Serious Games Review

www.futurelab.org.
uk
Games in
Education:
Serious Games
AFUTURELABLITERATUREREVIEW
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Games in Education:
Serious Games

2
MaryUlicsak
SeniorResearcher,Futurelab
Withsupportfrom:
MarthaWright
ResearchAssistant,Futurelab
June2010
Abstract
Itisarguedthatdigitalgames,includingsimulationsandvirtualworlds,havethepotentialtobean
importantteachingtoolbecausetheyareinteractive,engagingandimmersiveactivities(forexamplesee
theworkofGee2008;Shaffer2005;Smith2007).Thisdocumentconsidersthisclaim.Itbeginsbybriey
consideringtherationaleforusinggamesineducationinformalandformal.Itthenconsidersthe
varioustypesofdigitalgamesthataredescribedasbeingeducational,specically:
therelationshipbetweengames,seriousgames,simulations,educationalsimulations,
andvirtualworlds
thedenitionandusefulnessofthetermseriousgames
theunderlyingpedagogyineducationgames
assessmentwithingames.
Thereportthenhasanoverviewoftheircurrentuseandresearcharoundtheirusageinmultiple
environments:themilitary,health,informal,vocationalandformaleducationsettings.Itlooksatthe
challengesofembeddingseriousgamesinformaleducationandthreecurrentmethodsforassessing
appropriatenessandeffectivenessofgamesforteaching.Fromthisitarguesthatwhatisrequiredisa
toolkitforeducators,gamedesignersandpolicymakersthatallowsthedesignandassessmentof
gamestobeusedwithaneducationalgoal.
Acknowledgements
ThankstoPeterHarringtonfromSimVentureandPhilWarrenfromSnaithSchoolwhocontributedto
thecasestudiesinthisdocument.Thanksalsotoallthosewhogavetheirtimefortheinterviews:
RichardBartle,DianeCarr,IanDunwell,SimonEgenedt-Nielsen,JohnHoggard,MaryMatthews,
HannahRowlandsandPeterStidwell.
www.futurelab.org.uk/
projects/games-in-education
Games in Education:
Serious Games
3
Executive
summary
Introduction Context
Games are increasingly used for
training outside of formal
education. This section
summarises the issues that need
to be considered if their use
within classrooms is to increase.
04 09 13
This section outlines the
assumptions underlying this
report, and places the project in
context alongside other work on
games-based learning.
This section denes serious
games and their relationship to
virtual worlds and educational
games. It looks briey at the
pedagogies and the assessment
processes they use.
Serious games in
multiple domains
The challenges
This section summarises the
use and potential of serious
games within military, health,
commerce, informal education,
for vocational and NEET
training, as well as within
formal education.
37 55
Serious games are rarely used
in formal education. This
section examines three
models for integrating games
into lessons to draw out
considerations for teachers
in using such games.
Contents
4
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Executivesummary
Executive summary
This report is a review of research around gaming environments for
education; this includes games, serious games, virtual worlds and
simulations. These games are used widely outside of formal education
systems, for example by the military and within the health and commerce
sectors. Yet their use within schools is less common. This section
summarises their current use and how teachers could be supported to use
them appropriately.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
5
Games in Education: Executivesummary
Serious Games
Identifyinggamesthatcanbeusedforeducationiscomplex.Therearemanydenitionsandwaysof
classifyingeducationalgames,seriousgamesandtheirrelationshiptovirtualworldsandsimulations.
Someviewthemasacontinuum(Aldrich2009),whileothersseethemallasdifferentcategoriesofthe
samething(Sawyer&Smith2008).Seriousgamesaretheacceptedtermforgameswithaneducational
intent.Theyneedtobeengaging,althoughnotnecessarilyfun,whilethelearningcanbeimplicitor
explicit.Thereisnouniformpedagogywithinseriousoreducationalgames;earliergamestendedtobe
basedonabehaviouristmodel.Latergamestryandincorporateexperiential,situatedandsocio-cultural
pedagogicalmodels.Thelearningoutcomeisdependentuponanappropriatepedagogyandthe
underlyinggamemechanicsandhowthecontentisintegratedintothegamesothelearningisintrinsic
toplay.
Acomparisonoftheuseofseriousgames(includingsimulationsandvirtualworlds)inmultiple
domainswasmade.Theaimwastodetermineifthepracticecouldbetransferredtotheformal
educationaldomain.
Seriousgames,particularlytrainingsimulations,areintegraltothemilitary.Theyprovideasafecost-
effectivemechanismfortrainingtaskstobeperformedinhazardouscircumstancesorwhichwouldbe
timeandlabourintensivetosetupintherealworld.Thehighlevelofdelity,thatis,theirclose
resemblancetoactualevents,enablestransference(Stone2008).Learningispredominantlymediated
throughinstructorsexternallytothegameexperience,althoughplayerscanwinorlose.Theability
tomodifythescenariotoensuredelityiskey.
Seriousgamesinthehealthsectorarealsoagrowingdomain.Likethemilitary,trainingsimulationsare
becomingmorecommonformedicalpractitioners.Realisticrole-playistimeandlabourintensiveand
traditionalmethodsofteaching,suchascardsorting,lackthepsychologicaldelitythatis,theydonot
mimictheresponsesthattherealsituationwouldcause.Suchgamesarealsolikelytomakeuseof
alternativeinterfaces.TheWiiFithasbeenrecognisedasawayoftrainingplayersincertainappropriate
behavioursthatwillbenettheirhealth.Againlikethemilitarythegamestendtohaveclearwell-dened
learninggoalsalthoughthereisnoxedanswer.
Pulse!!:aseriousgameforlearning
complexmedicalpracticesandtechnical
knowledge,includingdiagnosisof
illnesses,ERservicesandcomplex
surgicalprocedures.
www.breakawaygames.com/serious-
games/solutions/healthcare/
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
6
Executivesummary
Theuseofseriousgamesincommerceisalsoincreasing.Theyareusedtotrainstaffviasimulations,
and,asintheotherdomains,popularityisincreasingduetothecostbenets.However,commerceis
awarethatgamesdevelopskillsneededineverydaylife,likecondenceintakingrisksandimproving
communicationacrosstheorganisation.Theyalsotakeadvantageofthefactmanynewemployees
understandtheconceptofgamesandappreciatetheexibilitywhencarryingoutlearningexercises.
Gamesalsohaveavocationalpotential.Simulationsareusedforcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment
andtraining.Theymayalsobeusefulforyoungpeoplenotineducation,employmentortraining
(NEETS).Theycanactasasafeintroductiontovariousvocationalcareersfailureisnotanissue,infact
itisexpected,whenlearningagame(Squire2005).
Seriousgamesforinformallearningarealsoproliferatingduetoincreasedcommissioning.Channel4,
theParliamentaryEducationGroup,DEFRAandtheUSgovernment(whoheldacompetitionaround
gamesforhealth)arecommissioninggamestoengageandeducateyoungpeople.Theyareused
becauseofthehighlevelofgamingthatoccurswithintheseagegroups,thecosteffectivenessandreach
thatgameshave.Unlikevocationaltrainingorformaleducationthereislessdirectassessmentofthe
learningthatoccursinthesegames.
Finally,informaleducationthereareexamplessuchastheConsolarium,ortheworkofKurtSquires,
wheregamesusedwithsufcientsupportareshowntobemotivationalandanaidtolearninghighlevel
orcomplexskills.Someresearchers,notablyGeeandShaffer,arguethatgames,particularlyepistemic
gamesthatmodelprofessionalpractice,aregoodforteachingandassessingbecausethebest
commercialgamesprovideappropriatechallenges,theybuildonpreviousinformation,theyrequire
problemsolvingandcriticalthinking.Thispracticehasnotyettransferredtotheclassroom.This,they
argue,isbecausegamesteachandassess21stcenturyskills,suchasproblemsolving,collaboration,
negotiationetcthatarenotthefoundationofthecurrenteducationsystem.Currentlygamesaremore
likelytobeusediftheycanbeseentoinspire,orthereisadirectlinktothecurriculum.Thelatteris
morelikelyifthegamecanprovideappropriateassessmentandtsintoexistinglessonstructures.
Thecriterionforusingagameisoftenwhetheritwillmaketheteacherslifeeasier.
Games teach and assess
21st century skills, such
as problem solving,
collaboration and
negotiation.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

7
Games in Education: Executive summary
Serious Games
In order to determine if the game will make life easier the teacher needs to assess whether the game will
enhance their students learning. This requires time to learn and comprehend the game. To determine if
this selection process could be supported, three models designed explicitly for developers of serious
games were examined. The aim was to determine aspects already identied, and corroborated by other
research, for example the Teaching with Games project (Sandford et al 2006) that needed to be considered
by teachers to select, assess and blend games into current teaching practice. The areas for consideration
identied for any game outside the physical constraints (available machines, licenses etc) are:
What is the background of the player(s)
(age, language, experience, prior knowledge,
preferred learning styles, etc)?
What are the learning goals?
How does the game content, that is, the factual
knowledge contained, experiences, mechanics
and activities, relate to the learning goals?
How integral is the content to the game
mechanics, processes, experience of playing
as well as the art assets or copy, and is its
acquisition required in order to progress?
Will the game engage the learners
is it immersive?
Does the game have a learning curve (ie do
the players improve through repeated play),
appropriate feedback, clear progression etc?
What level of delity is appropriate?
How will learning be transferred beyond the
game context?
How can the game be embedded and assessed?
What other practices will support learning,
either in the game such as reection, or
externally such as discussion?
What retention rate, ie how long will the players
remember the learning, will the game have?
Urban Science: players become urban
planners to learn about civics and ecology.
http://epistemicgames.org/eg/category/
games/urban-planning
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
8
Games in Education: Executivesummary
Serious Games
However,furtherresearchisneededtocreateasimplesetofmetricsforevaluatingeachoftheseareas,
ratherthanjusthighlightingtheirimportance.
Ifgamesaretobecomemainstreamclassroomtoolsteachers(whoareoftennotgamers)need
supportto:
1.identifywhatgamesareavailablethatmeettheirlearningobjectives
2.howtheycanbestbeintegratedintolessonsgiventhecontextand
3.howlearningcanbeassessed.
Suchmetricsneedtobesharedbyteachersanddeveloperssothereisacommonlanguagetodescribe
andusegames.
Furthersupportisrequiredtomakethe
useofgameswidespreadinschool.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
9
Introduction
Introduction
There are many advocates for the role that games, particularly serious
games, could play in formal education. In this report we look at whether
these claims can be justied, through looking at aspects including the
underlying pedagogy in education games, assessment within games, and
considering three models for designing, selecting and evaluating serious
games in order to determine the criteria needed for selection and use.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
10
Introduction
Therewillinevitablycomeatimewhennoonealiveremembersatimebeforevideogamesexisted.Like
booksandmovies,theywillbeapartofthemedialandscapeolderthanlivingmemory.Withinamodern
school,thattimehasalreadyarrived:everysinglepupilwasbornintoaworldwherevideogameswere
simplyafactoflife,anditsinthisenvironmentandamongthesepupilsthattheseriouspotentialof
videogamessuddenlystartstoseemlessanovelpossibilitythanacreepinginevitabilityasmucha
xtureinourfuturelivesasthemobiletelephoneorthecomputerscreen.(Chateld2010,p199)
TomChateldsargumentillustratestheexpectationthatdigitalgames
01
willbecometeachingtools
withintheclassroom.Justasteachersandstudents,especiallythoseinhighereducation,aredesigning
andusingcoursesthatutilisemobiletechnology,socourseswilldevelopthatutilisegameplay.
Researchgroupsareemergingthatarelookingatdigitalgamesintheclassroom.TheGamesfor
LearningInstitute(GfLI)wassetupatNewYorkUniversityin2008tostudywhatmakescomputergames
engagingandeducationallyeffective
02
.AlsoinNewYorkistheQuesttoLearnsecondaryschool,which
usesandisinvestigatingtheformatofgamesasitspedagogicalmodel
03
.Athirdexampleisthe
EpistemicGamesGroup
04
thatarosefromtheWisconsin-MadisonUniversitywithitsinterestingames
thatmodelprofessionalpractice.IntheUKthereistheSeriousGamesInstituteinCoventry
05
,although
thishasabroaderremitthanjusttheclassroom.
Thisinterestindigitalgamesdesignedforlearningisnotrestrictedtoformaleducationalpractice;
gamesspecicallyforlearningexistindomainsasdiverseasthemilitary,commerce,healthand
informallearning.TheSeriousGamesSummithasbeenongoingsince2003;thisyearwasthesixth
GamesforHealthconference,therearediscussionswithintheDigitalGamesResearchAssociation
(DiGRA)andintheirassociatedlibrary,andwithinGamasutra(anorganisationprimarilyfordevelopers
whichfocusesontheartandbusinessofmakinggames).Inadditiontherearejournalsthatfocusonthe
useofgames,digitalandmoretraditional,asteachingtools.Forexample,theonlineGamesStudy
journal,GamesandCulture,themorerecentInternationalJournalofGamingandComputer-Mediated
Simulations(IJGCMS)and,from2011,theInternationalJournalofGame-BasedLearning
06
.
01.
Forthesakeofsimplicityinthisdocument
thetermsvideogames,digitalgames,and
gamesareusedinterchangeably.Unless
speciedthesetermsareusedtoinclude
singleandmulti-playergamesplayedona
varietyofplatforms(consoles,PCs,
portabledevices,etc)whichcanbe
standaloneoronline.Wherespecic
distinctionsareneeded,suchastraditional
games(boardgame,sportsetc),thesewill
bemadeinthetext.
02.
ThisgroupisheadedbyProfKenPerlin;it
consistsofthirteenprimaryinvestigators
fromsevenU.S.universitiesaswellas
researchstaff.Thegrouphasnancial,
softwareandadvisorysupportfrom
MicrosoftExternalResearchandMotorola.
Seehttp://g4li.org/about
03.
Detailsofthepedagogyusedbytheschool
canbefoundathttp://q2l.org/node/13
04.
Epistemicgamesareauthentictasksin
whichstudentsareapprenticedtoa
profession,andusethatprofessionstool
kitofknowledge,skillsandvaluesinorder
toproducetheproductsthatthose
professionalsproduce.See
www.epistemicgames.org
05.
Seewww.seriousgamesinstitute.co.uk
06.
www.gamestudies.org
http://gac.sagepub.com
www.igi-global.com/bookstore/
TitleDetails.aspx?TitleId=1125
www.igi-global.com/Bookstore/
TitleDetails.aspx?TitleId=41019
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

11
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Introduction
Thustherearemanyadvocatesfortherolethatgames,particularlyseriousgames,couldplayinformal
education.Inthisreportwelookatwhethertheseclaimscanbejustied.Evenifthispotentialis
assumed,whichisaquestionaddressedinthereport,thereisstilltheneedforeducatorsandtrainers,
learnersandpolicymakerstoappreciatehowandwhenthesegamesareuseful.Aspointedoutby
MayerandBekebrede:
Weoftenfalselyassumethatthegameitselfwillbepowerfulenoughtocausechangeorlearningthat
theoutcomeswillbeusedautomaticallyfordecisionmaking.Thisisseldomthecase
(Mayer&Bekebrede2006,p.150)
Inordertobegintoappreciatetheseareasandscopepotentialforfutureworkthisreportfocuseson:
therationalefortheresearch.
therelationshipbetweengames,seriousgames,simulations,educationalsimulations,andvirtual
worlds.Thisincludessectionson:thedenitionandusefulnessofthetermseriousgames,the
underlyingpedagogyineducationgames,andassessmentwithingames.
consideringtheuseofseriousgamesinvariouscontexts,includingformaleducation,toidentifytheir
efcacyandanyissuesorbenetsoftheiruseanalysingthedifcultiesinincorporatinggamesintothe
formaleducationalsystem.Thisincludesconsideringthreemodelsfordesigning,selectingand
evaluatingseriousgamesdevelopedforgamedesigners,contentspecialists,andteachersinorderto
determinethecriterianeededtoselectandusesuchgames.
QuestAtlantis(QA):aninternational
learningandteachingprojectthatusesa
3Dmulti-userenvironmenttoimmerse
children,ages9-16,ineducationaltasks.
www.questatlantis.org
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

12
Games in Education: Introduction
Serious Games
Thereportconcludeswithrecommendationsforfurtherwork.
Materialinthisreportisbaseduponrelevantliteratureandeightexpertinterviews.Theinterviewees
camefrom:research,designanddevelopment,commissioning,andthosethatusegames.Toillustrate
therangeofgamesthisreportcontainsthreecasestudiesofseriousgamesusedforvariouspurposes:
triagingpatients,entrepreneurship,andissuesaroundclimatechange.Itistobereadinparallelwith
otherFuturelabresearchinGamesandLearning
07
.Thereforeitfocusesonseriousgamesratherthan
revisitingissuesarounde-safety,ormarketingofsuchgameswhichhasbeenpreviouslycovered.
ThisGamesinEducation:Seriousgamesliteraturereviewisdesignedtointroducepolicymakersand
educatorsto:
digitalgamesforeducation,includingseriousgamesandtheirstructure
currentmethodsandcultureswithinwhichseriousgamesenhancelearning
processesforselectinggames.
07.
Seewww.futurelab.org.uk/projects/
games-and-learning.
UrbanScience:playerscanpresenttheir
nalplansasathree-dimensionalmodel
oftheredesignedcity.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
13
Context
Context
This chapter begins by dening the assumptions made about games,
game playing, and games as tools for teaching and learning. It then
describes the motivation for the research, denition of serious games and
the relationship between different denitions. It also looks at how these
tools can relate to pedagogy, and how they can be used for assessment.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Rationale for research
Game types
Dening serious games
Engage with pedagogy
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

