.-Development history:...
, which combined an interactive book with a cartridge and allowed kids to play games and interact with a paper-based book. Based on the popularity of traditional hand-held gaming systems like Nintendo’s
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, they also introduced their hand-held gaming system called the Leapster
Leapster
The Leapster Learning Game System is an educational handheld game console aimed at 4 to 10 year olds , made by LeapFrog Enterprises. Its games teach the alphabet, phonics, basic math , and art and animal facts to players...
in 2003. This system was cartridge-based and integrated arcade–style games with educational content.
In 2002 another movement had started outside of formal educational sector that was coined as the "serious game movement," which originated from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
, where David Rejecsk and Ben Sawyer started the initiative. The primary consumer and producer of serious games is the United States Military, which needs to prepare their personnel for enter a variety of environments, cultures, and situations. They need to understand their surroundings, be able to communicate, use new technologies and quickly make decisions. The first serious game is often considered to be Army Battlezone, an abortive project headed by Atari
Atari Games
Atari Games Corporation was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari, Inc..-History:When, in 1984, Warner Communications sold the Atari Consumer division of Atari Inc...
in 1980, designed to use the Battlezone
Battlezone
Battlezone is an arcade game from Atari released in 1980. It displays a wireframe view on a horizontal black and white vector monitor...
tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
for military training. Two other well known serious games that were commissioned by the Army are America’s Army (2002) and Full Spectrum Warrior
Full Spectrum Warrior
Full Spectrum Warrior is a real-time tactics videogame. It was developed by the Institute for Creative Technologies in association with Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. It was released on June 1, 2004 for the Xbox, September 21, 2004 for Windows and on March 23, 2005 for the PlayStation 2...
(2004).
Outside of the government, there is substantial interest in serious games for formal education, professional training, healthcare, advertising, public policy and social change. For example, games from website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s such as Newsgaming.com are "very political games groups made outside the corporate game system" that are "raising issues through media but using the distinct properties of games to engage people from a fresh perspective," says Henry Jenkins
Henry Jenkins
Henry Jenkins III is an American media scholar and currently a Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts, a joint professorship at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the USC School of Cinematic Arts...
, the director of MIT's comparative media studies program. Such games, he said, constitute a "radical fictional work."1
Development
In recent years, the US government and military have periodically looked towards game developersVideo game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
to create low-cost simulations that are both accurate and engaging. Game developers' experience with gameplay and game design
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
made them prime candidates for developing these types of simulations which cost millions of dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
less than traditional simulations, which often require special hardware or complete facilities to use.
Advantages to this include:
- Video and computer game developers are accustomed to developing games quickly and are adept at creating games that simulate—to varying degrees—functional entities such as radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and combat vehicleCombat vehicleA combat vehicle, also known as a ground combat vehicle, is a self-propelled, weaponized military vehicle used for combat operations. Combat vehicles can be wheeled or tracked.- Automation :...
s. Using existing infrastructure, game developers can create games that simulate battles, processes and events at a fraction of the cost of traditional government contractors.
- Traditional simulators usually cost millions of dollars not only to develop, but also to deploy, and generally require the procurement of specialized hardware. The costs of media for serious games is very low. Instead of volumes of media or computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s for high-end simulators, SGs require nothing more than a DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
or even a single CD-ROMCD-ROMA CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, exactly like traditional computer and video games require. Deploying these to the field requires nothing more than dropping them in the mail or accessing a dedicated web site.
- While SGs are meant to train or otherwise educate users, they often hope to be engaging. Game developers are experienced at making games fun and engaging as their livelihood depends on it. In the course of simulating events and processes, developers automatically inject entertainment and playability in their applications.
Netherlands
Utrecht UniversityUtrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
offers an MSc in Game and Media Technology
USA
Michigan State UniversityMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
offers a Serious Games MA, a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
graduate program and graduate certificate in serious game design.
SWEDEN
The University of Skövde offers a Serious Games Master ProgrammeClassifications and subsets of serious games
The classification of serious games is something that is yet to solidify, there are however a number of terms in reasonably common use for inclusion here.- AdvergamesAdvergamingAdvergaming is the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. The term "advergames" was coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis, and later mentioned by Wireds "Jargon Watch" column in 2001...
