1. Understanding “Serious” Games
Jonathan Frye, Ed. S.
New York University

2. Essential Game Elements
Huizinga (1950)
Free activity, outside “ordinary” life, not “serious”
Absorbs the player
No material interest or profit
Distinct Boundaries of time and space
Caillois (1961)
Free (voluntary), separate (time and space)
uncertain, unproductive, governed by rules, make-believe
Salen and Zimmerman (2003)
A system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome

3. Definition serious games
Bergeron, (2006): “a serious game is an interactive computer application, with or without a significant hardware component, that: has a challenging goal, is fun to play and/or engaging, incorporates some concept of scoring, and imparts to the user a skill, knowledge, or attitude that can be applied in the real world.” (pg. xvii)

4. Advantages of Games Motivation/Engagement Interactivity
Mechanic is the Learning
To beat the game is to learn the message/skill
But only when done right, very difficult
Beyond content to problem solving/systems learning
Adaptive to the Learner
Real-Time Assessment
Analytics/Data/Log Files

5. Simulations and Games Squire (2003) examples of uses:
manipulate otherwise unalterable variables
enable students to view phenomena from new perspectives
observe systems behavior over time
pose hypothetical questions to a system
visualize a system in three dimensions
compare simulations with their understanding of the system (p. 5)

6. Goals of Serious Games Flow (Csikszentmihalyi) Scaffolding
Balancing challenge
Scaffolding
“Transfer” Knowledge
System Understanding
Attitude/behavior change

7. Taxonomy of Serious Games (Sawyer & Smith, 2008)

8. Sectors (Sawyer & Smith, 2008)
Government & NGO:
Defense:
Ex. America’s Army, Skills based training
Healthcare:
Ex. Surgery Simulations, Check-up routines
Marketing and Communication:
Ex. Product placement, use of company characters

9. Sectors cont. (Sawyer & Smith, 2008)
Education
Ex. Math, Science, current events etc.
Corporate:
Ex. Training, continuing education, company policy
Industry
Ex. Training, Skills acquisition

10. Uses Learning & Education Health Sciences Advertising Training
Science and Research
Art/Statement
Journalism

11. Sawyer & Smith, 2008

12. Learning & Education Any subject you can imagine
History/Context, ex. Quest Atlantis, Civilization Series
Math, ex. Dimenxion M, Lure of the Labyrinth
Physics, ex. Waker, Crayon Physics
Biology, ex. Beetle Readers

13. Health Sciences Training/Practice for aspiring doctors and nurses
Ex. Conducting an exam; the steps involved in surgery
Uses with Patients
Psychological/Physical Therapy
Education
Ex. Re-Mission

14. Advertising “Advergames” Using product themes and characters in games
Product placement within a game (similar to in movies)

15. Training Often about learning tasks, policies, or skill acquisition
Employee
Military
Ex. Situational Awareness training
Ex. America’s Army

16. Science and Research
Ex. Military research using simulated environments
Ex. Sharkrunners

17. Art/Statement Art Statement
Brenda Brathwaite’s “Mechanic is the Message Series”
One Falls for Each of Us
Train
Statement
Games for Change.org
Human Rights, Economics, Public Policy, Public Health, Poverty, Environment, Global Health, News, Politics

18. Games for Change Ayiti Darfur is Dying Budget Hero Climate Challenge
Manage a rural family in Haiti
Darfur is Dying
Budget Hero
Climate Challenge
Peacemaker
Conflict in the Middle East

19. News/Journalism
Newsgames (Bogost et al., 2010)
Ex. September 12th

20. Class activity
Get into groups of 2-3 and play a game from the GamesforChange.org website
Topics to discuss/think about:
What is the learning objective?
Is it part of the mechanic?
How would you assess learning?
Is the game engaging?
How could the design/mechanic be improved?