14
ContextRationaleforresearch Games in Education:
Serious Games
Theintentionaluseofgamesaslearningtoolsisnotnew.Non-digitalgamesareusedforlearning
social,physical,andpsychologicalskills,forexample,copingwiththeemotionsafterlosing,learningthe
groundrulesforappropriatebehaviour,andmodellingthebehaviourofadults.Traditionalboardgames
androle-playasatoolforformallearning,thatis,learningdenedbyacurriculum,existedbeforethe
arrivalofdigitalgames.TheInter-NationSimulationwasintroducedin1958toteachinternational
relationstohighschoolstudents,andafewyearslatertheSumerianGame,asimulationtoteachthe
economicfactorsinMesopotamiaaround3500BC,wasusedwith11yearolds(SimonEgenfeldt-Nielsen
etal.2008,p.209).
Futurelab,alongwithotherorganisations
08
,hasbeeninvestigatingtherolethatgamesplayinformal
education.Futurelabsworkhasincludedexaminingthepotentialofcommercialoff-the-shelfleisure
gamesintheclassroomalongwithbespokeeducationalgamessuchasRacingAcademyandSpace
Mission.Thiswork,alongwithsurveysongameusageoutsideofschools,hasestablishedthat:
Withoutclaimingthateverychildisagamer,oreveninterestedingaming,gamesareintegraltomany
youngpeopleslives
09
.
Thereisagrowingacceptanceamongstteachersthatgameshaveeducationalpotentialandthereis
anincreasingwillingnesstousegamesintheirclassroom
10
.
Gamesprovideaplatformforactivelearning,thatis,theyarelearningbydoingratherthanlisteningor
reading,theycanbecustomisedtothelearner,theyprovideimmediatefeedback,allowactive
discoveryanddevelopnewkindsofcomprehension.Thereisalsoevidenceofahigherlevelofretention
ofmaterial
11
.
08.
SuchasSimonEgenfeldt-Nielsen,the
EpistemicGamesGroupandthoseatthe
UniversityofWisconsin-Madison,and
DavidBuckingham.
09.
Forexample,theO22009surveyshowed
thattheaveragehouseholdhad2.4TVs,
1.6laptops/AppleMacs,2.4games
consoles,3mobilephonesand2.2MP3
players.Whilethe2009TodaysGamers
Surveyfoundtherewere31.3million
peoplewhoplaygamesintheUK(this
includesplayinganygameonconsoles,
computers,andmobiledevices),andthat
theyspent3.78billionongamesinthe
lastyear,withthelargestproportionbeing
consolegames(2.39billion).The
remainderisspentonPCgames,game
portals(egsocialnetworks),massively
multiplayeronlinegamesandmobile
gamesinthatorder.
10.
In2009aspartofaself-completionsurvey
ofover1,600practicingclassroom
teachersinEnglishstateprimaryand
secondaryschools35%saidtheyhadused
games,and60%wouldbewillingtodoso
inthefuture.Thequestionsweredesigned
byFuturelabandthesurveyconductedby
theNationalFoundationforEducational
Research[NFER]throughitsFebruary
2009TeacherOmnibus.
11.
MagennisandFarrell(2005)reportedthat
studentswholearnbydoinghavean
averageretentionrateof75%comparedto
anaverageretentionrateof5%forthose
wholearnfromlectures.WhileJoyce
(2005)foundaretentionrateof90%from
simultaneouslyseeing,hearing,anddoing,
80%fromdoing,40%fromseeing,and
20%fromhearing(citedbyBinSubaihetal.
2009,p.9).
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

Games in Education:
Serious Games
15
ContextRationaleforresearch
Studentsareoftenmotivatedandengagedingamesinawaythattheyarenotwithformaleducational
practices
12
.
Gamesformonlyonepartofteachingpracticeandshouldbeusedaspartofablendedlearning
approach,thatis,asonemethodofconveyingandassessinglearningamongstothers(deFreitas&
Oliver2006;Klawe&Phillips1995;isler&Brom2008).
Thetechnologyuponwhichgamesareusedandplayedisimproving,forexamplethereismoreaccess
togreaterbroadbandspeeds,improvedgraphicscardsandstoragespaceandahigheruptakeof
digitaldevicesoverall.
Thereisanexpectationthatthetypesofinteractionwithingameswillincreasewiththeintroductionof
speech,hapticorneurologicalinterfaces,andinthefuturethepotentialforintegratingchat-bots,
mashingupsourcesandscaffoldinglearningviaagentswillberealised
13
.
Digitalgamesuseintheclassroomisnotnew.TimRylands,whowonthe2005BectaICTinPractice
Award,hasusedMystforthelasttenyearstoinspirestudents.AnotheroftencitedexampleisLearning
andTeachingScotland.In2006DerekRobertsonintroducedtheConsolarium.Initiallyaphysicalspace,
thisprogrammeadvocatesandsupports(bothintermsofkitandpractice)teacherstousedigitalgames
aslearningtools
14
.Thiswouldovercomesomeofthebarriersteacherscitecostofgamesand
hardware,timetolearnthegametoensurethatitisusedappropriatelyetc.AnotheristheworkofSteve
BunceandAnnaReidwhoaspartoftheBectasponsoredHarnessingTechnologyproject,haveused
NintendoDSstodeveloptheuseofenquiryforNorthumberlandCountyCouncil
15
.Practicaladviceon
gamesuseintheclassroomhasbeendevelopedfromtheframeworkofEuropeanSchoolnetsGamesin
Schoolsproject(Felicia2009).AspreviouslymentionedKatieSalenandcolleaguesattheInstituteofPlay
inNewYorkhavesetuptheQuesttoLearnmiddleschool
16
.Althoughlessonsarenotnecessarilybased
arounddigitalgames,theprincipleoflearningthroughgamingisappliedacrossthecurriculum.
12.
Gee(2003)isanexampleofaresearcher
whobelievesgamesareinherently
motivating,yetKurtSquirefoundthat
gamesintheclassroomcanbeavoidedby
pupilswhocannotadapttothis
educationaluse(Squire2005).
13.
ForadiscussionofthisseetheSaraDe
Freitastalkatthe2010GamesBased
learningconference,
www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/
component/option,com_smf/Itemid,58/
topic,89.0
14.
Seewww.ltscotland.org.uk/
ictineducation/gamesbasedlearning/
aboutgbl/consolarium.aspfora
descriptionoftheproject.
15.
TheworkisdescribedintheBecta
researchreportathttp://research.becta.
org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_
re_rp_gr_03&rid=17952
16.
Foradescriptionoftheprinciplesbehind
theschoolseehttp://q2l.org/node/2.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
16
ContextRationaleforresearch
Inorderthatthisbodyofresearcharoundcommercialgamesintheclassroomortheadvantagesof
game-basedlearningingeneralisnotreplicated,thisreportfocusesondigitalgameswithan
educationalintent,oftencalledseriousgames.Whythisfocus?Throughtheirdesign,researchbased
seriousgamesaremeanttoachievespeciclearninggoals(Egenfeldt-Nielsenetal.2008).Thesegames
arestructuredsothatthelearninggoalscanberecognisedandthelearningcanbetransferredtoother
contexts.Thisrecognitionandtransferisanissuewhenusingleisuregamesforformallearning(Gee&
Shaffer2010;Baker&Delacruz2008;Egenfeldt-Nielsenetal.2008).Yetdespitethisseriousgamesare
infrequentlyusedwithintheeducationalsystem,althoughareincreasinglypopularinadulttrainingand
out-of-schoollearningexperiences(deFreitas2006;JISC2007;BinSubaihetal.2009).Ifseriousgames
aretobeadvocateditisnecessarytoknowwhy.Aretheyusedrarelybecausetheyarenotyettfor
purpose?Isittodowiththemethodofteachingwithinschools?Howpolicymakersadvocatetheiruse?
Thequalityofthegamesandrelationshiptocurriculum?Ortheabilityandknowledgeoftheteacher?
Beforeaddressingthesequestionsitisimportanttounderstandwhatseriousgamesare.This
terminologyisfrequentlyandinconsistentlyused,andwithoutanunderstandingoftheunderlying
pedagogyandtheassessmenttechniquestheyemployrecognisingappropriateusewillbeproblematic.
Inthenextsectionthedenition,thepedagogyandtheassessmentarediscussed.
This report focuses on
digital games with an
educational intent, often
called serious games.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