: The use of games for advertising. The approach can include numerous different ways of advertising more or less well-known from other media. You can have product placement, banners in-game or just traffic triggers. - EdutainmentEdutainmentEdutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
: A combination of education and entertainment. - Games-Based LearningGame based learningGame based learning is a branch of serious games that deals with applications that have defined learning outcomes. Generally they are designed in order to balance the subject matter with the gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world.Games...
or "Game Learning"- These games have defined learning outcomes. Generally they are designed in order to balance the subject matter with the gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world. - Edumarket Games - When a serious game combines several aspects (such as advergaming and edutainment aspects or persuasive and news aspects), the application is an Edumarket game. For example, Food ForceFood ForceFood Force is an Educational game published by the United Nations World Food Programme in 2005. Due to its content, it is considered a serious game . Players take on missions to distribute food in a famine-affected country and to help it to recover and become self-sufficient again...
combines news, persuasive and edutainment goals. - NewsgameNewsgameNewsgames are a genre of video game defined by their rapid creation in response to current events. They can be thought of as the video game equivalent of political cartoons...
s - Journalistic games that report on recent events or deliver an editorial comment. Examples include September 12th - Simulations or Simulation GamesSimulation video gameA simulation video game describes a diverse super-category of computer and video games, generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality.-Sub-genres:-Construction and management simulation:...
- games used for the acquisition or exercise of different skills, to teach effective behavior in the context of simulated conditions or situations. In practice, are widely used simulation driving different vehicles (cars, trains, airplanes; e.g. FlightGearFlightGearFlightGear Flight Simulator is a free, open-source multi-platform flight simulator developed by the FlightGear project since 1997....
), simulation of management of specific industries (e.g. Transport TycoonTransport TycoonTransport Tycoon and Transport Tycoon Deluxe are computer games developed by Chris Sawyer and published by MicroProse in 1994 , and 1995...
), and universal business simulation, developing strategic thinking and teaching users the basics of macro-and microeconomics, the basics of business administration (e.g. VirtonomicsVirtonomicsVirtonomics is a browser-based multiplayer economic game. Virtonomics is a business simulation, simulating economics. It allows users to study the basics of management. The game is turn-based and the conversion of a game situation occurs once a day.-Gameplay:The game resembles the game Capitalism 2...
). - Persuasive GamesRecruitment toolA recruitment tool is an advertising method that aids in creating interest in and getting people for a typically political organization. The term can not properly be applied to commercial advertising. Historically recruitment tools have often taken the form of posters or films, though in modern...
- games used as persuasion technologyPersuasion technologyPersuasive technology is broadly defined as technology that is designed to change attitudes or behaviors of the users through persuasion and social influence, but not through coercion... - Organizational-dynamic gameOrganizational-dynamic gameOrganizational-dynamic games are Serious games that teach and reflect the dynamics of organizations at the following 3 levels:* individual behavior * group and network dynamics Organizational-dynamic games are Serious games that teach and reflect the dynamics of organizations at the following 3...
s - Games for HealthGames for HealthGames for Health is a series of conferences made possible in part by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of their Pioneer Portfolio program...
, such as games for psychological therapy, or games for cognitive training or physical rehabilitation uses. Technology and mental health issuesTechnology and mental health issuesThe use of communicative and other new technologies as a supplement to mainstream therapies for mental disorders is an emerging mental health treatment field which, it is argued, could improve the accessibility, effectiveness and affordability of mental health care...
can use Serious Games to make therapy accessible to adolescents who would otherwise would not find a psychotherapist approachable. - ExergamingExergamingExergaming or exer-gaming is a term used for video games that are also a form of exercise. Exergaming relies on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been credited with upending the stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity, and promoting an active lifestyle...
- games that are used as a form of exercise. - Art GameArt gameAn art game or arthouse game is a video game that is designed in such a way as to emphasize art or whose structure is intended to produce some kind of reaction in its audience. Art games typically go out of their way to have a unique, unconventional look, often standing out for aesthetic beauty or...
s - games used to express artistic ideasArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
or art produced through the medium of video games - ProductivityProductivityProductivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...
game - games which reward points for accomplished real-world tasks using to-do lists. - Training and Simulations - See GamificationGamificationGamification is the use of game design techniques and mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences. Typically gamification applies to non-game applications and processes , in order to encourage people to adopt them...
. - Games with a purpose try to solve various tasks that require common sense or human experience in an entertaining setting.
Additionally Julian Alvarez and Olivier Rampnoux (from the European Center for Children’s Products, University of Poitiers) have attempted to classify serious games in 5 main categories: Advergaming, Edutainment, Edumarket game, Diverted game and Simulation game.
Examples
- A Force More PowerfulA Force More PowerfulA Force More Powerful is a 1999 feature-length documentary film and a 2000 PBS series written and directed by Steve York about non-violent resistance movements around the world. Executive producers were Dalton Delan and Jack DuVall...
(Windows) The video game is designed to teach the waging of conflict using nonviolent methods. Intended for use by activists and leaders of nonviolent resistance and opposition movements. - Amnesty the gameAmnesty the gameAmnesty - the game is a serious game created in order to support Amnesty International efforts to worldwide abolish the death penalty.The game is a volunteer project, created from Hellenic Game Developers Association members in collaboration with Amnesty International Greek department.The game...
(Facebook and internet) a game that supports Amnesty International efforts to worldwide abolish the death penalty. - Close Combat: MarinesClose Combat: MarinesClose Combat: Marines is the first version of Close Combat universe made specifically for military training purposes. Forces consist of USMC and OpFor troops. The game was first released in the September 2004, issue of the Marine Corps Gazette....
is the first version of Close Combat universe made specifically for military training purposes. Forces consist of USMC and OpFor troops. - CyberCIEGECyberCIEGECyberCIEGE is a serious game designed to teach network security concepts. Its development was sponsored by the U.S. Navy, and it is used as a training tool by agencies of the U.S. government, universities and community colleges. The game is freely available to the U.S...
(Microsoft Windows): Computer network security sim game developed by the Naval Postgraduate School. Players protect assets while enabling "users" to achieve their goals. - Darfur is DyingDarfur is DyingDarfur is Dying is a flash-based browser game about the crisis in Darfur, western Sudan. The game won the Darfur Digital Activist Contest sponsored by mtvU. Released in April 2006, more than 800,000 people had played by September...
(Internet) An online game by mtvUMtvUmtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
that simulates life in a Darfur refugee camp. - DARWARS Ambush! Convoy Simulator developed as part of DARPA's DARWARSDARWARSDARWARS is a research program intended to accelerate the development and deployment of military training systems. These are envisioned as low-cost, mobile, web-centric, simulation-based, “lightweight” systems designed to take advantage of the ubiquitous presence of the PC and of new technology,...
project, designed to create low-cost experiential training systems - EteRNAEteRNAEteRNA is a browser based game, developed by scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, that engages users to solve puzzles related to the folding of RNA molecules...
, a game in which players attempt to design RNARNARibonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
sequences that fold into a given configuration. Designs are evaluated to improve computer models predicting RNA folding, included selected designs actually synthesized to evaluate RNA folding dynamics against computer predictions. - FloodSimFloodSimFloodsim is a flash-based serious game created by Norwich Union in cooperation with Playgen in 2008 in order to raise awareness of the dangers that flooding present to the United Kingdom...
(Internet) A flood prevention simulation/strategy game designed to inform the people of the United Kingdom about the dangers of flooding as well as to help gather public opinion on the problem that flooding presents to the UK. The player takes control of the UK's flood policies for three years and attempts to protect the people and the economy of the United Kingdom from damage due to floods. - FolditFolditFoldit is an online puzzle video game about protein folding. The game is part of an experimental research project, and is developed by the University of Washington's Center for Game Science in collaboration with the UW Department of Biochemistry...