17
ContextSeriousgames Games in Education:
Serious Games
Serious games, sims, and virtual worlds: How they relate
Areseriousgames,simulationsandvirtualworldsthesame?ClarkAldrich(2009)seesvirtualworlds,
games,andsimulationsaspointsalongacontinuum.Allarehighlyinteractivevirtualenvironments
(HIVEs),allwiththeirownaffordancesandpurposes.Thethreecanlooksimilar,Aldrichstatesallcanbe
setin3Dworldswith3Davatarsbut:
Educationalsimulationsuserigorouslystructuredscenarioswithahighlyrenedsetofrules,
challenges,andstrategieswhicharecarefullydesignedtodevelopspeciccompetenciesthatcanbe
directlytransferredintotherealworld.
Gamesarefunengagingactivitiesusuallyusedpurelyforentertainment,buttheymayalsoallowpeople
togainexposuretoaparticularsetoftools,motions,orideas.Allgamesareplayedinasynthetic(or
virtual)worldstructuredbyspecicrules,feedbackmechanisms,andrequisitetoolstosupportthem
althoughthesearenotasdenedasinsimulations.
Virtualworldsaremultiplayer(andoftenmassivelymultiplayer)3Dpersistentsocialenvironments,but
withoutthefocusonaparticulargoal,suchasadvancingtothenextlevelorsuccessfullynavigatingthe
scenario.
ThecontinuumisshowninFigure1.
NexusUS:agraphicsimulatedexperience
thatcanbesharedwithgeographically
dispersedteamsofpeoplefortrainingand
education.www.ecsorl.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
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Games in Education:
Serious Games
ContextSeriousgames
18
Figure 1:
The HIVE continuum
(taken from Aldrich 2009, p1)
Infrastructure
Media
HighlyInteractive
VirtualEnvironments
Games
Educational
Stimulations
VirtualClassrooms
VirtualWorlds
(forexampleFlight
Simulators,Wargames)
Class
Games
Frame
Games
Serious
Games
Group
Challenge
Sims
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Games in Education:
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ContextSeriousgames
Aldrichgoesontodistinguishthedifferencesbetweenthethreefurther.
Avirtualworldwillnotsufcewhereasimulationisneeded.Thevirtualworldoffersonlycontextwith
nocontent;itcontributesasetoftoolsthatbothenableandrestricttheusestowhichitmaybeput.An
educationalsimulationmaytakeplaceinavirtualworld,butitstillmustberigorouslydesignedand
implemented.Organizationsroutinelyfailintheireffortstoaccessthepotentialofvirtualworldswhen
theybelievethatbuyingavirtualworldmeansgettingasimulation.Likewise,agameisnotan
educationalsimulation.
PlayingSimCitywillnotmakesomeoneabettermayor.Someplayersof,forinstance,WorldofWarcraft
maylearndeep,transferable,evenmeasurableleadershipskillsbutnotallplayerswill.Thegamedoes
notprovideastructureforensuringlearning.Justbecausesomeplayerslearntheseskillsplayingthe
game,thatdoesnotmeaneitherthatmostplayersarealsolearningtheseskillsorthatitshouldbe
adoptedinaleadershipdevelopmentprogram.Conversely,apurelyeducationalsimulationmaynotbe
verymuchfun.Theprogrammayhavethethree-dimensionalgraphicsandmotioncaptureanimationsof
acomputergame,butthecontentmaybefrustrating.Speciccompetenciesmustbeinvoked,and
studentsassumptionsaboutwhatthecontentshouldbe,likelyshapedbytheirexperienceswithgames,
willbechallenged.(2009,pp.2-3)
ThoseattheInstituteofEducationagreewiththedistinction.Virtualreality,forexampleSecondLife,is
notagamebecauseitlacksthefeaturesusedinagamestudydenition,suchasgamesareplayed,
havevariousmodesofplayandtheyincorporategoals,chance,rules,anddiscernableoutcomes.Games
haveastoryorpurpose,certaingamemechanics(forexamplehowthegameworldbehavesintermsof
physicsorweather),rules,thegraphicalenvironment(thesensoryrepresentationoftheexperienceof
playing),interactivity,andasenseofchallengeorcompetition(Derryberry2007).TheInstituteof
Educationresearchconcludesthereare:interestingquestionsaboutourrelianceonstructure-
orientateddenitionswithingamestudies,andthegreyareawheregamesandplaycombine
(Carretal.2010).
An educational simulation
may take place in a virtual
world, but it still must be
rigorously designed and
implemented.
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Games in Education:
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ContextSeriousgames
However,althoughAldrichplacesseriousgameswithingameshisisnotanopinionthatisshared.Alke
Martensandhiscolleaguesbelievethatgame-basedtraining(theirterminologyforseriousgames)
requiresagame,simulationandlearningaspectinalmostequalmeasure(seeFigure2).
Figure 2:
Interplay of pedagogy, computer
science and games (taken from
Martens et al 2008, p.174)
Learning
Training
Simulations
Entertainment
Games
Game
based
Learning
Simulation
Simulation
Games
Games
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21
Serious Games
Martensarguesthatwithouttheinclusionoflearninggoals(pedagogy)thegamesaremerelysimulation
games.Ifthereisnosimulationtheresultsareedutainmentgames,oftenwithasimplisticformat.While
omittingthegameplayandmechanicsresultsinatrainingsimulation.
Finally,MikeZydabelievesseriousgamescanbedistinguishedfromleisuregamesbytheadditionof
pedagogytothethreemainelementsofcomputergames:story,art,andsoftware(2005).However,
unlikeMartensetal.healsostatesthepedagogy,thatwhicheducatesorinstructs,mustbesubordinate,
ratherthanequal,tothegameplayandstoryinhisdenition.Seriousgamesrelyontherelationship
betweenthesefactors,thelearningisdependentonthepedagogyandgame.
ThisdistinctionbetweentrainingsimulationsandseriousgamesisechoedbytheSeriousGames
Institute.TheydescribeTriageTrainer(seeCaseStudy1)asatrainingsimulation,despitethefactitcan
bewonorlost(whichcanbeviewedasagamemechanic)dependingonthecategorisationofpatients.
Aldrich,ZydaandMartensbelievethatsimulationsaredistinctfromgames,althoughdifferasto
whetherdistinctorasubsection.Thisrelationshipisexpandeduponinthenextsectionwhichfocuses
specicallyondeningseriousgames.
ConspiracyCode:animmersive3Dgame
environmentforteachinghighschool
history.www.vs.net/areas/vscourses/
ConspiracyCode
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Context Serious games Games in Education:
Serious Games
Case Study 1: Triage Trainer, a healthcare training simulation
Name: Triage Trainer
Type: Training simulation
Target audience: Doctors, nurses, paramedics
and other rst responders
Content: Training to assess patients at an
accident and emergency site
Commissioned by: ALSG
Developed by: TruSim
Time to produce prototype: 1 year
Overview
Triage Trainer has been developed by TruSim, a
division of Blitz Games, and is currently in its
prototype phase. Triage Trainer is set at the
scene of a high-street explosion, and is
designed to train professionals who might be
called upon at the scene of such an incident
doctors, nurses, paramedics and other rst
responders.
At the scene of a major incident, players must
triage, that is, assess the degree of injuries
using appropriate protocols and medical checks,
of randomly generated casualties and prioritise
them for treatment. The physical appearance of
each casualty is driven by an underlying
physiological model developed by medical
experts. This accurately mimics the signs,
symptoms and, crucially, the real-time
deterioration patterns of injuries, meaning that
a casualtys condition will change realistically
over time. If patients are left too long without
treatment, they will die. Players receive
feedback on various elements of their
performance, including the accuracy of their
checks, whether they prioritised patients in the
correct order, and the time it took them to
complete, compared with that of an expert.
Background
The concept for the game was based on a need
identied by the charity Advanced Life Support
Group (ALSG), who recognised that the typical
methods for teaching triage (trainees are sent a
manual, given a lecture and complete a table-
top exercise) were not adequate in preparing
trainees for the pressures of a real incident. In
reality, such incidents happen very rarely, and
their traumatic nature often leads doctors to
make incorrect decisions; one common error is
the tendency to try and stop and treat patients,
The concept for the game
was based on a need
identied by the charity
Advanced Life Support
Group (ALSG), who
recognised that the typical
methods for teaching
triage were not adequate
in preparing trainees for
the pressures of a real
incident.
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23
Serious Games
ratherthanperformingquickchecks,
prioritisingandmovingon.Itwasagreedthat
developinganear-realimmersivegamemight
beacost-effectivetrainingmethodtominimise
theserisks.Thehighlylifelikequalityofthe
scenarioengagesplayersinthegame,puts
themunderpressuretoperformwell,andadds
anemotionaldimensiontotheexperience,
whichisabsentinpaper-basedmethods.The
projectalsoaimedtocontributetothewider
debatesurroundingtheeffectivenessofserious
gamesfortrainingandretentioninknowledge
andbehaviour.
Thegamesdevelopmentwaspartfundedbythe
TechnologyStrategyBoardaspartofanopen
grant(of1millionover4yearsfrom2006),and
receivedadditionalsupportfromco-partners,
SelecSystemsIntegration(formerlyVEGA
Group),andBirminghamandCoventry
Universities.
ThegamewastrialledaspartofaMajor
IncidentMedicalandManagementServices
(MIMMS)courserunbytheALSG.All
participantsfollowedthesameprocedure:they
receivedamanualontriageprocedureand
attendedalecture.Halfthegroupthen
continuedwiththestandardtable-toptriage
exercise,andhalfplayedtheTriageTrainer
game.Allparticipantsthenindividuallytookpart
inastandardtriageassessmentexercise,where
theyattendedtoeightcasualtiesatthesceneof
abarbecueexplosion.Resultsshowedthatthe
gameplayinggroupshowedstatistically
signicantlybetterperformancewhenapplying
triagetags.
Evaluation
Feedbackfromtheparticipantsinvolvedinthe
trialsuggestedthatTriageTrainerwas
successfulinmeetingitsaims,andsupported
traineestolearninanumberofways.Players
associatedtheirgamingexperiencewiththeir
realworldexperience,withmanyreportingthat
theyfelttheywerereallythere.Playerswere
expectedtomakedecisionsunderpressure,
whichsupportedtheircognitivedevelopment.It
wasalsofoundthatplayerstendedtodiscuss
theirexperiencewiththeircoursemates
afterwards,whichcouldalsoimpactontheir
learning.
Oneelementthathasnotbeeninvestigatedby
TruSimistheimpactofthetrialsonknowledge
retentionandbehaviourchange.Unfortunately,
exploringthiselementwasnotlogistically
feasible,butitisanissuetheyarekeento
addressinthefuture.
Players associated their
gaming experience with
their real world
experience, with many
reporting that they felt they
were really there.
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ContextDeningseriousgames Games in Education:
Serious Games
Seriousgamesasatermhasbeenaroundforover40years.In1968ClarkAbtcalledhisbookSerious
Games.Itdescribedhisworkinthe1960sinwhichheexaminedwar-games(wheredramaticscenarios
werecombinedwithmathematicalanalysisandtheinterplayofgroups)andsimulationstotrain
managers,students,andteachersineducational-curriculumdevelopment,school-systemplanning,
industrialmanagementandtechnologicalplanningandforecasting.Hisdenitionofsuchgameswas
thatthey:
haveanexplicitandcarefullythought-outeducationalpurposeandarenotintendedtobeplayed
primarilyforamusement.Thisdoesnotmeanthatseriousgamesarenot,orshouldnotbe,
entertaining.(Abt1970,p9).
However,sincethecreationofdigitalgamestherehasbeenmuchdiscussiontryingtoseparateserious
gamesfromleisuregames.Whyisadistinctionneeded?ProfBartlearguesthatthroughthisnameitis
acceptabletousethemwithinformaleducationsystems,andtohavefundingfortheirresearch
17
.An
exampleoftherstreasonistheUKmilitary.Themilitarytoleratethetermseriousgames,whenthey
wouldnotusethetermgames,althoughthepreferredtermislowcostsimulationsbasedon
commercialoff-the-shelftechnology
18
.Toillustratethediscussionbelowareafewofthedenitionsof
seriousgames:
Seriousgame:amentalcontest,playedwithacomputerinaccordancewithspecicrules,thatuses
entertainmenttofurthergovernmentorcorporatetraining,education,health,publicpolicy,andstrategic
communicationobjectives(Zyda,p.25)
19
.
SeriousGamesaredenedasdigitalgamesandequipmentwithanagendaofeducationaldesignand
beyondentertainment(Sorensen&Meyer2007,p.559). 17.
SeeAppendixDfornotesfromthe
interviewwithProfBartle.
18.
ThiswasdiscussedwithJohnHoggard,a
lecturerinSimulationDefence,see
AppendixDfornotesfromtheinterview.
19.
ThisdenitionfromMikeZyda,creatorof
AmericasArmy(oneofthemost
inuentialseriousgames)istheoneused
bytheSeriousGamesInstitute.
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Games in Education:
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ContextDeningseriousgames
thelabel[seriousgames]referstoabroadswatheofvideogamesproduced,marketed,orusedfor
purposesotherthanpureentertainment;theseinclude,butarenotlimitedto,educationalcomputer
games,edutainmentandadvertainment[...]andalsohealthgamesandpoliticalgames.[...]Intheory,
anyvideogamecanbeperceivedasaseriousgamedependingonitsactualuseandtheplayers
perceptionofthegameexperience.(SimonEgenfeldt-Nielsenetal.2008,p.205).
Seriousgamesaimtousenewgamingtechnologiesforeducationalortrainingpurposes.Itinvestigates
theeducational,therapeuticandsocialimpactofdigitalgamesbuiltwithorwithoutlearningoutcomes
inmind.(Felicia2009,p.6).
Thereisnoonesingledenitionofthetermseriousgames,althoughitiswidelyacceptedthatthey
aregameswithapurpose.Inotherwords,theymovebeyondentertainmentpersetodeliverengaging
interactivemediatosupportlearninginitsbroadestsense.(Stone2008,p.9).
entrieswillbeconsideredaseriousgameiftheyhavegamingattributes,involveanassignedchallenge,
andemploysomeformofpositiveand/ornegativerewardsystem(denitionforentrytoTheFifth
AnnualI/ITSECSeriousGamesShowcase
20
).
Fromthisshortlistitcanbeseenthereisnoagreementindenition.However,thereisaconsensus
aroundseriousgames:havingalearningobjective(whetherexplicitornot),beinganengaging
interactivemedia,andhavingsomegameelement.Fun,is,orisnot,aprerequisiteofaseriousgame
althoughasfoundbyKirriemuirandMcFarlane(2004)itisthemostimportantreasongivenforplaying
leisuregames.Alsothereisnoagreementonhowovertthelearningshouldbe.Isitnecessarythatthe
learnerappreciatestheeducationalgoalsorisitsufcientthatthegamehasthatpurpose?
20.
Fordetailsofthedenitionand
competitiongenerallysee
www.sgschallenge.com/index.html
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Games in Education:
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Aswellasnoagreementindenitionthereisnoagreementinwhatgamescanbeclassiedasserious.
SimonEgenfeldt-Nielsenandcolleaguesdescribethreecategoriesofeducationalcomputergames:
edutainment(egMathblaster!),commercialentertainmenttitlesusedforeducation(egTheSims),and
research-basededucationalgames(egGlobalConict:Palestine
21
)whichgobeyondtheedutainment
titlesastheynolongerfeedtheplayerinformationbutencouragecuriosityandexploration(Simon
Egenfeldt-Nielsenetal.2008).HoweverBenSawyer,co-directoroftheSeriousGamesInitiative
22
and
co-founderoftheSeriousGamesConferences,andPeterSmith,UniversityofCentralFlorida(2009)
believeallgamesareseriousandlistedthefollowingastermsthatdescribeseriousgames:
EducationalGames
Simulation
VirtualReality
AlternativePurposeGames
Edutainment
DigitalGame-BasedLearning
ImmersiveLearning
Simulations
SocialImpactGames
PersuasiveGames
GamesforChange
GamesforGood
SyntheticLearningEnvironments
Game-BasedX
23
21.
Theplayertakestheroleofajournalist
whohasjustarrivedtoPalestine.Histask
istowriteanunbiasedarticleaboutthe
unfoldingevents.Informationisgathered
bytalkingtoaPalestinianimam,anIsraeli
soldier,aPalestinianmotherofamartyr
oranIsraeliteenager.Allaremodelledon
realcharacters.Bytalkingtopeoplefrom
bothsidesoftheconict,theplayergets
differentviewsandevaluations.The
externalgoalsaretoteachthepracticeof
journalism,medialiteracy,andresearch
andhowtowriteahistoryusingonly
secondarysources..
22.
TheSeriousGamesInitiativewasfounded
in2002withtheaimofusheringinanew
seriesofpolicyeducation,exploration,and
managementtoolsutilizingstateoftheart
computergamedesigns,technologies,and
developmentskills.Fromthiscamethe
GamesforHealthorganisationwhich,
throughconferencesandfostering
relationships,bringstogetherresearchers,
medicalprofessionals,andgame
developerstoshareinformationaboutthe
impactgamesandgametechnologiescan
haveonhealthcareandpolicy.
23.
TheXcanstandforlearningasin
Game-BasedLearning,predominantly
usedwhendescribinganygameusedin
childrenseducation,forexample,roleplay
orlearninglanguagesthroughsinging
games.Alternativelyitcanstandfor
training-asinGame-BasedTraining.
Thisisoftenuseddescribinggamesor
simulationsforadulteducation,thiscan
beroleplayorstorytelling.
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Games in Education:
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AlthoughappearingcomprehensiveandcontradictingAldrichscontinuum,withintheresearch
communityeventhisisnotadenitivelistofterms.Kebritchiandcolleaguesusetheterminstructional
gamesforcomputergamesdesignedfortrainingoreducationalpurposes(Kebritchietal.2010,p.427).
WhileSimonEgenfeldt-Nielsenandhiscolleaguesincludeadvertainmentoradvergamingandpolitical
gamesasserious.Advertainmentisusedformarketingtheseareusuallycasualgamesdesignedto
getvisitorstothewebsite.Theycanbeintegralgameswherethemessageisintegratedintothegame
playsuchasToyotasAdrenalineracinggamefrom2000,orgiveawayswherethegameplayisseparate
totheproductplacement.Forexample,inSuperMonkeyBallaplayerpickedupbananaswiththeDole
brand
24
.Politicalgamesaredesignedtochangeviewpoint,suchasDarfurisDying(Egenfeldt-Nielsenet
al.2008).
Toconclude,withintheresearchcommunitythereisnoxeddenitionofaseriousgame.Althoughthe
majorityviewseriousgamesas:havingalearningmodelembedded,thecontentisintegratedintothe
gamesolearningisintrinsictoplay,andtheassessmentoflearningmaybeintegraltothegameor
occurthroughmediationaroundthegame.Thesevariationscouldcauseconfusionamongsteducators,
trainersandpolicymakerswhentryingtoidentifywhatdigitalgamecanbesuccessfullyusedtoachieve
alearninggoal.Giventhevariationinmethodsanddenitions,forthepurposesofthisreporttheterm
seriousgameswillbeusedtorefertodigitalgames(includingsimulationsandedutainment)withthe
intentionofteachingspecicpredenedskillsorknowledge.
24.
www2.sega.com/gamesite/
supermonkeyball2/minigame/-however,
thecurrentgamehasnobananabranding.
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ContextHowdoseriousgames,simulationsandvirtualworldsengagewithpedagogy? Games in Education:
Serious Games
How do serious games engage with pedagogy?
Alldigitalgames,simulationsandvirtualworldsinvolvelearning,evenifonlytodeterminewhatbuttons
topush,butwhendesigningseriousgamesthereisanebalancebetweenlearningwhatthegameis
designedtoteachandlearningthegame.AsGunterandcolleaguesargue,placingeducationalcontent
insideagamedoesnotguaranteethatitwillsucceedinachievingafun,motivatingexperience;meet
educationalgoals;orbeacommercialsuccess.Theyarealsoconcernedthatgamedesignersfeelthat
gamesareeducationallysoundastheyrequiretheplayertorecallrules,gamemechanicsandprocesses
frompreviouslevels.Thisabilitytoplay,however,isnotthesameasmasteringcontent(Gunteretal.
2008).
Theprevioussectiondenedseriousgamesashavinganunderlyingpedagogyinorderthatvirtual
worldsarenotconfusedwithseriousgames.Inthissection,thehistoryofseriousgamesandthe
underlyingmodelstoachievelearningareexamined.
Therehavebeenthreegenerationsofeducationalgamesdenedbytheirunderlyingpedagogies
(BinSubaihetal.2009).Therstisbasedheavilyonbehaviourism.Learningoccursthroughconditioning
withthegameelementtypicallybeingarewardforthecorrectresponsetothestimuli.Thesegamesare
oftencallededutainment.Forexample,inMathBlaster!theplayersrewardistoshootballoonsifgetting
asumcorrectthesumitselfisseparatefromthereward.Anothergamebasedonbehaviourismisthe
onlineDiDAdeliveredcoursesupportingtheDiDAqualicationthathasamoduleongameauthoring
25
(seeFigure3).Braintraininggameswouldfallintothiscategory.Edutainmentgamestendtobebased
ontests,formatscaninclude:
anobjectivetestgame
asubjectivetestgame
aselectivetestgame
adrag-and-droptestgame
amemory-likegame
anarcadegame
25.
ForadescriptionoftheEdexcel
programmeofworkseehttp://www1.
edexcel.org.uk/D205_0909/html/
SPB205Index.htm
Executive summary
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ContextHowdoseriousgames,simulationsandvirtualworldsengagewithpedagogy?
Thiswasfollowedbydigitalgamesbasedoncognitivsm.Thelearnerbecamethecentreofattentionand
acquiresknowledgethroughavarietyofdifferentmodalities(egtext,pictures,sounds).Theseenablethe
playertoidentifyandanalyseproblemsandapplypastlearning.Learningistheprocessofconnecting
symbolsinameaningfulandmemorableway(forexample,exploringmicroworlds).Alsointhissecond
generationweregamesbasedonconstructivism,thatis,learningbymaking.Theplayerisimmersedin
aworldthatenablesthemtoincludefeelingsandemotionswiththesocial,theplayercaninteractwith
fellowparticipantsinthevirtualenvironmentaswellasacquiringandusingknowledgegained(for
examplemilitarysimulationstodevelopknowledgeofconvoydrivingwithcolleagues).
Inthethirdgenerationtherearemultiplemodelsforlearning.Constructivismbecameconstructionism
wherelearningisreinforcedbyhavingtoexplainit.Othersusedtheexperientiallearningtheory,where
onelearnsbydoing(aswellasseeingandhearing).Kolbslearningcyclerelatestoexperientiallearning
asitconsistsof:concretelearning,reectiveobservation,abstractconceptualisation(formingatheory-
basedexperience)andactiveexperimentationthedecisionandproblemsolvingstage.Thiscanbe
illustratedbygamessuchasVentureSim(seeCaseStudy2)andGlobalConict:Palestine(seeFigure3).
Thisexperience-basedlearningiswell-suitedtogames.Situatedlearninghasbeenincorporated,thatis,
informationusedincontextthroughacreationofasettingclosetorealitycaneasilybetransferredtothe
realworld.Simulationssuchasthatusedbythemilitaryoftenusethismodel
26
.Socio-culturaltheory
describeshowgamescanbeusedastoolstomediatelearningthroughdiscussion,reectionand
analysiswithlearningfacilitatedbythecultureandidentityofthelearner.Thenalmodelmentioned
byBinSubaihandcolleaguesisthefull-learningcycle.Learningstartswithaninitialunderstanding,that
knowledgeistested,andthefeedbackresultsinarenedmodel.Thisisthemodelusedbythepolice
serviceinDubai(BinSubaihetal.2009).
Figure 3: Screen shots illustrating
edutainment (from DiDA delivered)
and a game based on experiential
learning (Global Conicts: South
America)
26.
Seethedescriptionofgamesinthe
militarysection(p39)forexamplesof
situatedlearninggames.
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CaseStudy2:VentureSim
Name:SimVenture
Type:Businesssimulationgame
Targetaudience:14-30yearolds
Content:Therealitiesofsettingupand
runningabusiness
Costtomake:250,000
Developedby:VentureSimulations
Timetoproduce:4years
Overview
SimVentureisabusinesssimulationgame,
designedfor14-30yearoldswhoarelearning
abouttherealitiesofsettingupabusiness.It
wasdevelopedbybrothersPaulandPeter
HarringtonofVentureSimulationsandsinceits
launchin2006ithasbeenwidelyusedbothin
post-16educationandasatrainingtoolin
commercialorganisations.
Atthestartofthegame,playersaregivena
briefandabackgroundtotheirscenario.They
arebeginningtoruntheirownbusinessfrom
home,makingandsellingcomputers,whilst
holdingdownaseparatefulltimejob.Thegame
takesplayersonajourneyfromrunningasmall
businessintheirownhome,torunningthe
businessfulltime,relocatingtolarger
premises,hiringstaffandbecominga
successfulindependentrm.Playersareableto
progressthroughthegamebylearningthe
importantelementsofentrepreneurism,
arrangedintofourcategories:organisation,
nance,sales/marketingandoperations.
Playersmakedecisionsaboutactivitieswithin
thoseareas,andobservetheoutcomesoftheir
actions.Forexample,theymightdecidetocarry
outsomemarketresearchintheareaoftheir
business,applyforabankloantohelpthe
businessgetgoing,orchangethedesignof
theirproductinresponsetocustomerfeedback.
Oncetheyhavemadetheirdecision,players
runthemonth,andimmediatelyseetheeffect
theirchoiceshavemadeontheirbusiness.
Playersgetfeedbackonanumberofdifferent
parameters.Atabasiclevel,theycansimply
reviewhowmuchincometheyregenerating.As
wellasthis,successcanbemeasuredbyhow
manyenquiriesandorderstheyhavereceived
fortheirproduct.Furthermore,thegame
providesvisualfeedbacktorepresentthe
efciencyoftheirorganisation,andtheir
happinessasanindividual.Allofthese
parametersvaryaccordingtothedecisionsthat
theplayerhasmadeiftheplayerdecidesto
carryoutalargenumberofprojectswithina
certainmonthwithlittleoutsidehelp,their
happinessratingmaydecrease,buttheymight
makemoreprot.
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Background
SimVenturewasdevelopedasaresponseto
PeterHarringtonsfrustrationsintheareaof
businessenterprise.Inthelate1990s,
governmentpolicywasbeginningtoreecta
newemphasisonthedevelopmentof
entrepreneurismandbusinessskills,asaway
toadvancetheUKspositioninthecompetitive
economicmarket.Newpolicieswere
accompaniedbysignicantfundingforschools
andcollegestosupporttheimprovementof
suchskills.Despitethis,whileworkinginthe
area,Peterrecognisedveryfewchangesinthe
waybusinesstrainingwasdelivered,and
identiedaneedforamoreimmersive,
challengingandmeaningfulexperiencefor
learners.Consequently,Peterteamedupwith
hisbrotherPaul,asoftwaredeveloper,and
togethertheydevelopedtheSimVenturegame.
Withacombinedpersonalinvestmentof
250,000,thegametookfouryearstodevelop,
withtherstversionreadyforreleasein2006.
Evaluation
PhilWarren,HeadofBusinessStudiesatSnaith
School,hasusedSimVenturetosupplementthe
GCSEBusinessStudiessyllabus.Hesaysthat
thestandardsyllabusonlyrequiresstudentsto
learnaboutthevariousdifferentelementsof
businessinisolation(suchasnance,
marketingandoperations).Inreality,any
decisionthatismadeinonepartofabusiness
hasaknock-oneffectinothers:thedifferent
componentsrelatetoeachotherincomplexand
subtleways,yetstudentsarenotrequiredto
understandhowthesesystemsinteract.
TheschoolpurchasedSimVentureasaresponse
tothisfrustration,andstudentstypicallyplay
thegameoveraperiodofveweekstowards
theendoftheirGCSEcourse,asachanceto
applytheirknowledgefromthecourseintoa
practicalactivity,andconsiderbusinessina
moreholisticway.Philreportsthatthishas
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beenahighlysuccessfulstrategy,withthevast
majorityofstudentsbecominghighlyengagedin
thegameandachievinggoodresultsfrom
startingtheirownvirtualbusiness.Playing
SimVentureinascaffoldedenvironment,where
ateacherprovidessupport,guidanceandtime
forreection,appearstobethemosteffective
wayofensuringlearningtakesplace.Philhas
alsofoundthatallowingstudentstoplayin
pairs,ratherthanalone,isvaluablebecauseit
allowsroomfordiscussionarounddecisions
andstudentslearnfromtheirmistakestogether.
Philhasreportedthatitisdifculttobesure
whethertheskillslearntinthegameare
transferabletoreallifebecauseitisdifcultto
workoutthedirectionofcausalitywhether
studentsentrepreneurialskillsallowedthemto
succeedatthegame,orwhetherthegame
improvedtheirentrepreneurialskills.Thusfar,
Philhasnotformallyassessedstudents
learninggainsfromtheuseofSimVenture,but
observesanecdotallythatithasbeenauseful
learningtool.
Thirdgenerationgamesblendtheconditional(therules,etiquette,softwareorlearninggoals)withthe
experiential(thesenseofplay,agency,learning,improvisationandfeedback).Thusinthesegamesyou
know,orcandetermine,thegoalbuthavetheabilitytoidentifyandenactyourpreferences,exerciseyour
ownchoice,andmakemistakes.Successfulgamesareacombinationofpotentiallyadaptivestructures
(suchasrules),andthetimelydeliveryofinformation.Bothofthesearerelevantwhenteaching.Hence
theInstituteofEducationarguingthatusinggamedesigntheorycaninformvirtualworldpedagogysuch
asthatwithinSecondLife,despitethefactitdoesnothavegameelements,suchaslevelsandhigh
scores,aspartofstandardinteractions.
This has been a highly
successful strategy, with
the vast majority of
students becoming highly
engaged in the game and
achieving good results
from starting their own
virtual business.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