(Windows, Linux, Mac) Protein folding, puzzle game where results can be used in real science. - Food ForceFood ForceFood Force is an Educational game published by the United Nations World Food Programme in 2005. Due to its content, it is considered a serious game . Players take on missions to distribute food in a famine-affected country and to help it to recover and become self-sufficient again...
(Mac/Windows) Humanitarian video game. The UN's World Food ProgrammeWorld Food ProgrammeThe World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
designed this virtual world of food airdrops over crisis zones and trucks struggling up difficult roads under rebel threat with emergency food supplies. - Genomics Digital LabGenomics Digital LabGenomics Digital Lab is a browser based series of educational games, simulations, and animations created by Spongelab Interactive. It is designed to teach high school students about biology including photosynthesis, respiration, transcription and translation...
(Mac/Windows) A series of interactive science games where users learn about the importance of plants and their contribution to energy and the environment. - Global Conflict: PalestineGlobal Conflict: PalestineGlobal Conflicts: Palestine is a serious game. It was developed by Serious Games Interactive for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.-Summary:The player assumes the role of a freelance journalist who has just arrived in Jerusalem facing challenges. The goal is to create and get an article published...
(Mac/Windows): A 3D-adventure/rpg-game. You are given the role of a reporter in Jerusalem, and have to write articles for your paper. - HarpoonHarpoon (computer game)Harpoon is a series of realistic air and naval computer wargames based upon Larry Bond's miniatures game of the same name. Players can choose between either the Blue or Red side in simulated naval combat situation, which includes local conflicts as well as simulated Cold War confrontations between...
(Mac/Windows): Entertainment version was "dual use" from 1989 forward. Professional version Harpoon 3 Professional created in 2002 with help from Australian Defense Department, updated in 2006. - History of Biology game (Mac/Windows):History of Biology is a browser based scavenger hunt style educational game designed to teach high school students and general interest groups about the history of biology covering topics such as early microscopes, classification, taxonomy, heredity, genetics, and evolution.
- Houthoff Buruma The GameHouthoff Buruma The GameHouthoff Buruma The Game is a serious game developed in 2010 by Houthoff Buruma, one of the largest law firms in the Netherlands, and Ranj Serious Games. The Game is considered to be the first game to be used in the area of business services...
: serious game for recruitment purposes, developed by Dutch law firm Houthoff Buruma. - IBM CityOneIBM CityOneIBM CityOne or IBM INNOV8: CityOne is a city-building simulation game, introduced on May 4, 2010 by IBM at its in-house software conference Impact 2010, before a full release scheduled for the October 4th, 2010.- External links :*...
(Internet): designed by IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
as part of the IBM Smarter Planet initiativeSmarter PlanetSmarter Planet is a corporate initiative of the information technology company IBM. The initiative seeks to highlight how forward-thinking leaders in business, government and civil society around the world are capturing the potential of smarter systems to achieve economic growth, near-term...
. The game is designed to educate the player of the complex systems and how they connect in a modern city. - IntelliGymIntelliGymIntelliGym is a video-game-like training program designed to improve cognitive performance of competitive athletes. Due to its content and delivery methodology, it is considered a serious game. However, unlike many serious games, the IntelliGym is not a high fidelity simulation...
(Mac/Windows/Linux): A series of computer based cognitive simulators that trains athletes and designed to enhance brain skills associated with sports-related performance. - Microsoft Flight SimulatorMicrosoft Flight SimulatorMicrosoft Flight Simulator is a series of flight simulator programs for the Microsoft Windows operating system, although it was marketed as a video game. It is one of the longest-running, best-known and most comprehensive home flight simulator series...
developed as a comprehensive simulation of civil aviationCivil aviationCivil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
. Notably one of the few flight simulation games that does not concentrate on simulation of aerial warfareAerial warfareAerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift...
. - NanoMissionNanoMissionNanoMission is a serious game series made by PlayGen for Wellcome Trust and FEI in order to teach the player about the world of nanomedicine. There are four downloadable modules available, each teaching different concepts related to nanotechnology...
(Microsoft Windows): A series created for the non-profit group Cientifica in order to teach about nanomedicineNanomedicineNanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology. Current problems for nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related...
, nanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
and associated concepts through a series of action games. - Novicraft HRD gameNovicraft HRD gameNoviCraft is a serious game which supports business customers in social excellence, in learning to construct shared understanding together with different people in changing contexts. It is a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 developed by LudoCraft ltd. and TeamingStream ltd and was...
(Microsoft Windows): NoviCraft is a serious game for supporting business customers in social excellence, in learning to construct shared understanding together with different people in changing contexts. - PeacemakerPeaceMaker (game)PeaceMaker is a video game developed by ImpactGames, and published in February 2007 for Windows and Mac OS. It is a government simulation game which simulates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
(Mac/PC) A commercial game simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict designed to promote "dialog and understanding among Israelis, Palestinians and interested people around the world". - Phylo video game (Internet): A game that invites players to give in to their addictive gaming impulses while contributing to the greater good by trying to decode the code for genetic diseases.
- Re-MissionRe-MissionThe Re-Mission video game for teens and young adults with cancer was released by the nonprofit HopeLab on April 3, 2006. The game is a Microsoft Windows based third-person shooter based in the serious games genre...
(Microsoft Windows): 3-D Shooter to help improve the lives of young persons living with cancer. - Ship SimulatorShip SimulatorShip Simulator is a vehicle simulation computer game which simulates maneuvering various ships in different environments, although without the effects of wind and current...
(Microsoft Windows): a simulator which simulates maneuvering various ships in different environments, although without the effects of wind and current. - SimportSimPortSimPort-MV2 is a computer-supported construction and management simulation game that mimics the processes involved in planning, equipping and exploiting the Second Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam...
(Mac/Windows): A simulation game in which players learn about the intricacies involved in construction large infrastructural projects, like a major sea port. - Steel Beasts ProfessionalSteel BeastsSteel Beasts is the name for a family of tank simulators created by eSim Games for Microsoft Windows.Its subject is contemporary combined arms tactics at a company scale....
(Microsoft Windows): Tank simulator, developed by eSim GamesESim GameseSim Games, LLC is a small U.S. software developer located in Sunnyvale, California. eSim Games has specialized in the creation of computer games of contemporary combined arms tactics at company level. Their primary products are the various versions of the combat simulation Steel Beasts....
, and used by several armies around the world. - Super Columbine Massacre RPG!Super Columbine Massacre RPG!Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, abbreviated SCMRPG!, is a role-playing video game created by Danny Ledonne and released in April 2005. The game recreates the 1999 Columbine High School shootings near Littleton, Colorado...
(Microsoft Windows): RPG re-enacting the Columbine High School MassacreColumbine High School massacreThe Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
. - The 3D Model of The West Virginia Penitentiary (Microsoft Windows): Players interact with a digital version of the facility to prepare for real world skills testing and riot simulation. Developed for the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation to provide situational awareness for attendees of the Mock Prison Riot held annually at the West Virginia State PenitentiaryWest Virginia State PenitentiaryThe West Virginia State Penitentiary is a retired, gothic style prison located in Moundsville, West Virginia. It operated from 1876 to 1995. Currently, the site is maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility.-Design:...
. - VBS1VBS1VBS1 is a military simulator which relies heavily on modern game technology and is therefore generally referred to as a serious game. The platform is derived from the first-person entertainment game Operation Flashpoint and is developed by Bohemia Interactive Australia. The system enables the...
& VBS2VBS2VBS2 is the successor of the battlefield simulation system VBS1. It was developed in close cooperation with the USMC, Australian Defence Force and other military customers of VBS1. VBS2 was officially launched on 17 April 2007....
Training tool for the British Military and the USMC and other military forces around the world. Developed by BIA, and based on the game engine used in Operation Flashpoint and Armed AssaultArmed AssaultArmA: Armed Assault , also known as ARMA: Combat Operations in North America, is a tactical military first- and third-person shooter which was developed by a 40 member team at Bohemia Interactive , an independent game developer based in the Czech Republic.ARMA is the spiritual successor to...