33
ContextHowdogamesassesslearning? Games in Education:
Serious Games
How do games assess learning?
Oneofthemajorconcernsidentiedaboutusingdigitalgamesineducationisthedifcultyinassessing
effectivenessatachievingthelearninggoals.HowdoesaplayerofCivilisation,forexample,demonstrate
thattheyknowthesevenwondersoftheancientworldratherthanmerelyacquiringstars?AsJeffery
Chinandcolleaguesstate:Designingwaystocollectdataonstudentlearninginsimulationandgaming
isparticularlydifcultbecauseoftheopen-endednatureoftheseactivities(Chinetal.2009).
Howgamesassessanindividualplayerisdifferentfromevaluatinggeneraleffectivenessthroughcontrol
trialsorfocusgroups.Teachersareexpectedtoensuretheirstudentsachieveacertainmasteryoffacts
orprocedures.Regardlessofwhatothertoolsareused.Also,teachersneedtodemonstratethatthese
skills,betheygeneralskillssuchasproblemsolving,specicfactualknowledge,suchasthatgainedin
playingCivilisation,orspecicskills,suchasthosefoundinepistemicgamesorinCodeofEverand
(wherethegoalistolearnhowtosafelycrosstheroad
27
),aretransferable.Studentsneedtorecognise
howtousethefacts,proceduresandprocesseslearntandpracticedwithinthegameoutsideofthat
arena.
Somepedagogiesincorporatetesting.Thereareexplicitscoringmechanismsthatcanbeusedin
edutainment;thenumberofcorrectanswers,andpossiblytimetakentocompleteagamearemeasures.
Insimulations,althoughthechoicescanbecomplex,assessmentcanbeacomparisonoftheoutcome
andthedecisionsmadetoreachthatsolutioncomparedagainsttheideal.Thisalsoappliestoepistemic
games(Gee&Shaffer2010),thatis,gameswheretheplayerhastorecreatetheanswersofanexpert.
Thisismorecomplexingameswheretheskillsbeinglearntaremoreabstractandhavetobe
transferredtocircumstancesoutsideofthegame.Theappropriatepedagogyisdependentuponcontent
andcontext.Itinuences,butisnottheonlyfactor,whenassessinglearning.Thegameplaymayhave
moreofanimpactonlearningasthatdetermineshowfeedbackisgiven.
Civilization:playersleadtheirchosen
nationfromthedawnofmanthroughthe
spaceage.www.civilization.com
27.
CodeofEverandissetinanexpansiveand
varyingvirtualworld.Playerstakeonthe
roleofPathnders,whoareheroesof
societybecausetheyaretheonlyresidents
abletocrossthespiritchannelssafely.
Pathnderscarryoutquestsforother
residentsofEverandwhocannottraverse
thelandsofreely.Pathnderscanadvance
throughanumberoflevels,canbuygoods
withthecoinstheyhaveearnedonquests,
developtheirskillsinmagicandalchemy,
entercompetitionsandsocialisewithother
players.Thespiritchannelsareinhabited
bydangerouscreatures,andtocrossthem
involvestechniquesusedintherealworld
forcrossingroads,egstoppingand
lookingbothways.See
http://codeofeverand.co.uk
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

Games in Education:
Serious Games
34
Context How do games assess learning?
The idea that digital games are assessment tools has been made by James Gee and David Shaffer. They
argue that games are good assessment engines, which is why they are good learning engines. However,
they are assessing what the Epistemic Games Working Group term 21st century skills. So rather than
facts Gee and Shaffer focus on skills such as the ability to innovate, collaborate, think critically, produce
digital media, perform system thinking (ie to recognise the relationship between elements) and enhance
civic engagement. Measuring how well these skills are demonstrated is complex, multiple choice tests
are an inappropriate measurement. Their conclusion is that there needs to be a rethink about what is
assessed, a shift from the factual to the process.
Alternatively assessment could be informal, where the attitude and appreciation of others indicates
achievement. James Gee would choose to assess effectiveness by how the students are perceived after
playing games. He believes that games ought to encourage and equip students to become high-status
members of Pro-Am (professional amateurs) groups. That is innovative, committed and networked
amateurs working to professional standards in whatever they have developed a passion for and having
their work recognised by their community (Gee 2008).
Returning to assessing skills dened by the current curriculum the idea of explicit testing is at odds
with leisure game design. Some of these leisure games automatically adapt to the players ability,
gather data about their choices over time, provide feedback on these inputs, and provide relevant
information as appropriate. In these games progress can be assessed through mechanisms such as
high scores, leader boards, winning and losing a scenario, or completing a boss level. Although in formal
education good work may be rewarded by a star, and is frequently assessed numerically, the idea of
comparing scores and creating league tables of students is not commonly advocated. However, it is
interesting to note that young people respond to such measures. In a rst year primary school children
spontaneously set up a league table around the number of correct steps they could perform on a dance
mat (Williamson 2009, p.31).
There needs to be a
rethink about what is
assessed, a shift from the
factual to the process.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices

Games in Education:
Serious Games
35
Context How do games assess learning?
The difculty of assessment within educational games is acknowledged. Most existing assessment
systems are bespoke to the game. For example, Valerie Shute has suggested models for embedding
evidence-based assessment. Using the game Quest Atlantis Taiga Park Dr Shute proposes a method for
requiring students to create causal diagrams electronically. Instead of teacher assessment the software
can compare with expert diagrams and provide appropriate feedback and measure progress over time
(Shute et al. In press). However, this kind of mechanistic testing is only appropriate for certain tasks. This
is an issue currently being addressed by game developers. As Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen discussed
28
this
can either be through adding traditional assessment techniques, such as adding multiple choice
questions after the game, or incorporating it into the game so that the facts have to be learnt in order to
progress.
To conclude, if there is still the need for explicitly ensuring learning goals have been reached there needs
to be some form of testing (either internal to the game or externally through mediation) to ensure
players have learnt what is intended. This highlights the need for the teacher to make explicit what has
been learnt and mediate the learning process. This is tricky, and requires understanding the learner and
game and how to manage reection. Jess Schell (in a talk to the Games Based Learning Conference
2010
29
) suggests that when using video games for learning (be they serious games or not), that it is the
role of the teacher to put themselves forward and use the players experience to lead reection. That the
learning is stimulated by the game but occurs outside. This has been shown to be effective in military
training. Games, as stated before, are advocated as part of a blended learning process, and therefore the
role of the teacher is essential (Felicia 2009).
28.
See Appendix D
29.
See www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/
topic,91.0
The role of the teacher is
essential when using
games in the classroom.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
36
ContextSummary
Summary
Despitethedisagreementaroundterminologyanddenitionsfortherestofthisreportseriousgames
areusedtodenegameswithanembeddedpedagogy,someformofinternalorexternalassessment,
andcontenttobelearned(knowledgeorprocedural)integratedintogameplay.Inthenextsection
seriousgameuseisconsideredinvariousdomainstoidentifytrendsinuse.
UrbanScience:playerscanpresenttheir
nalplansasathree-dimensionalmodel
oftheredesignedcity.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Game types
Assessment
Summary
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
37
Seriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomains
Serious games adoption in multiple domains
Serious games are being pioneered in several different sectors. This
chapter looks at those sectors, the games used and developed for them,
and some of the issues involved in using them.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Commerce and corporate
Informal learning
Serious games and NEETs
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices
38
Seriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomains Games in Education:
Serious Games
Seriousgameusage,thatis,usinggamestoassistlearningspecicgoals,isincreasing,thoughmoreso
intrainingandvocationalareascomparedwitheducation(JISC2007).SaradeFreitas(2006)believesthis
vocationalfocusisduetotheexperientialandproblem-basedlearningapproachesthatareoftenthe
pedagogicmodels.Trainingandvocationalareasinvolvelearninghow(procedures),ratherthan
understandinghow(amoreabstractandhigherlevelunderstanding).Thelatterismorecommonlyfound
informaleducation-althoughbotharelearning.
Onepotentialofseriousgames,regardlessofdomain,isthattheycanintegrateintoexistinginstitutional
systemsandcognitivetools,forexamplediscussionforums,bulletinboardsandconceptmapping
softwarewhichismorewidelyusedoutofaformaleducationcontext.Thiscommunityisalready
establishedandshowntobeavalidlearningandsupporttoolinleisuregamessuchasWorldof
Warcraft
30
.Inparticular,theuseofmultiplayeronlinegamespromotesthistie-inwithothersoftware
tools.InsomecasesintheUSA,gamesarebeingusedasaninterfacetoe-learningmaterials,
resourcesandcourses(JISC2007).
Thistie-inisnottheonlyreasonfortheiruse.Smith(2007)arguesthattherearevefactorswhichhave
inuencedseriousgameadoptioninanumberofenvironmentsthatinuencethedegreeandtakeupof
gametechnologies:
computerhardwarecosts
gamesoftwarepower
socialacceptance
otherindustrysuccesses
andnativeindustryexperimentation
Thissectiondescribeshowseriousgamesareusedineldsinsideandoutsideofformaleducation.
Itconsidersboththereason,todevelopvocational,orhigherorderunderstanding,andthepractical
reasonsforgameadoptioninordertoidentifyiftherearethemesaroundusage.
30.
Foradiscussiononthecommunitiesthat
arosefrommassivelymultiplayeronline
gamesseeTheWarcraftEffectinFunInc
(Chateld2010,pp.87-110).
WorldofWarcraft:amassivelymultiplayer
onlinegamewithdiverselearningand
supportcommunicationmethodsavailable
toitscommunity.
www.worldofwarcraft.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

39
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsMilitary Games in Education:
Serious Games
Military
Earlygameswereoftenbasedaroundcombatorghting,forexample,theboardgamesChaturangaand
WeiHei-botharound4000yearsold-werewargamesdesignedtodevelopstrategiesforbattles.The
potentialofdigitalgamesastrainingtoolsforthemilitaryhasbeenrecognisedforoverthirtyyears
31
.In
1981aprototypesimulatorwascommissionedbytheUSarmyforinfantryvehicletraining.TheBradley
Trainer,originallycalledIFV(InfantryFightingVehicle),usedthecontrolsfromarealBradleyFighting
VehicleandmodiedexistingBattleZonehardware
32
.However,itwasnotuntil1996andthe
emergenceofMarineDoomthatthepotentialofgameswasappreciated.MarineDoomwasavariation
ofthe1993gameDoom.Insteadofarstpersonshooterdynamicsetinamaze,realisticweaponryand
carefullystructuredenvironmentswereintroduced,andplayerstasksincludedlearningtheproper
sequenceofattack,conservingammunition,howtocommunicateeffectively,takeandgiveordersand
workasateam.Gamesallowedthistrainingtotakeplaceinanengagingmethod,butwithoutthecost,
inconvenienceandtimeofrunningthetrainingsessionsintherealworld.Thesesimulationsprovidea
meansofallowingplayerstopractiseinsituationswhichwouldotherwisebetoocostlyordangerousto
beprovidedinreallifeandwheremistakescouldbecatastrophic,andallowrepetitionuntilmasteryis
achieved.
AnotherillustrationofthebenecialimmersiveexperiencewastheCaspianLearningRoundsInspection
Simulationtotrainyoungofcerswhohadbeenintrainingforfewerthan20weeksaboutweapon
checking(safetyround)onships
33
.Thiswasaproofofconceptprojecttoseeifknowledgewasretained
betterthanthecurrenttraininglecturemethod.Itwasahighdelitysimulationfollowinganepistemic
model,theplayergotpointsaccordingtotheircompetency,andtheycouldfailwhichresultedintheship
blowingup.Likegamesinthearmy,thenavyfeltthatgameswereonlyappropriateinablendedlearning
environment.
31.
Notethatthisdiscussionfocuseson
games,ratherthanbespokesimulations
foraircraftetc-althoughtheseareclearly
effectiveinteachingpilotstoreactto
specicsituationsthataretoodangerous
orexpensivetopracticeintherealworld.
32.
Seewww.arcade-history.com/?n=bradley-
trainer&page=detail&id=330fordetails,
thiswasrecommendedbyJohnHoggard.
33.
Foradescriptionofthesimulationsee
www.caspianlearning.co.uk/results/
case-studies/maritime-warfare-school-
uk-navy-rounds-inspection-simulation
ARMA2:introducesplayerstoteam-based
combat,aplaybookofmilitarytacticsand
abattleeldonwhichtopracticetactical
andstrategicskills.www.arma2.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

40
Serious games adoption in multiple domains Military Games in Education:
Serious Games
One reason for the popularity is the ability to modify (mod) the games. The UK army has a gold licence
for Virtual BattleSpace 2. This is a fully interactive, three-dimensional training system which the army
can adapt and customise. It can be used to represent real terrains and equipment so that it is suitable
for a wide range of military (or similar) training and experimentation purposes
34
. This has led to
applications for learning to drive convoys, kit out workshops, practice ying unmanned vehicles, and
debrief and train soldiers for actual events
35
. For military purposes this gold licence is essential due to
the need to keep secret the exact capabilities of tanks and scouting robots. The licence means that once
the initial commissioning was complete, which initially took four years given the small company size,
future adaptations were not problematic. The military still have a strong relationship and work closely
with the original developers, for example, when new assets and models, such as calculating the impact
of underslung loads in helicopters, is required. Their model of working is very much user-led, with the
trainers stipulating requirements.
The importance of simulations for the army has been recognised within the UK government. In 2008 the
Ministry of Defence produced a strategy for simulation including modelling and synthetic environments.
This report justies the use, and drawbacks, of simulations. Advantages include:
Cost - both in operational hours and consumables
Scheduling
The ability to represent operations and battle spaces at medium or large scale without impacting on
scarce manpower and platforms
Potentially replicate the complex contemporary operating environment - incorporating Network
Enabled Capability and including diplomatic, economic, asymmetric and other behaviour-based
interactions
Recording the tailored scenarios for review and re-enactment
Allow exercises that could not happen otherwise for reasons of safety, security, geography, political
sensitivity or increasing weapon and sensor capabilities
34.
For a further description of the software
see www.bisimulations.com. It is also
discussed by John Hoggard, a lecturer at
Craneld specialising in defence
simulation in Appendix D.
35.
For a more detailed discussion of usage
see the expert interview with John
Hoggard in Appendix D.
There are applications for
learning to drive convoys,
kit out workshops, practice
ying unmanned vehicles
and debrief and training
soldiers for actual events.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

41
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsMilitary Games in Education:
Serious Games
Thisreportalsoacknowledgedthatthereis:
Highinitialandmodicationcosts.
Aninabilitytofullyreplicatephysical(egradarperformance),physiological(egstress)and
psychologicaleffects(egfear).
TheUKmilitarynowaimtoimproveinteroperability,sharingassets,tools,geodata,andscenarios
betweenvariousprojectsaswellastakingadvantageofcommercialoff-the-shelfproducts(DAES2008).
Gamesdevelopedbythemilitaryarenotonlyusedbythemilitary.Themostcommonlycitedexampleof
aseriousgameisAmericasArmy.Usingthecriteriaofusageithasovertenmillionplayersonline;
dollarfordollaritisthemosteffectiverecruitmentmethodfortheUSarmy(Chateld2010).The
popularity,aspointedoutbyDrDunwell,isthetopic-itlendsitselftoanalreadypopulargaminggenre.
Finally,theUSarmyareexploringtheuseofseriousgamesasawayoftreatingposttraumaticstress
disorder
36
.ThisVRtechnologyisalsobeinginvestigatedforstrokerehabilitationandtoassessthe
cognitiveabilitiesofadultswithAlzheimersdiseaseandchildrenacrossarangeofclinicalconditions
whichleadsintothenextsection,seriousgamesforhealthissues.
36.
SeetheworkofDrRizzo,forexample,
www.army.mil/-news/2010/04/19/37572-
army-technology-comes-to-life-at-ict/
andmoregeneralresearchatwww.usc.
edu/projects/rehab/advisors/rizzo/
AmericasArmy:avirtualweb-based
environmentinwhichplayersexperience
soldierdevelopmentfromindividualand
collectivetrainingtodeploymentin
simulatedmissions.
www.americasarmy.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

42
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsHealth Games in Education:
Serious Games
Health
Seriousgamesdealingwithhealthissuesareagrowingeld.TheGamesforHealthannualconference,
whichdescribesitselfasthreedaystoexploretheroleofvideogamesinhealthandhealthcare,has
beenheldforthelastsixyearsandisgettinglarger.In2010therewere45presentationsfeaturing:active
gaming,rehabandphysicaltherapy,diseasemanagement,healthbehaviourchange,biofeedback,
epidemiology,training,cognitiveexercise,nutritionandhealtheducation
37
.Thetopicsvaryfromlooking
atexer-gaming,forexample,howtotreatsnowboardersknee
38
,totrainingproceduralskills(Hoffman
2006).Therangeofgamesshowsthattherearebespokegamesadaptingexistingkit,aswellas
commercialexercisegamesfortheWiit.ThekitneednotonlybeontheWiiorPC,thereisatrendfor
developinggamesusingmobiletechnologiesandotherinterfaces.Forexample,breathingintoa
microphonetocontrolgameplayonaniPodTouch.
Healthgamesforpractitioners(doctorsandnursesforexample)tendtobesimulation-basedandused
fortraining.Forexample,theHollierSimulationCentrepilotin2008inBirminghamallowedjunior
doctorstoexperienceandtrainforavarietyofacutemedicalscenariosusingcomputerisedmannequins
aspatients.Thelearningoccursthroughtheexperience,andbyreviewingthesessions-whichcanbe
replayedandanalysedusinghigh-techdigitalrecordings.Thisexperientiallearningwasfoundusefuland
doctorswantedthistypeoftrainingtohappenmorefrequently.OnthebasisofthisHollierSimulation
arehopingtobuildaregionaltrainingfacility
39
.Thisbeliefthatsimulationgamesareeffectiveteaching
toolswascorroboratedbyUSresearchwithtraineedoctors(Kronetal.2010).
37.
Thefullconferencedetailscanbefoundat
www.gamesforhealth.org/details.html
38.
Forarangeofexer-gamessee
www.gamesforhealth.org/gfh-2010-
sensorimotor-rehab-track-yer.pdf
39.
Seewww.hollier-simulation-centre.co.uk/
default.asp?page=330forabriefoverview
ofthepilotandthepresentationtothe
GamesBasedLearningConference2010
bythesurgeonJonathanStewart-
www.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/
topic,87.msg160#msg160
TriageTrainer:supportsdevelopmentof
lifesavingskillsusingprotocolsfrom
AdvancedLifeSupportGroup.
www.trusim.com/?page=Demonstrations
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

43
Serious games adoption in multiple domains Health Games in Education:
Serious Games
It is not only role-play that is useful for medical practitioners. In his dissertation Smith compared
traditional teaching and training using virtual reality and game technology-based tools in laparoscopic
surgery (that is, minimally invasive or keyhole surgery). He found the latter was less expensive, took less
time, resulted in less medical errors when surgery is actually performed, and allowed multiple
symptoms and repetition (Smith 2008).
Returning to the UK another example of developers of health simulation is TruSim, a division of Blitz
Games Studios. They developed Triage Trainer (see Case Study 1) as well as games for ward staff around
ward cleanliness and patient deterioration. These were described as games rather than simulations
because of the element of risk.
Games for the public that are not exercise related have less delity than training simulations although
simulate outcomes. An example would be Ian Bogosts game Fatworld
40
, a game about obesity, nutrition
and socioeconomics in the US, or the game to tackle childhood obesity being developed by the University
of Warwick, NHS West Midlands and the Serious Games Institute
41
.
40.
www.persuasivegames.com/games/
game.aspx?game=fatworld
41.
http://seriousgamesinstitute.co.uk/
research.aspx?section=14&item=223&cat
egory=52
Game technology-based
tools were less expensive,
took less time, and
resulted in less medical
errors when surgery is
actually performed.
Fatworld: a video game about the politics
of nutrition. It explores the relationships
between obesity, nutrition, and
socioeconomics in the contemporary U.S.
www.fatworld.org
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

44
Serious games adoption in multiple domains Commerce and corporate games Games in Education:
Serious Games
Commerce and corporate games
According to IBM
42
serious games will be used by between 100 and 135 of the Global Fortune 500 by
2012, with the United States, United Kingdom and Germany leading the way. Games in commerce have
been used to recruit staff, improve communication between managers and their far-ung staff, and train
employees at all levels (Derryberry 2007). In fact, IBM commissioned research to investigate the
relationship between leaders in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) with
leaders in the real world. What was found was:
the organizational and strategic challenges facing players who serve as game leaders are familiar ones:
recruiting, assessing, motivating, rewarding, and retaining talented and culturally diverse team
members; identifying and capitalizing on the organizations competitive advantage; analyzing multiple
streams of constantly changing and often incomplete data in order to make quick decisions that have
wide-ranging and sometimes long-lasting effects. But these management challenges are heightened in
online games because an organisation must be built and sustained with a volunteer workforce in a uid
and digitally mediated environment (Reeves et al. 2008).
Interestingly, they also found that successful leadership was more dependent on the game structures
than the individual leaders in that environment. They hypothesise if there were immediate nonmonetary
incentives, for example points for commitment and performance, then leadership within the ofce is
more likely to occur.
IBM itself not only uses games for internal training but has made part of its training programme a
commercial product. Whether these games can be classied as serious, or advertainment - they require
the use of IBM solutions to achieve answers, they are popular. Their game, INNOV8, has been
downloaded by 1,000 schools worldwide and more than 100 universities worldwide have built custom
curriculum using the serious game to help students learn about business process management. Their
latest game to be published in the autumn of 2010, CityOne: A smarter planet game, focuses on
making energy, banking, water and retail systems more efcient.
42.
www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/
soa/innov8/cityone/index.html
Games have been used to
recruit staff, improve
communication between
managers and their far-
ung staff, and train
employees at all levels.
SimVenture: allows players to setup and
run their own virtual company and learn
about business and being an entrepreneur.
www.simventure.co.uk
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

45
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsCommerceandcorporategames Games in Education:
Serious Games
Commercegamesareintendedtobeusedaspartofblendedlearning,soaccordingtotheCEOof
BusinessSmart,RichardBerg
43
thereshouldbeacombinationofgamesandsimulationswithface-to-
facecoachingandfacilitation.However,asagamedeveloperthekeyissueisidentifyingwhattheclient
wantsandwhatcanbeachieved.
Sowhythisfocusonseriousgamesincommerce?Oneexplanationisthecost.Withgamesthereisa
reductionintheneedfortrainingstaff,trainingspace,specialequipment,andtimetablingbecomes
easier.InhistalkattheGamesConferenceJustinBovey,theCEOofRiversRunRed,describedthe
advantagesofvirtualtraininginabankscenario
44
.Thetraineewasexposedtovariousmethodsof
learning:lectures,videos,role-play(inavirtualworldmakingcharactersisnotproblematic),taking
shortonlineexams,andhavingaone-to-oneassessmentwithatrainer.Althoughnotagameinthe
traditionalsensetheenvironmentusedagameengineandvarioussimulationtechniques.
Asecondfactorisrealism,sinceusinggamescaninvolveauthenticcontentandauthenticpractice.As
describedbyBeckandWadegamescanincorporatethevariousstreamsofdataavailablewhichhas
movedbeyondtraditionalspreadsheetsandlinearmodels.Moreover,thenumberofemployeeswhoare
familiarwithvideogamesisincreasing,andcomparedtonon-gamers,gamershaveadeep
understandingofriskversusrewardandtheyaremoreabletotakemeasuredrisks(citedinMichael&
Chen2006).
Finally,becauseoftheauthenticcontent,gamescanbeusedtodevelopbusinessplans.BenSawyer
describesascenariowhereacompanydevelopsstrategiesfortherealworldthroughavirtualone,
ratherthanmodellingprobabilitiesbasedondecisions(Sawyer2009).
43.
Thisistakenfromapresentationtothe
2010GamesBasedLearningconference
- seewww.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/
topic,89.0
44.
Thisistakenfromapresentationtothe
2010GamesBasedLearningconference
- seewww.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/
topic,89.0
TheSmallBusinessGame:anonline
interactivesimulationthatgivesyour
studentstheexperienceofrunningtheir
ownsportsshop.www.sport4life.biz
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

46
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsInformallearning Games in Education:
Serious Games
Informal learning
Gamesareoftencommissionedbygroupswhowanttoteachorraiseawarenessofsomethinginparallel
oroutsideoftheformaleducationalcurriculum.Gamesareseenasappropriatebecauseoftheir
non-preachynatureandthemotivationyoungpeoplehaveinplayingwiththem.Theyarealsoseenas
appropriateforawiderangeoftopics,fromanawarenessofpovertyinthethirdworldtogangculturein
theUK.
Theprocessofcommissioninginformalgamesvaries.Aneedmayberecognisedbyanorganisationand
tenderedouttogamedevelopers,forexample,theParliamentaryEducationService(PES)
commissioningMPforaWeek.Alternativelytherearecompetitionswhereanorganisationwishingto
promoteanunderstandingoftheirremitoffersprizesforappropriategames.Oneexampleofthisisthe
USinitiativeAppsforHealthyKids.Thisofferedsoftwaredevelopers,gamedesigners,students,and
otherinnovatorsprizesofupto$60,000todevelopfunandengagingsoftwaretoolsandgamesthat
encouragechildrentoeatmorehealthilyandbemorephysicallyactive
45
.Incontrast,othercompetitions
focusonveryspecicareas,forexample,arounddatingviolence
46
.Alternatively,itcansometimesbe
moreserendipitous,respondingtocallsfromorganisationsthatneedtogetamessageacrossbutare
unsureoftheirformat,whichishowtheDepartmentfortheEnvironmentcommissionedtheirgame
aroundclimatechangefortheclassroom(Operation:ClimateControl
47
).Orthereistheapproachtaken
byChannel4,whichviewsgamesasanappropriatemethodoffulllingitslearningremitforsecondary
schoolstudents.However,in2008ameetingoftheAllianceforDigitalInclusion
48
foundthatthe
governmenthadnoco-ordinatedapproachtousinggamesforpublicpolicypurposes,despite
commissioningthemthroughvariousschemes
49
.
45.
Seewww.appsforhealthykids.com
46.
TheJenniferAnnGroupintheUSsponsors
anannualcompetitionwitha$2,500prize
forthebestgameraisingawarenessofthe
dangersofteendatingviolence.Seehttp://
jenniferann.org/2010-games.htmforthis
yearsprizewinners.
47.
Seeforanoverviewoftheclimatecontrol
gamescreatedbyRedRedemption-
www.operationclimatecontrol.co.uk/
content/press/press-info
48.
FromnotestakenbyDrBenWilliamson
takenattheADI2008meetingCanthe
GamesBeSerious?inGuildhall,London,
onthe5June.
49.
Forexample,gamesdevelopedbythe
ParliamentaryEducationGroup(MPfora
week),theDepartmentofTransport(Code
ofEverand).
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

47
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsInformallearning Games in Education:
Serious Games
Unlikeinthemilitary,health,andcommercedomainsmanygamesinthepublicdomainarenot
assessedtoensurethelearninggoalhasbeenmetinindividuals,thoughlikecommercialgames,the
numberofplayersisoftenusedasindicatorofsuccess.Insteadthegameisevaluatedforlearninggains
afterrelease(althoughithasbeendesignedwiththeseinmind).Forexample,intheMPforaWeek
gamethereisnoexplicitexternalassessmentofknowledgegainedfromplaying,althoughthereis
supportforteachersaroundhowbesttousethegame.Theevaluationofactualimpactandlearningso
farhasconsistedof:acombinationofstatisticsaroundthenumberofusersandtimeplayed,and
detailedusertestingsessionsintwodifferentschoolstoprovidequalitativefeedback.However,thelatter
approachistimeconsumingandexpensive,sosomedatabetweenthetwoextremeswouldbeuseful.
ThePESdidconsidercommissioninganimpactstudy,butsinceitisstillbuildingitsaudience,this
optionwouldnothavebeencosteffective.ForOperation:ClimateControltherewasasmallsurvey
aroundeffectivenessbutitwasrestrictedbyasmallbudgetthatonlycoveredthegamedesignand
production,whileintheClimateChallengegameitseffectivenesswasevaluatedaspartofanMSc(see
CaseStudy3).IncontrastCodeofEverandisbeingevaluatedbyresearchersindependenttothegame
developers
50
.
50.
TheSeriousGamesInstituteandFuturelab
havebeencommissionedtoevaluate
whetheritimpactsthebehaviourchildren
exhibitwhencrossingtheroad.
MPforaWeek:playersexperiencethe
personalandprofessionaldilemmasofa
weekinpolitics,takingresponsibilityfor
theirdecisions,andthenseeingthe
implicationsontheircareers.
www.parliament.uk/education/online-
resources/games/mp-for-a-week
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
48
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsInformallearning
CaseStudy3:ClimateChallengegame
Name:ClimateChallenge
Type:Minionlinesandboxstrategygame
Targetaudience:Youngprofessionalsaged
20-35
Content:Communicatingtheconsequencesof
climatechange
Commissionedby:BBC,UK
Developedby:RedRedemption,UK
Timetoproduceprototype:1year
Overview
ClimateChallengeisanonlinesandbox-style
strategygamedevelopedbyRedRedemption.It
wasreleasedin2007withtheaimofengaging
youngprofessionalsaged20-35intherealities
ofclimatechangeandmeasuresthatcanbe
takentodecreasecarbondioxideemissions.It
wassupportedanddistributedbytheBBCon
theirScienceandNaturewebsite.
Inthegame,theplayertakestheroleofthe
leaderoftheEuropeanNationsfromtheyear
2000to2100.Thegameconsistsoftenturns,
eachlastingadecade,andplayersmustbalance
theneedtolowercarbondioxideemissionswith
theirresponsibilitytomaintainvitalresources.
Intherstphaseofeachturn,theplayeris
shownvariousoptionsforpolicieswhichthey
canchoosetoimplement.Thepoliciesare
displayedascards,organisedunderve
categories:national,trade,industry,localand
household.Eachcardshowsapolicyoption,and
depictsvisualrepresentationsofitsimpacton
budget,CO
2
emissions,andresources.Acrowd
ofpeopleontherightrepresentpublicopinion,
andaswingometerdepictstheirlevelof
approvalforeachpolicy.Onceplayershave
implementedtheirdecisions,theyreceive
immediatefeedback,rstlybyasimplegraphic
whichshowshowmanycloudsofCO
2
havebeen
releasedintotheatmosphereasaresultofthe
newpolicies.Playersthenseeanexcerptfrom
TheClimateTimes,actionalnewspaper
whichshowsanewsstoryandanopinionpoll
reectingpublicopinionofthenewpoliciesand
leadership.Thenextphaseofeachturnconsists
ofnegotiationswithotherworldleaders,who
mustagreetosettargetsforthereductionof
CO
2
emissions.
ClimateChallenge:playerscanvoteto
regulateCO
2
emissionsacrossEurope.
www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/
climatechange/climate_challenge
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

49
Serious games adoption in multiple domains Informal learning Games in Education:
Serious Games
Background
The idea for the game originated from an
informal conversation between Gobion
Rowlands, one of the founders of Red
Redemption, and Myles Allen, an eminent
scientist for the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC). Myles had generated
vast amounts of data from his modelling project
climateprediction.net, and whilst this data was
very dry, Myles realised that it ought to be put to
good use by communicating important
messages to the public about the likely
consequences of climate change. He suggested
that an effective medium for this could be a
game, and Gobion agreed. At the time Myles
was creating a television series with BBC
Science and Nature exploring the outputs of his
project, and he put Gobion in touch with the
relevant contacts. The BBC agreed to fund the
project, and the Climate Challenge game was
born.
The game itself took ve months to build, after
the initial planning stage, and involved around
10-15 developers at any one time. Its main aims
were to empower individuals by allowing players
to explore the likely trajectory of climate change,
and the effect human actions can have on
carbon dioxide emissions. It was also designed
to help young people explore different policy
options, from local to global initiatives. Finally,
the game aimed to communicate facts about
climate change, by basing its gures and
predictions on real scientic data, provided by
the IPCC.
One of the reasons that the creators of Climate
Challenge believe it has succeeded in meeting
its aims is that it struck a balance between fun
and accuracy. Scientic expertise was provided
by an in-house expert, Hannah Rowlands, who
contributed her knowledge at every step of the
way. But Hannah also fully endorses the view
that a game must be fun, and this remained a
priority within the game design team throughout
the project.
Evaluation
Though the BBCs budget for the Climate
Challenge game did not stretch to an
assessment of the games effectiveness in
meeting its aims, Hannah Rowlands was at the
time completing her Masters in Environmental
Science, and carried out an in-depth research
project on the games effectiveness as a
communication tool for her dissertation. Her
results showed that many players did learn
about climate change through playing the game,
and there was some evidence of attitude change
as a result of playing. It was also reported that
the use of games as a communication tool,
particularly for issues such as climate change,
was supported by the participants in the study.
Climate Challenge: players can vote to
regulate CO2 emissions across Europe.
www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/
climatechange/climate_challenge
Its aims were to empower
individuals by allowing
players to explore the
likely trajectory of climate
change, and the effect
human actions can have on
carbon dioxide emissions.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices
50
Serious games adoption in multiple domains Serious games and NEETs Games in Education:
Serious Games
Serious games and NEETs*
The adoption of serious games into education could address the wider issue of NEETs, that is, young
people who are not in education, employment or training. It is estimated that 10% of those eligible for
post-16 education could be considered a NEET, and this gure has remained stable for the past decade.
The high number of NEETs in the UK is thought to be in part due to the decline in the manufacturing
industries which in turn has caused a signicant decrease in the number of unskilled and semi skilled
employment opportunities. As such, young people who struggle to engage with more traditional
academic routes into employment are not catered for in the current training and job market, and no
longer have so many opportunities to socialise into adulthood.
Many educational reforms have been implemented in recent years to reduce the number of NEETs, since
the unemployment of this group costs the economy more than 90m every week (McNally & Telhaj 2007).
Those who are working to encourage engagement in this cohort of young people are increasingly
recognising that digital media will likely be a powerful tool in reaching young people and supporting
them to learn and develop vital skills for life and work. Since assumptions should not be made about
young peoples access to and use of digital media, there will not be one single solution to the problem.
However, the use of games within this cohort (either on consoles, on the internet or on mobile phones) is
almost ubiquitous. A large-scale US survey reported that 83% of teens have at least one console in their
home (Nielsen Report 2009), and a similar survey in the UK suggested that 97% of 11-15 year olds and
82% of 16-24 year olds would describe themselves as gamers (Pratchett 2005).
Games would therefore appear to be a natural channel for reaching disengaged teens. Games could be
used in a number of ways to contribute to different areas of the problem, including motivating and
engaging those who are in danger of dropping out of formal compulsory education, reengaging and
reaching those who are disengaged, and smoothing transitions from compulsory to post-16 engagement.
It is this latter area in particular in which serious games could be harnessed, to support young peoples
transition into the world of work.
Games would appear to
be a natural channel for
reaching disengaged
teens.
This section uses information taken
from a paper by Karl Royle. The paper
was commissioned by Becta to explore
the use of games in learning.
Specifically, it looks at how games
based learning (GBL) can be applied to
14 to 19 learning, with a particular
emphasis on those classified as NEET
(Royle 2010).
*
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