. - X-Plane (Linux/Mac/Windows): a comprehensive civil aviationCivil aviationCivil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
simulator. An FAA approved version exists which enables low cost flight training. - Funphysio (Microsoft Windows): This game helps patients in yours physical therapy treatments.
- Time out (Mac/ Windows): it is a point and click game dealing with diabetes, created and produced by Demi-brume for Les Diablotines.
See also
- EdutainmentEdutainmentEdutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
- Business simulation game
- Business gameBusiness gameBusiness game refers to simulation games that are used at an educational tool for teaching business. Business games may be carried out for various business training such as: general management, finance, organizational behaviour, human resources, etc...
- Brain fitnessBrain fitnessThe term brain fitness reflects a hypothesis that cognitive abilities can be maintained or improved by exercising the brain, in analogy to the way physical fitness is improved by exercising the body...
- Technology and mental health issuesTechnology and mental health issuesThe use of communicative and other new technologies as a supplement to mainstream therapies for mental disorders is an emerging mental health treatment field which, it is argued, could improve the accessibility, effectiveness and affordability of mental health care...
- Global warming gameGlobal warming gameA global warming game, also known as a climate game or a climate change game, is a type of serious game. As a serious game, it attempts to simulate and explore real life issues to educate players through an interactive experience...
- Games for ChangeGames for ChangeGames for Change is a movement and community of practice dedicated to using digital games for social change. An individual game may also be referred to as a "game for change" if it is produced by this community or shares its ideals...
- Game with a purpose
- Innovation gameInnovation gameThe phrase innovation game refers to a form of primary market research developed by Luke Hohmann where customers play a set of directed games as a means of generating feedback about a product or service. The research is primary because the data collected is gathered directly from customers or...
- Intelligent tutoring systemIntelligent tutoring systemAn intelligent tutoring system is any computer system that provides direct customized instruction or feedback to students, i.e. without the intervention of human beings, whilst performing a task. Thus, ITS implements the theory of learning by doing. An ITS may employ a range of different...
- Interactive Digital Technology
- International Simulation and Gaming AssociationInternational Simulation and Gaming AssociationThe International Simulation and Gaming Association is an international organization for scientists and practitioners who develop and use simulation, gaming and related methodologies: role-play, structured experiences, policy exercises, computer simulation, play, virtual reality, game theory,...
- History of gamesHistory of gamesThe history of games dates to the ancient past. Games are an integral part of all societies. Like work and relationships, they are an expression of some basic part of the human nature. Games are formalized expressions of play which allow people to go beyond immediate imagination and direct...
- Learning objectLearning objectA learning object is "a collection of content items, practice items, and assessment items that are combined based on a single learning objective". The term is credited to Wayne Hogins when he created a working group in 1994 bearing the name though the concept was first described by Gerard in 1967...
s - State of Play (Conference series)State of Play (Conference series)State of Play is a conference series put on by the Institute for Information Law & Policy at New York Law School which deals with the intersection of virtual worlds, games and the law.-Past Conferences:...
- GamificationGamificationGamification is the use of game design techniques and mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences. Typically gamification applies to non-game applications and processes , in order to encourage people to adopt them...
Further reading
- Abt, C. (1970). Serious Games. New York: The Viking Press.
- Zyda, M. (September 2005). "From visual simulation to virtual reality to games". IEEE Computer.
- Baranowski T, Buday R, Thompson DI, Baranowski J. Playing for real: video games and stories for health-related behavior change. Am J Prev Med. 2008 Jan;34(1):74-82.
- Reeves, Byron; Reed, J. Leighton (2009). Total Engagement: Using Games and Virtual Worlds to Change the Way People Work and Businesses Compete. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.
- Lang, F., Pueschel, T. and Neumann, D. (2009). "Serious Gaming for the Evaluation of Market Mechanisms", Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS)2009.
- Thompson D, Baranowski T, Buday R et al. Serious Video Games for Health: How Behavioral Science Guided the Development of a Serious Video Game. Simulation Gaming August 2010 vol. 41 no. 4 587-606.