51
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsSeriousgamesandNEETs Games in Education:
Serious Games
Ithasbeensuggestedthatseriousgamescouldassistintrainingyoungpeoplesvocationalskillsina
varietyofsectors,frombusinessandentrepreneurshiptomanualjobssuchasplumbing
52
.Thereare
severalseriousgamesalreadyonthemarketthataimtosupportplayerstodevelopboththefunctional
skillsrelatedtoparticularvocations,andthesoftskillswhicharerequiredforyoungpeopletoprosper
intheworldofwork,suchasproblem-solving,communication,innovationandcollaboration.One
exampleofsuchagameisTheSmallBusinessGame
52
,inwhichplayersaresupportedastheyruna
smallretailoutlet.
InthecaseofNEETs,seriousgamescouldprovideausefulmediumwithwhichtointroduceyoung
peopletotherangeofvocationsinanon-threatening,risk-freeandhopefullyfunenvironment.Inplaying
seriousgames,youngpeoplecanhaveagoatworkinginanumberofdifferentelds,andcanpractice
andhonetheirskillsagainandagaininanenvironmentwheremakingmistakesdoesnotequalfailure.
Indeed,withinagame,mistakesareanintrinsicpartofthemechanics,inthataplayeronlylearnshow
toproceedthroughalevelbytryingdifferentstrategiesandselectingthemostsuccessful.
Furthermore,thejust-in-timefeedbackthatgamesprovidecouldgosomewaytoallowingdisengaged
youngpeopletorecognisetheirownpersonalprogress,whichinitselfisamotivatingfactortocontinue
playingthegame.
Atthisstage,noresearchhasbeenconductedtoinvestigatewhetherseriousgamescouldrepresentan
effectiveinterventiontoengageandsupportyoungpeoplenotineducation,employmentortrainingto
continuetheirlearning.However,drawingfromtheliteratureaboutgamesanddisengagedyoung
people,itispossibletoseepotentialinexploringthisavenuefurther.
51.
Gamesmanufacturers,suchas
skills2learnwww.skills2learn.com)
currentlyprovidearangeofsimulations
usedincollegestointroduceaswellas
providecontinuingprofessional
developmentinavarietyofsectors,for
example,plumbing,midwiferyandcall
centres.
52.
Seewww.sport4life.biz
TheSmallBusinessGame:targetedat
14-18yearolds,playersexperiencethe
start-upandmanagementofabusiness,
learningbothfromtheirmistakesand
fromtheirsuccesses.www.sport4life.biz
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

52
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsFormaleducation Games in Education:
Serious Games
Formal education
53
Thelimiteduseofseriousgamesinformaleducationmayberelatedtotheissuesaroundusingleisure
games.Thatis,concernsaboutphysicalandcostbarriers,havingenoughhardware,licences,sufcient
access,ITsupport,andcondenceinusingthegame,whichincludeshavinghadtimetoreadthe
manual,understandhowthegamerelatestothecurriculumgoals,andanunderstandingofhow
learningwillbeassessed(Sandfordetal)
54
.
Moreover,gamesarenotaneffectiveteachingtoolforallstudents.Thisispartlytodowiththepedagogy.
Failureisthenormingames,repetitionandexplorationishowplayerslearn.Thiscontrastswith
learningdiscretechunksofinformationwhichcanbefoundinschools(Squire2005).Squirefound
roughly25%ofstudentsinschoolsituationswithdrewfromhisstudy,whichusedCivilizationtoteach
geographyandhistory,astheyfoundittoohard,complicatedanduninteresting.(Tobecomeacompetent
playertakessixtosevenhours,andtogothroughallthestagesahundredhours.)Whileanother25%of
thestudents(particularlyacademicunderachievers)lovedplayingthegame,theythoughtitwasa
perfectwaytolearnhistory.
Furthermoretheformaleducationsystemhastoadheretoknowledgeandproceduresrequiredfor
externalexams.Thusgamesneedtoaddresstheseareas.Gamesthataligntothecurriculumappearto
haveawidertakeupthanthosethatarepedagogicallysoundandengagingbuthavenoclear
relationship.Forexample,DimensionM
55
,asetofgamesmodelledonarstpersonshooterwhere
gameprogressisdeterminedbycorrectlyansweringmathematicalquestionstoscorepointsispopular
intheUS.Thisgamealignstostatestandardsforteachingandcantrackandreportonstudent
progress.Gameswhichdevelopmorecriticalskillsthatarehardertoanalyseandassess,suchasGlobal
Conicts:Palestine,havealowertakeup,whichthedeveloperattributestothedifcultyinintegratingit
intolessonsgiventhetimeneededfortheteachertolearnandthetimeittakestoplay.Thiscontrasts
withleisuregames,wheretimeconstraintsarenotusuallyanissue.
53.
Thepotentialandrationaleforusing
gamesinformaleducationhasbeen
discussedinthe2009Futurelabpaper
Computergames,schools,andyoung
people:Areportforeducatorsonusing
gamesforlearning.www.futurelab.org.
uk/resources/documents/project_
reports/becta/Games_and_Learning_
educators_report.pdf
54.
Anelaborationofthisargumentcanbe
foundintheinterviewwithSimon
Egenfeldt-NielseninAppendixD.
55.
Seewww.dimensionu.com/math
Games that align to the
curriculum appear to have
a wider take up than those
that are pedagogically
sound and engaging but
have no clear relationship.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

53
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsFormaleducation Games in Education:
Serious Games
Theserestrictionshaveleadtogamesinitiallyintendedforteaching,suchasMuzzyLanesMaking
Historygame
56
,becomingaleisuregameforadults.Theeducationaspecthasnotbeenlost,for
example,theyprovidelessonplans
57
,butthemajorityoftheiraudiencecreatetheirownscenariosfor
fun.GamessuchasSimVenture(seeCaseStudy2)solvethisdilemmabysupportingentrepreneursaged
16-30socanbeusedinformally.Theyalsohavetheadvantagetheycanconsolidatetopicscoveredbythe
curriculum.
Schemestoencouragestudentstocreateseriousgamesarebeingdeveloped.Oneofthelargestisthe
DiDAqualicationthathasamoduleongameauthoring
58
.InturnthiscanbesupportedbyDiDA
deliveredbytheNorthWestGridforLearning.Inadditiontoatextualdescriptionofthelearningobjects
itincorporateswhattheauthorsdescribeas300seriousgames,althoughtheseappeartobeshort
casualbehaviouristgames.
Seriousgameshaveapotentialforwell-denedelds,suchasscience,technology,engineeringand
mathematic(STEM)subjects.ThisisthefocusfortheUSGamesforLearningInstitute.Simulations,as
formilitaryandhealthdomains,allowtheplayertorepeattillmasteryinasafeenvironmentthatwould
betoocostly,dangerousortimeconsumingtodoinreallife.Moreover,thepossibledelitymayenhance
transfer,asintheepistemicgameswhereplayersareencouragedtousetheterminologyand
approachesemployedbyprofessionals(Gee&Shaffer2010).
56.
Seehttp://making-history.com
57.
Forexample,theydescribemultipleways
ofusingtheirgame,eitherasasingle
lesson,forgroupsandindividualin
www.muzzylane.com/images/downloads/
Instructors_Guide_Calm_and_Storm.pdf
58.
ForadescriptionoftheEdexcel
programmeofworkseehttp://www1.
edexcel.org.uk/D205_0909/html/
SPB205Index.htm
MakingHistory:playerstakefullcontrolof
anyworldnation,colonies,regions,cities,
andmilitaryunitsduringthetimeleading
uptoandduringtheSecondWorldWar.
http://making-history.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices

54
SeriousgamesadoptioninmultipledomainsDiscussion Games in Education:
Serious Games
Discussion
Fromareviewofexistinggamesoutsideofformaleducationseriousgames,particularlysimulationsor
taskswhichrequirehabituation,thatisusingknowledgeacquiredwithoutconsciouseffort,are
frequentlyusedindomainssuchasthemilitaryandhealth.Thesegamestendtohaveahighdegreeof
delityinallaspectsofthegame.Ininformallearninggamesthedelityisnothighinsomeareasin
ordertoincreasefocusontherelevantpoints,forexample,nothavingtowaittoseetheoutcomeof
actionsintheClimateChallengegame.
Assessmentinmilitaryandvocationalhealthsimulationstendstobeacomparisonwithexpert
responsesinsimulation,ortrainer-ledthroughdebrieng.Feedbackmechanismswithinthegametend
tomodelresultsofactions,forexample,whathappensiftoomuchisconsumed,orblowinguptheboat
ifapoordecisionismadewhendoingtherounds.Transfertendstobemeasuredbyreviewing
performanceintherealworldratherthanassumingthatitnaturallyoccursfromthegame.
Otherdomains,suchasthoseforNEETS,suggestgamesaremorelikelytobeusedifspecically
commissioned,ratherthancreatedtoaddresswhattheprovideridentiesasapossibleneed.
Furthermoretheabilitytoeasilymodifygamesinaneducationaleldwouldbeuseful,forexample,in
ordertocustomisetaskstothespecicgeographiclocation.
Thetie-inwithotherplatformsisnotyetprevalent.AlthoughtheareasidentiedbySmith,particularly
cost,andthesuccessinotherindustriesplaysanimportantroleinthetakeupofdigitalgamesas
learningtools.
MakingHistory:playersmanageregion
andcity-levelprojects,choosing
technologiestoresearch,directingmilitary
movementanddevelopment,conducting
internationaldiplomacy,maintaining
domesticstabilityandproducingvital
resources.http://making-history.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
Military
Health
Informal learning
Formal education
Discussion
The challenges
References
Appendices
55 55
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Thechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducation
The challenges in embedding serious games into formal education
There are many challenges in using serious games in formal education.
This chapter looks at how these challenges can be approached through the
use of three frameworks, which may help educators identify the issues,
most appropriate games and benets of their use.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
RETAIN model
Four-dimensional framework
Balancing pedagogy
Discussion
References
Appendices
56
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Thechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducation
IanBogostsummarisesthelimitationsandpotentialofgamesaseducationaltools:
Gamesarehardtomake.Goodgamesarecomplex.Therealpromiseofgamesaseducationaland
politicaltoolsisintheirabilitytodemonstratethecomplexityandinterconnectednessofissues.Games,
likeallmedia,canteverreallychangebehavior;agameaboutnutritionwontmagicallyturnaplayer
healthy,justasagameaboutcriminalitywontmagicallyturnaplayerdelinquent.
Instead,gamescanhelpusshapeandexploreourvalues.Andtoday,ourvaluesbetterdamnedwellbe
complex.Theyoughttobewellinformedandnuanced.Theyoughtnottobeblackandwhite.Theyought
nottobebite-sized.Theyoughttotakemanyfactorsintoaccount.
59
Takingthisasastartingpointtherstchallengeistoidentifyifagameexiststhataddressesthe
identiedlearninggoals.AsSawyerpointedoutinthedebateWhatswrongwithSeriousGames?
therearegames,itisjustveryfewoftheirpotentialusersareawareofthem(Terdiman2006).
InadditiontotheselectionchallengeSimonEgenfeldt-Nielsenaddsanothercriterion.Hestatesthe
mostimportantconsiderationfromateachersperspectiveishowmuchthegamewillmaketheirlife
easier
60
.Thusthesecondchallengeistoidentifywhethertheselectedgamewilleasilyenhance
teaching,or,ifthereisnotyetarelevantgameinthatarea,whatagamewouldneedinorderforittobe
useful.Thisconsiderationinvolvesmorethanjustassuminggameswillmotivateandengagelearners,
asSquirespointsoutgamesinaclassroomarenotnecessarilymotivating(2005)butincludesassessing
whetheralternativemethodsofteachingwouldbebetter.Thisstagealsoincludeshowdoes,orwill,the
gameassesstherequiredlearning(BinSubaihetal.2009).
59.
SeetheblogarticledatedMarch18th,
2010PlayingPoliticalGames
OntheWhiteHouseandVideogamesat
www.bogost.com/blog/playing_political_
games.shtml(accessed1/6/2010).
60.
SeetheinterviewhighlightsinAppendixD.
The real promise of
games as educational and
political tools is in their
ability to demonstrate
the complexity and
interconnectedness of
issues.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
RETAIN model
Balancing pedagogy
Discussion
References
Appendices
57
Thechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducation Games in Education:
Serious Games
Inordertoovercomethisissueandsupportseriousgamedevelopersandteacherstodevelopandselect
games,researchershavetriedtoidentifytheissuesfacedthesetasks.ForexampletheGamesfor
LearningInstitute(GFLI)haverecentlycreatedarubricforeducators,researchersanddesigners.The
rubricisdesignedtohelpallthreegroupsevaluateeducationalgamesin17differentdesignareasona
5-pointscaleagainstthreecriteria
61
:
Technicalimplementation:Theactivityofprogrammingandexecutingadesignpatternintoaworking
versionofthegame.Includestheseamlessintegrationofdesignelementswithingameplay.
Educationalappropriateness:Theabilityofthegametoaddresseducational/curriculargoalsandthe
player(s)knowledge/abilityrelativetotheeducationalcontentbeingaddressed.
Overallintegrationwithgoals:Theintegrationofthedesignpatternbeingconsideredwiththeother
elementswithinthegame,andwithinoverallgameplayandeducationalgoals.
Thisisinadditiontothecriteriaforchoosingleisuregamesforteaching,egtheTeachingwithGames
projectandtheEuropeanprojectindigitalgames
62
.
Intheremainderofthissectionthreeapproachesareexaminedtoillustratethemethodsthatcouldbe
usedbythoseconsideringandselectinggamesasateachingtool:RETAIN,thefour-dimensional
framework,andbalancinggameandpedagogy.Itisassumedthesegameswillbedevelopedorusedas
partofablendedlearningapproach,thatis,theywillbeoneofmultiplemethodsofteaching.Thesection
concludeswithasynthesisofthekeyareasthatneedtobeconsideredwhenselectingaseriousgame.
61.
Thepresentationwasgivenonthe12th
JulyattheGamesBasedLearning
ConferenceinWisconsin.Asyetno
informationaroundthe17designpatterns
hasbeenpublishedalthoughtheywillbe
usedtoevaluatethegamesintheirown
GameDesignChallenge
www.glsconference.org/2010/program/
event/89
62.
Foranexampleofthelistofcriteria
recommendedforselectinggamesfor
classroomuseseeAppendixA.Thislist
coveringtechnicalspecications,context
andpedagogicalconsiderationsisthe
resultoftheEuropeanprojectintodigital
gameuse(Felicia2009).
QuestAtlantis:playerscanworkasaField
InvestigatorforaParkRangertocollect
evidenceaboutagrowingcatastrophe,
interviewingdifferentcharactersinthe
parkandndingouttheirperspectiveson
theproblem.http://worked_examples.
crlt.indiana.edu/projects/5
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
RETAIN model
Balancing pedagogy
Discussion
References
Appendices

58
The challenges in embedding serious games into formal education RETAIN model Games in Education:
Serious Games
RETAIN model
The Relevance, Embedding, Transfer, Adaption, Immersion and Naturalisation (RETAIN) Model was
developed to:
1) support game development, and
2) in the rubric developed, assess how well educational games contain and incorporate academic
content.
This model is based on three existing theories: Kellers Attention, Relevance, Condence/Challenge, and
Satisfaction/Success (ARCS) model and Gagnes Events of Instruction that are applied against a backdrop
of Blooms hierarchical structure for knowledge acquisition, and Piagets ideas on schema (Gunter et al.
2008). Briey, the ve areas the designer or teacher/trainer needs to consider once the learning goals
have been dened are given in Table 1.
Table 1 starts on the next page
The RETAIN model was
developed to support
game development and
assess how well
educational contain
academic content.
Second Life: the internets largest
user-created, 3D virtual world community.
http://secondlife.com
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
RETAIN model
Balancing pedagogy
Discussion
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
59
ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationRETAINmodel
Table1:Requiredaspectsforappropriateseriousgames
Relevance i)presentingmaterialsinawayrelevanttolearners,theirneeds,
andtheirlearningstyles,and
ii)ensuringtheinstructionalunitsarerelevanttooneanotherso
thattheelementslinktogetherandbuilduponpreviouswork
Embedding assessinghowcloselytheacademiccontentiscoupledwiththe
fantasy/storycontentwherefantasyreferstothenarrative
structure,storylines,playerexperience,dramaticstructure,ctive
elements,etc
Transfer howtheplayercanusepreviousknowledgeinotherareas
Adaption achangeinbehaviourasaconsequenceoftransfer
Immersion theplayerintellectuallyinvestinginthecontextofthegame
Naturalisation thedevelopmentofhabitualandspontaneoususeofinformation
derivedwithinthegame
Executive summary
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The challenges in embedding serious games into formal education RETAIN model Games in Education:
Serious Games
Each of these aspects can be divided into four levels: 0, 1, 2 and 3. Level 0 means the game design does
not meet that aspect, while Level 3 indicates there is a strong correlation between the game and that
necessary aspect. For example, in naturalisation if there is little opportunity to use the information
already presented again it would be classied as Level 0; if it does require the player to use the
information and encourage them to process it more quickly then it is at Level 1 - by Level 3 the player
can assimilate information from multiple sources and spontaneously and habitually use it.
The nal aspect of the rubric is the weighting of each aspect. Gunter and colleagues have ordered the
aspects by importance. From least to most important, they are: Relevance, Immersion, Embedding,
Adaption, Transfer and Naturalisation. Thus if a game fulls Level 1 of transfer it is worth ve points
(1*5), Level 2 ten points (2*5) etc. Since relevance is seen as a less essential aspect of serious game
design, this would mean if a game fullled Level 1 requirements would be worth one point (1*1), Level 2
two points (2*1) and so on.
Each serious game or game design could be assessed using this framework, and if the game fulls
Level 3 at every aspect it would be awarded a maximum of 63 points. Based on these scores the most
appropriate game would be selected for use, or constructed.
Game aspects are
assessed individually to
identify the most
appropriate game.
Executive summary
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Games in Education:
Serious Games
ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationFour-dimensionalframeworktoassistevaluatingthepotentialofgames-andsimulation-basedlearning
Four-dimensional framework to assist evaluating
the potential of games- and simulation-based learning
In2004SaradeFreitasandMartinOliverproposedasetoffourinterrelatedelementsthatcouldbe
usedby:
1)educatorstoselectappropriatesimulationsandgamesasteachingtools
2)researcherstoassessseriousgames,and
3)educationaldesignerstoconsidereducationallyspecicfactors.
InherpresentationtotheSeriousGamesConference2010
63
DrDeFreitasexplainedhowthefour
dimensionalframeworkwassuccessfullyworkingasadesigntoolaswellastheoriginalintentionofan
assessmenttool.
Theirargumentwas:
Althoughanumberofframeworksexistthatareintendedtoguideandsupporttheevaluationof
educationalsoftware,fewhavebeendesignedthatconsiderexplicitlytheuseofgamesorsimulationsin
education.Similarly,researchingamestudieshasgenerallyfocuseduponapproachesbasedupon
playingleisuregames,andthereforedonottakeenoughaccountoffactorsincludingthecontext,
learningtheoryandpracticeandtheattributesofthelearnerandlearnergroup.(deFreitas&Oliver
2006,p.262)
Thusthisstructuredanalysisisdesignedtosupporttheprocessestoselecttherightcontentand
software,andsecondlyndthebestwaytoapplythetoolwithinthelearningcontext.
63.
Seewww.gamebasedlearning.org.uk/
topic,89.0forthevideo(accessed10th
June2010).
Although a number of
frameworks exist that are
intended to guide and
support the evaluation of
educational software, few
have been designed that
consider explicitly the use
of games or simulations in
education.
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62
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Foreachaspecttheygiveasetofchecklistquestionstobeaddressediteratively
64
.Thesequestionscan
bebroad,fromWhatisthecontext?,throughtospecic,Whatlevelofdelityneedstobeusedto
supportlearningactivitiesandoutcomes?
65
.Theusermaychangeresponsesinaccordancewithlater
answers.
Brieythefourdimensions(alsoshowninFigure4)are:
Contextwhichcoverswherethelearningoccurs-itincludesthemacrolevel,sohistorical,political
andeconomicfactors(forexample,areyouplayingbecauseitisaschooldirective),throughtomicro,
thetutorsbackgroundandexperience,costofgamelicencesetc.
Learnerspecication,fortheindividualorgroup,requiresthetutortoconsidertheirpreferred
learningstyleandpreviousknowledgeandwhatmethodswouldbestsupportthemgiventheirdiffering
needs.
Modeofrepresentation,thisincludesthelevelofinteractivityrequired,thedelity,levelofimmersion
produced.Italsocoversdiegesis,theseparationoftheimmersionaspectwiththereectionaround
theprocessofplayingthegame.Mostimportantlyithighlightsthepotentialofbrienganddebrieng
toreinforcethelearningoutcomes.
Pedagogicprinciplesrequiresthetutortoreectonthelearningmodels(seethesectionHowdo
seriousgames,simulationsandvirtualworldsengagewithpedagogy?)whichenablesthemto
produceappropriatelessonplans.
Theseaspectscannotbeconsideredindividually,allarerelated(asshowninFigure4).
Finally,deFreitasandOliverbelievethecurrentstructureofthequestionsmeantheyaresuitedfor
thoseineducationaladvisoryroles,oreducationalsoftwaredesigners.Thequestionsmayneedrening
iftobeuseddirectlybyateacher(deFreitas&Oliver2006,p.262).
64.
ThefulllistcanbefoundinAppendixB.
65.
Forafulldiscussionofdelitysee
AppendixC.
What level of delity needs
to be used to support
learning activities and
outcomes?
Executive summary
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63
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Figure 4:
de Freitas and Olivers framework
for learning considerations
(2006, p.253)
Pedagogicconsiderations:
learningmodelsused,
approachestakenetc.
Learnerspecication:
learnerprole,pathways,
learningbackground,group
proleetc.
Modeofrepresentation:
levelofdelity,interactivity,
immersionetc.
Context:
classroom-based,outdoors,
accesstoequipment,technical
supportetc.
Executive summary
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Context
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64
ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationBalancingPedagogy,GameandRealityComponents Games in Education:
Serious Games
Balancing pedagogy, game and reality components
HarteveldandcolleaguescreatedthegameLeveePatrollerfortheDutchwaterboards.Itwastosupport
therecognitionofawsinlevees,thearticialandrealbarriersthatstoptheinhabitantsandgoodsof
thoseintheNetherlandsbeingwashedaway(Harteveldetal.2007).Theirgoalwasnotonlytodevelop
thegamebuttoguidefuturedevelopersinmakingentertainingandeducationalseriousgames.
Theytheorisethataplayershouldunderstandthatagamehasspeciclearninggoalsinorderto
appreciatetheresults.However,withoutthisexplicitframing,whichmaydetractfromtheplayelement
(gamesareusuallyplayedvoluntarilywithplayercontrol),therecouldbelesslearningastheplayer
focusesonthegoalsandrulesofthegame
66
.Thusthereisanebalancewhendesigningorusing
gameswithaneducationalfocus.Theirapproachwastodivideseriousgamesintothreeareasfor
consideration,seeTable2.
Table 2:
Attributes of a serious game Area Pedagogy
Attributes
Gameelements
Harmony
Reality
Learningobjectives
Experience Uncertainty Targetgroup
Attributes Lowresourcedemanding Interactivity Challenge
Exploration Engaging Clients
Incremental Flow Organisation
66.
Forafurtherdiscussiononthisaspectsee
(SimonEgenfeldt-Nielsenetal.2008,
p.217).
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65
Serious Games
Inpedagogy(learning)theyadvocatetheneedforreection-whichcanbestimulatedbyaninstructor,
butisbetterifincludedinthegame.Thereshouldbelearning-by-doing,solearnersshouldexperience
thelearning-ratherthanbeinggivenwindowsoftext.Thethirdareaisgivingsufcientinformationbut
nottoomuchtodistractthelearnerorcreatecognitiveoverload.Theytermthislowresource
demanding.Thelearnerneedstobeactivewhileplaying,andencourageexplorationratherthan
constantlydirecting.Finallyfromapedagogicalperspectivethelearningshouldbeincremental,thatis,
theyshouldacquireknowledgeandintegrateitintoexistingstructures.
Theyalsowantthetrainertohavetheabilitytocongurethegameinadditiontothecomputerrandomly
selecting,inthiscasetheweatherandfaults.Theyalsoadvocatetraininglevels,whichareusefulforthe
non-gamer.
Inthesecondareatheylookatgame(fun)structure.Gameworldsneedtobecoherentandconsistent,
thatisbeharmonious.Thiscouldinvolveadegreeofdelitybutisnotessential.Creatingsuchan
environmentistrickyasrealityisnotcoherent.Thereneedstobeanelementofuncertainty,
randomnessmakesagamechallengingandenhancesenjoyment.Gamesshouldbeinteractiveandthe
decisionsmadeimpacttheoutcome.Theyshouldbeengaging,sothereneedstoberewardsforactions
(thisfeedbackneednotnecessarilybepoints,thoughtheseareengaging)andkeeptheattentionofthe
player.Finallythereisow;gamesneedcertaintasksthatcanbefrustratingbutobtainable.
Operation:ClimateControl:amulti-player
computergamewheretheplayersroleis
todecideonlocalenvironmentalpolicyfor
Europefortheentire21stcentury.
www.operationclimatecontrol.co.uk
There needs to be an
element of uncertainty,
randomness makes a
game challenging and
enhances enjoyment.
Executive summary
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66
Serious Games
Finallythereisanelementofreality(validity).Thisiscontextspecic,unliketheothertwowhichare
moregeneric.Heretheyareconcernedwithaccuratelydeningthelearningobjectivesthatneedtobe
understoodbytheplayer.Consideringtheabilityofthetargetgroup,forexample,aretheyexperienced
videogameplayers?Thatthechallengeofthegameisthetaskthatneedstobelearntandthelearning
isnotanadjunct-otherwisetheplayermaylearntoplaythegameandnotthecorematerial.Thatthe
expectationsoftheclientsareunderstoodandconsideredwiththegame,andthattheorganisation
withinthegamereectswhatwouldactuallyoccur.
Gamedevelopersandteachersselectinggamesneedtoensurethatthesethreefactorsareinbalance.
Thiscanbeachievedbyconsideringeachattributeinturn.ThecriteriatheDutchresearchersproduced
areintendedtoconstituteanumberofconcretedesignrequirementsforseriousgames.Thereisno
reasontheseareinvalidwhenselectinggames.
Operation:ClimateControl:KeyStage4
playerstackleclimatechangeinteams
throughmakingchoiceswithinascenario
thatcanbemodiedbyateacher.
www.operationclimatecontrol.co.uk
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Context
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The challenges
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67
ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationDiscussion
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Discussion
Eachmodelemphasisesdifferentaspectsofseriousgames.RETAINfocusesonelementsinternaltothe
game.DeFreitasandOliverfocusontheiterativeprocessofgameselectionandintegration.Harteveld
andcolleaguesexaminetheneedforbalancebetweenlearning,game,andreality.
Fromallthreemodelscomestheimportanceofconsideringcontext.Assummarisedbyisler
andBrom:
itessentiallyseemsthatwhenagameissupposedtobeusedinaformalschoolenvironment,the
contextofgame-basedlearningisprobablymoreimportantthanthespecicfeaturesand/orcontentof
thegameitself.Bycontextherewemeanboththecontemporaryeducationalpractice,iethenational
curricula,andthelearningactivitiesanddiscoursesurroundingtheparticulareducationalgame(eg
supportiveeducationalmaterials,studentspresentations,teacherslecturesfollowingthein-game
experience,etc).(isler&Brom2008,p.11)
ThisconcurswithFuturelabsearlierTeachingwithGamesproject:ifacommercialgameistobeused
effectivelyinclassesthereneedstobeaclearconsiderationofhowitwillachievetheteachersgoals.
Althoughnotanexplicitpartofthemodels,theteacherwillneedtohaveaclearideaofthelearning
outcomes,whetheritisunderstandingwhy,orknowinghowtoperformatask.
Theintegrationofgamesrequiresaconsiderationofhowitwillbeusedwithotherpracticestoteach
thoselearninggoals.Reectionhasbeenmentioned,bothintegratedandexternaltothegame.Thisis
vital,asMariaKlawein1998demonstratedthatifaplayerbecameimmersedintoavideogamethey
werelesslikelytobecomeawareofthemathematicalstructuresandconceptsthatwereintegrated.This
meanttheymayapplytheknowledgeinthegamecontext,butnotinothercontexts(citedbyEgenfeldt-
Nielsenetal.2008,p.218).Mediateddiscussionsarenottheonlywayofensuringretention.Ifproblems
werewrittendownwhenbeingsolvedaspartofthegamestudentsweremoreabletotransfertheir
learning(Klawe&Phillips1995).
TacticalCombatCasualtyCareSimulation
(TC3):traineemilitarymedicsplayout
scenariosinavirtualversionof
Afghanistan,whereplayershavetotreat
woundedsoldiersinthemiddleofbattles
andgunre,testingarangeofskillsfrom
howtotreatthewoundtobedsidemanner.
www.ecsorl.com/solutions/products/
tactical-combat-casualty-care-simulation
The context of game-
based learning is probably
more important than the
specic features and/or
content of the game itself.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
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68
ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationDiscussion Games in Education:
Serious Games
Tosummarisefromtheseprojectsandotherwork,suchasthatbySimonEgenfeldt-Nielsen(2007)and
theTeachingwithGamesproject(Sandfordetal.2006),whenselectingagame,inadditiontopractical
considerationsaroundaccess,hardwareetctheteacherwillneedtoconsider:
Whatisthebackgroundoftheplayer(s)(age,
language,experience,priorknowledge,
preferredlearningstyles,etc)?
Whatarethelearninggoals?
Howdoesthegamecontent,thatis,thefactual
knowledgecontained,experiences,mechanics
andactivities,relatetothelearninggoals?
Howintegralisthecontenttothegame
mechanics,processes,experienceofplayingas
wellastheartassetsorcopy,andisits
acquisitionrequiredinordertoprogress?
Willthegameengagethelearners-
isitimmersive?
Doesthegamehavealearningcurve(iedothe
playersimprovethroughrepeatedplay),
appropriatefeedback,clearprogressionetc?
Whatlevelofdelityisappropriate?
Howwilllearningbetransferredbeyondthe
gamecontext?
Howcanthegamebeembeddedandassessed?
Whatotherpracticeswillsupportlearning,
eitherinthegamesuchasreection,or
externallysuchasdiscussion?
Whatretentionrate,iehowlongwilltheplayers
rememberthelearning,willthegamehave?
GlobalConicts:Palestine:playersexplore
andlearnaboutdifferentconicts
throughouttheworldandtheunderlying
themesofdemocracy,humanrights,
globalization,terrorism,climateand
poverty,throughroleplayasajournalist
interviewingprotagonistsinthegame.
www.globalconicts.eu
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
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Balancing pedagogy
Discussion
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
69
ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationDiscussion
Furthermore,thetimetakenfortheteachertomasterthegamesufcientlytosupportthestudentsand
torecognisehowitrelatestothelearninggoalsetcneedstobetakenintoaccount.Timeisamajor
factorwhenitcomestoincorporatingalternativeteachingmethodsintopractice.
Theidenticationofthesequestionssuggeststhatausefultoolforteacherscouldbeproduced,involving
arubricofweightingsofimportance,asintheRETAINmodel,butwithaniterativeapproachasinde
FreitasandOliverswork.ThismaybeaddressedbytheGFLIrubric,ifnotthereistheneedtocreateand
testsucharubricfromexistingresearch.Regardless,thereisaneedforworkedexamplesto
demonstratetheprocessandtimingswhateverprocessisused.
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ThechallengesinembeddingseriousgamesintoformaleducationDiscussionConclusion Games in Education:
Serious Games
Conclusion
Gamesaretools,theycanhelpusexploreandunderstandissues,andtrainforvariouscircumstances.
Yettheyrelyonhowtheyareinterpreted,bytheplayerorbysupportfortheplayer,inordertochange
behaviour.
Therearemanyadvocatesforusinggames,leisureandserious,simulations,andvirtualworlds,in
schoolsandforvocationaltraining(aswellasdomainsoutsideofformaleducation)toenhanceand
supportlearning(forexample,Gee2005;Smith2006;Shaffer2005).Moreover,thenumberof
educationalgameswitharesearchbasis,thatis,designedtoaddressaneducationalneedusingtheory,
isincreasing.Thepotentialofdigitalgamesaslearningtoolswillincreasegiventheimproving
underlyingtechnology,availabilityofkit,increasinginteractiontechniques,softwaresabilitytoprocess
data,andtheincreaseingamers(JISC2007).Howevertherearebarrierstousingleisureandserious
gamesaslearningtools.Practicalconcernsincludethelicensingcosts,ITsupport,andhavingsufcient
kit.Teacher-basedconstraintsincludeidentifyinganappropriategame,ndingtimetolearnit,
identifyingwhatlearningthestudentcangain,integratingitamongsttheotherlearningtoolswithinthe
lessonplansalongwithdevelopingassessmenttechniques(Squire2005;Egenfeldt-Nielsenetal.2008;
Sandfordetal.2006).Asdiscussed,althoughgameshavebeendescribedasidealassessmentengines
(Gee&Shaffer2010)thereisstillaneedtoagreewhatneedstobeassessed.Theincorporationof
assessmentneedstobeintegraltothetask-beitlearningfactualknowledge,socialskillsor
procedures.Ortheteacherneedstobesupportedinordertodevelopassessmenttechniquesaround
thegame.
Ifseriousgames,whicharecurrentlyonthefringeofclassroomuse,aretobecomemainstream
evidenceoftheireffectivenessisrequired.Thisprocessisstarting,forexampletheindependent
evaluationoftheConsolarium.Howeverthereislittledataonhowgamesareusedandhowsuccessfully
theyareintegratedintoteachingpractice.Thereisnodataaboutwhatsubjectscurrentlybenetfrom
games,norhowtheyareusedbyteachers.Furthermore,suchdatacouldhighlighttootherteachers
whatisavailableandalongwithcasestudiesillustratepossibleusage.Secondly,teachersneedto
becomemoreawareofwhatisavailableandhowtheycanbestbeintegratedandassessed(especially
givenmanyarenotgamers).Finally,teachersanddevelopersneedtoworktogethertoagreenotonly
topicsandlearninggoalsbutmetricsforassessmentsothatteachersarecondentlearninghas
occurredwhenagamehasbeenused
67
.
67.
Foradescriptionoftheproposedmethod
forachievingthisseeAppendixE.
If serious games, which
are currently on the fringe
of classroom use, are to
become mainstream
evidence of their
effectiveness is required.
Executive summary
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The challenges
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Balancing pedagogy
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Games in Education:
Serious Games
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Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
75
Games in Education:
Serious Games
References
Smith,R.D.,2008.Investigatingthedisruptiveeffectofcomputergametechnologiesonmedical
educationandtraining.UniversityofMarylandUniversityCollege.Availableat:
www.modelbenders.com/papers/RSmith_Maryland_Dissertation.pdf.
Sorensen,B.H.&Meyer,B.,2007.Seriousgamesinlanguagelearningandteaching-atheoretical
perspective.InProceedingsofthe2007DigitalGamesResearchAssociationConference.pp.559-566.
Squire,K.,2005.Changingthegame:Whathappenswhenvideogamesentertheclassroom.Innovate:
journalofonlineeducation,1(6).
Stone,B.,2008.HumanFactorsGuidelinesforInteractive3DandGames-BasedTrainingSystems
Design.Availableat:www.eece.bham.ac.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=154[AccessedApril14,2010].
Terdiman,D.,2006.Whatswrongwithseriousgames?-CNETNews.CNETNews.Availableat:
http://news.cnet.com/Whats-wrong-with-serious-games/2100-1043_3-6052346.html
[AccessedMay13,2010].
Williamson,B.,2009.Computergames,schools,andyoungpeople:Areportforeducatorsonusing
gamesforlearning,Futurelab.Availableat:www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_
reports/becta/Games_and_Learning_educators_report.pdf.
Zyda,M.,2005.Fromvisualsimulationtovirtualrealitytogames.Computer,38(9),25-32.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
76
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E

77
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Appendix A. Selecting games
ThefollowinglististakenfromtheDigitalGames
Handbook(Felicia2009).Theyapplytogamesin
generalandhenceneedtobeconsideredfor
seriousgames.
Hardwareandtechnicalspecications
Whichoperatingsoftwareisrequiredforthe
game?
HowmuchRAM(RandomAccessMemory)is
recommendedforthegametofunction
properly?
Howmuchharddrivespaceisneededtoinstall
thegame?
Doesthegameneedtobeplayedoveranetwork
oraninternetconnection?
Whattypeofinputdeviceisneededtointeract
withthegame(joystick,keyboardormouse)?
Gameplayconsiderations
Userinterface-shouldbeclear,intuitiveand
easytouse
Savingandloadingthegame
Audio-amutebuttonforclassroomuse
Customisation-theabilitytopersonalise.
Contextualconsiderations
Agegroup
Language
Time
Takingaccountofpeoplewithdisabilities
Ensuringnetworkgamesaresafeforchildren.
Pedagogicalconsiderations-thegame
shouldhave
Alearningcurve-easytolearnatthestartand
increasing
Relevanteducationalcontent-includinghaving
clearobjectives
Clearprogression
Appropriatefeedback
Opportunitiesforcollaborationandgroupwork
Assessmentandfollow-up
Opportunitiesforcreativity
Ahelpsection.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
78
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Appendix B. Questions in four-dimensional model
Thefollowingisthechecklistwithinthefour
dimensionalmodelthateducatorsneedtoreect
onwhenchoosingaseriousgame(deFreitas&
Oliver2006).
Context
Whatisthecontextforlearning?(egschool,
university,home,acombinationofseveral)
Doesthecontextaffectlearning?(eglevelof
resources,accessibility,technicalsupport)
Howcanlinksbemadebetweencontextand
practice?
Learnerspecication
Whoisthelearner?
Whatistheirbackgroundandlearninghistory?
Whatarethelearningstyles/preferences?
Whoisthelearnergroup?
Howcanthelearnerorlearnergroupbebest
supported?
Inwhatwaysarethegroupsworkingtogether
(egsingly,partiallyingroups)andwhat
collaborativeapproachescouldsupportthis?
Pedagogicconsiderations
Whichpedagogicmodelsandapproachesare
beingused?
Whichpedagogicmodelsandapproachesmight
bethemosteffective?
Whatarethecurriculaobjectives?(listthem)
Whatarethelearningoutcomes?
Whatarethelearningactivities?
Howcanthelearningactivitiesandoutcomesbe
achievedthroughexistinggamesor
simulations?
Howcanthelearningactivitiesandoutcomesbe
achievedthroughspeciallydevelopedsoftware
(egembeddingintolessonplans)?
Howcanbrieng/debriengbeusedtoreinforce
learningoutcomes?
Modeofrepresentation(toolsforuse)
Whichsoftwaretoolsorcontentwouldbest
supportthelearningactivities?
Whatlevelofdelityneedstobeusedtosupport
learningactivitiesandoutcomes?
Whatlevelofimmersionisneededtosupport
learningoutcomes?
Whatlevelofrealismisneededtoachieve
learningobjectives?
Howcanlinksbemadebetweentheworldofthe
game/simulationandreectionuponlearning?
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
79
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Appendix C. Fidelity
Althoughthereisnotamodelfordecidingthe
appropriatelevelofdelityneededforlearning
howagameemulatesrealityitisoneofthekey
factorswhendecidingwhatgametoselect.
Gamescanhavethreelevelsofdelity:low,
mediumorhigh.Eachlevelissuitablefordifferent
tasks.Forexample,ifteachinghowtobakeunder
differentaltitudesagamecouldbesimpliedto
removeelementsoutsidethescopeofthelearning
goal.Thiswouldincludetheselectionof
ingredientsandphysicallycreatingthemix,but
emphasisingthetimethemixbakesforandthe
altitudeatwhichitiscooking.Thislowdelity
modelisusefulasitreducestheamountofdata
thatmightconfusethelearner.Whileinmilitary
simulationsthereisaneedforhigherdelity
games,whicharebetteratteachingstep-by-step
procedures.
Tosummarise,wherethefocusisoneducating
thelearner(thatisensuringthelearner
understandswhy)aboutoneabstractconceptlow
delitymodelsarelikelytobeappropriate.When
training(sotheyunderstandhow)higherdelity
modelsarelikelytobeappropriate.However,
whenthegoalisfortheplayertounderstand
abstractconceptsratherthancontextseithercan
beused.
Tofurthercomplicatedecisionsnotonlyarethere
differentlevelsbuttherearethreeaspectswithin
delity(Alexanderetal.2005,pp.4-6):
Physicaldelity-thedegreetowhichthegame
behaveslikereallife
Functionaldelity-howthegamebehaveswith
respecttotherealsituation
Psychologicaldelity-howaccuratelythegame
replicatesthepsychologicalfactorsinthereal
task
Highlevelsofdelityarerequiredinallthree
areasofTriageTrainer.Whendiagnosingthe
ordertotreatpatientstheplayerneedstobe
presentedahighlevelofaccuracyinpatient
injuries,theprocessisidenticaltothatneededin
reallife,andbecauseofthetimeconstraintsand
therealisticreplicationtheplayerundergoesthe
samepsychologicalfactorsasinarealincident.
Thelevelofdelitywithineachaspectdoesnot
havetobeconsistent.Anexamplewhere
psychologicaldelitywasfelttobeimportantwas
theCodeofEverand.Thegoalistolearnhowto
safelycrosstheroadandthatdelityaspecthasa
highaccuracy,yetnowhereistherearoad-so
functionaldelityislow.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
80
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
However,againtherearenohardandfastrules
whendecidingthelevelofdelityrequired.Prof
BobStonecreatesprototypegamesforthe
militaryandhaswrittenextensivelyaboutthe
humanfactorsinthesegamedesigns.Giventhe
needofthetraineeshefeelsthatdelityis
important,abaddecisioncanimpairthelearning
benetsasdiscussedbelow:
Backgroundeffectsandscenariosshould
complement-andnotinterferewith-thetask
beingperformed.Therefore,asmuchHuman
Factorsattentionneedstobegiventothecontent
anddelityofthescenarioastothedesignofthe
simulatedtasksthemselves.[...]thedesignand
portrayalofavatars(virtualhumans),non-
playablecharactersandvirtualagents,[...]
constituteaspecialcaseofcontextdelity.Ifstrict
attentionisnotpaidtothedesignoftheirvisual
andbehaviouralqualities,thenthiscanmakeor
breaktheacceptanceandcredibilityofthe
simulationataveryearlystage.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E

81
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Appendix D. Interviews with experts
Theintervieweeswereselectedtogiveanoverview
oftheseriousgamessectorfromdiverse
perspectives:theacademic,gamesdevelopers,
instructionaldevelopers,commissionersand
trainers(seeTable3foranoverview).Theywere
intendedtoinformtheliteraturereviewand
informfuturework.
Asemi-structuredinterviewschedulewasused
foreachsector.Alltheintervieweeswereasked:
Howwouldyoudeneseriousgames?
Whenareseriousgamesuseful?
Whatareseriousgamesusefulfor?
Whatseriousgameshaveyoubeeninvolvedin?
Whatdoyouseethechallengesofusingserious
gamesas?
Table3startsonthenextpage
Thediscussionwithacademicsalsoaddressed:
Howwouldyoudescribetheunderlying
pedagogywithinthesegames?
Canyoudescribegamesthatyouhavebeen
involvedwith-developmentoruse-(including
SecondLife)andyourimpressions?
Thediscussionswithcommissionersand
developersincluded:
Whatwasthecommissioningprocess?
Whowillusetheseriousgameoncemade?
Whatwilltheybelearning?
Howwillyouknowthattheywereuseful?
Whattimescaleareyouoperatingwith?
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E

82
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Table 3:
Interviewees on serious games Name Area
Academics
DrDianeCarr
Lectureringamesandeducation,andusesSecond
Lifetolecturein
DrSimonEgenfeldt-
Nielsen
Hasresearchedseriousgamesextensivelyand
developedGlobalConict:Palestine,whichwas
awardedtheBETT2010prizeforbestgame.
ProfRichardBartle
Lecturesingamesandgamedesignanddevelops
MUDs(multi-userdungeons)andworkedon
massivelymultiplayeronlinesystems
Developers
MaryMatthew,TruSim
(BlitzGamesStudios
learningbranch)
DevelopsseriousgamesincludingTriageTrainer
HannahRowlands,Red
Redemption
DeveloperofClimateChallengeforBBCand
OperationClimateControlforDEFRA
Commissionersandusersofseriousgamesastrainingtools
PeterStidwell,
ParliamentaryEducation
services
ParliamentaryEducationServicescommissionedthe
successfulgameMPforaWeek,andareinthe
processofdevelopingTimeChamber
JohnHoggard,Lecturerin
DefenceSimulation
Teachesmilitarytouseseriousgames,andworksto
createthemonVirtualBattleSpaceplatform
Toreadthefullinterviewsseewww.futurelab.org.uk/projects/games-in-education
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E

83
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Appendix E. Future work
Fromthisresearchthefollowinghavebeen
identiedasareaswherethereislittle
information:
1.Quantitativedataongameusage:Thereislittle
dataoncurrentseriousgameusewithinthe
formaleducationalsystem.
2.Adviceforteachersonusingseriousgames:
Thereisnorecognisedguidanceforteacherson
howtoselectanduseseriousgameswithin
theirteachingpractice:althoughasstatedthere
isgenericadvicearoundgamesfromthe
EuropeanSchoolnetsprojectDigitalGamesin
Schools(Felicia2009).
3.Adviceondevelopingappropriategamecontent
andstructure:Identifyingareaswheregames
thatwouldassistteachingcouldbecreated,and
whatanappropriatestructureandassessment
methodusefulforformaleducationwouldbein
thesecases.
Theseareelaboratedbelow.
Gatheringquantitativedataongameusage
Currentlythereislittledataonseriousgame
usageintheUK.AEuropeansurveysentto
teachersbyAarhusUniversityinDenmark
(www.dpu.dk/site.aspx?p=11097)andthe
forthcomingsurveybyFuturelabwillgatherdata
around:
Whydidtheteacherselectseriousgamesasa
teachingtool?
Whatgamesarebeingusedtoteachspecic
topicstodifferentages?
Howlongandhowoftenaregamesusedfor?
Howsuccessfularetheyatachievingthe
learninggoals?
Whatpreventsteachersfromusinggamesas
teachingtools?
However,theparticipantsforthesesurveyswillbe
self-selecting,andthuslikelytobethemost
motivatedandinnovativeteachers.Thereisno
largescalesurveyofallteachersproviding
informationongame-basedlearningintheir
practice.Thisdatawouldallow:i)researchersand
gamedeveloperstoevaluatewhatgameswere
currentlybeingusedinordertodeterminewhat
gameelementsarerequired,ii)provideother
teacherswithinformationonwhatissuccessful
andforwhatsubjects.Itcouldalsoactasa
baselinetoquantifytheexpectedtrendsof
increaseduseofseriousgamesandraise
awarenessofthegamesavailable.
Itisrecommendedthatalargescalequalitative
surveybeperformedlookingatgameuseinthe
UK.Itshouldfocusongame-basedlearningin
general,withafocusonseriousgames,theiruse
andassessment.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
84
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Adviceforteachersonusingseriousgames
Thisreporthighlightsthatthereislittlesupport
forteachersinidentifyingwhetheraseriousgame
wouldaidtheirteaching.However,recentlysome
workhasbegunonclassifyingtherolesof
teacherswhentheyusegameswithintheir
classroom:theycanbeaninstructor,guide,
explorerorplaymaker(Hanghj&Magnussen
2010).
Itisrecommendedthatworkshopsareheldwith
researchersandteacherstoclarifyandcombine
theexistingmodelsofgameselectiondiscussed.
Theresultswouldconsistofclearguidancefor
teachersinhowtoselectandincorporateagame
intotheirlessonplan,assesslearning,and
supportaroundblendingwithotherteaching
techniques.Itwouldalsoincludeallowing
teacherstorecognisewhatroleisappropriatefor
whatpartoftheteachingactivity.
Thetypeofadvicerequiredisasfollows:
i) Anoverviewofseriousgameuseinschools
focusingontheadvantagesanddisadvantages
ii)Examplesofbestpracticeandpossiblelesson
plans
iii)Suggestionsforuse,egsubjectsandgoalsthat
aresupportedthroughseriousgames
Adviceondevelopingappropriategamecontent
andstructure
FromSimonEgenfeldt-Nielsensexperienceit
appearsthatevenifthepedagogyissoundand
thegameleadstolearning,suchasGlobal
Conict:Palestine,thisdoesnottranslateto
usage.Workneedstobedonewithteachersto:
i) Identifyareasthatgameswouldbeappropriate
for.ItissuggestedthatSTEMareasmightbe
onesucharea,asrepeatedlyrunning
experimentsmightbedangerousorcostly.
Alternativelyalearninggoalmightbebetter
achievedbysituatingtheconceptsinthereal
world,forexample,actuallygoingthroughthe
processofurbanrenewal(Gee&Shaffer2010).
Inthesecasesthereissomeevidencetheywill
bemorememorableandmoretransferable.
However,ifthelearninggoaliscurrently
satisfactorilyachievedbyotherteaching
methodsagame,howeverengaging,hasa
lowerchanceofbeingused.Thegoalisto
identifyareaswhichwouldmakeateachers
lifeeasier.
ii)Identifywhatelementsteachersneedwithin
gamesinorderforthemtobeuseful.Dothey
requireshort,almostcasualgames,invirtual
worldstointroduceconcepts,musttheyclosely
correlatewithcurriculumrequirements,do
theyneedintegratedtoolsofassessmentthat
provideinformationrequiredbythecurriculum?
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
85
Games in Education:
Serious Games
Appendices
Itisrecommendedthatworkshopsareheldwith
instructionaldesigners,gamedevelopersand
teacherstoidentifyareasthatwouldbenetfrom
instructionviagames.Thesewouldbehardto
teachtopics,subjectsthatwouldbetoocostlyto
investigateinreallife,areaswhereconceptscan
beseeninanappliedformat.Oncetheareasare
identiedteacherscouldbeinformedofexisting
gamesthatfulltheseremits.
Secondly,theworkshopsshouldconsidergame-
playandpreferredpedagogyaswellascontent
area.Notonlywouldthisinformfuturegame
developmentbyteachersandstudentscreating
theirowngameaswellasprovidingastarting
pointforgamedevelopmentingeneral,itwould
beastartingpointforanalysingexistinggames.Is
thereamethodofextractingtheinformation
aroundlearningrequiredthroughcreatingparallel
tasksforexample?
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
Games in Education:
Serious Games
86
Also from Futurelab
LiteratureReviewsandResearchReports
Writtenbyleadingacademics,thesepublications
providecomprehensivesurveysofresearchand
practiceinarangeofdifferentelds.
Handbooks
DrawingonFuturelabsin-houseR&Dprogramme
aswellasprojectsfromaroundtheworld,these
handbooksofferpracticaladviceandguidanceto
supportthedesignanddevelopmentofnew
approachestoeducation.
OpeningEducationSeries
Focusingonemergentideasineducationand
technology,thisseriesofpublicationsopensup
newareasfordebateanddiscussion.
Weencouragetheuseandcirculationofthetext
contentofthesepublications,whichareavailable
todownloadfromtheFuturelabwebsite
www.futurelab.org.uk/resources.
Forfulldetailsofouropenaccesspolicy,goto
www.futurelab.org.uk/policies.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
87
About Futurelab
Futurelabisanindependentnot-for-prot
organisationthatisdedicatedtotransforming
teachingandlearning,makingitmorerelevant
andengagingto21stcenturylearnersthroughthe
useofinnovativepracticeandtechnology.Wehave
alongtrackrecordofresearchingand
demonstratinginnovativeusesoftechnologyand
aimtosupportsystemicchangeineducation
andweareuniquelyplacedtobringtogether
thosewithaninterestinimprovingeducationfrom
thepolicy,industry,researchandpractice
communitiestodothis.Futurelabcannotdothis
workonitsown.Werelyonfundingandpartners
fromacrosstheeducationcommunitypolicy,
practice,localgovernment,researchandindustry
-torealisethefullpotentialofourideas,andso
continuetocreatesystemicchangeineducation
tobenetalllearners.
Futurelab2010.Allrightsreserved;Futurelab
hasanopenaccesspolicywhichencourages
circulationofourwork,includingthis(report/
magazine),undercertaincopyrightconditions
however,pleaseensurethatFuturelabis
acknowledged.Forfulldetailsofouropenaccess
licence,gotowww.futurelab.org.uk/policies.
Tocitethisreportpleaseuse:
Ulicsak,M.&Wright,M.(2010).Gamesin
Education:SeriousGames.Bristol,Futurelab.
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
Games in Education:
Serious Games
ResearchAndPolicyReview PolicyContext
88 88
Futurelabunderstandsthatyoumayhavespecic
areasofinterestandso,inordertohelpyouto
determinetherelevanceofeachprojector
publicationtoyou,wehavedevelopedaseriesof
themes(illustratedbyicons).Thesethemesare
notintendedtocovereveryaspectofinnovation
andeducationand,assuch,youshouldnotbase
yourdecisiononwhetherornottoreadthis
publicationonthethemesalone.Thethemesthat
relatetothispublicationappearonthefront
cover,overleaf,butakeytoallofthecurrent
themesthatweareusingcanbefoundhere:
DigitalInclusionHowthedesignand
useofdigitaltechnologiescanpromote
educationalequality
TeachersandInnovationsInnovative
practicesandresourcesthatenhance
learningandteaching
LearningSpacesCreating
transformedphysicalandvirtual
environments
MobileLearningLearningonthe
move,withorwithouthandheld
technology
LearnerVoiceListeningandacting
uponthevoicesoflearners
GamesandLearningUsinggames
forlearning,withorwithoutgaming
technology
InformalLearningLearningthat
occurswhen,howandwherethe
learnerchooses,supportedbydigital
technologies
LearninginFamiliesChildren,
parentsandtheextendedfamily
learningwithandfromoneanother
Key to Themes
Executive summary
Introduction
Context
Multiple domains
The challenges
References
Appendices
www.futurelab.org.uk
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