SERIOUS GAMESNiels Henrik Helms

What are we talking about?

A serious game is a game in which education (in its various forms) is the primary goal, rather than entertainment. (Michael & Chen, 2006)

Games may be played seriously or casually. We are concerned with serious games in the sense that these games have an explicit and carefully thought-out educational purpose and are not intended to be played primarily for amusement. This does not mean that serious games are not, or should not be entertaining. (Abt, 1970/71)

A Paradox?• No, all games are serious – othervise

they are dull and not games!• But we do have a challenge!!

The Challenge!Serious Games brings two disciplines and rationalities

into interaction:• Didactic Design – Where the outcome is Learning• Game Design – Where the outcome is Winning• Didactic Design is basically about giving form to learning

– where gaming could be one of the means to achieve learning

• Whereas Game design is about giving form to a game. People do learn through gaming– but it is definitely not the purpose/goal.

Traditional, Vocational or GBL

Traditional Training

Hands-on Learning GBL

Price x (x)

Standardised– easy to evaluate

x x

Engaging x x

Adaptive x x

Instant Feedback x x

Transfer x (x)

Learner as subject (x) x

Authentic x (x)

MULTI DISCIPLINARITY

• To solve this challenge. On the one hand to develop an engaging motivating game design and on he other hand to ensure that the intended learning happens – NOT CROSS – BUT MULTI DISCIPLINARITY IS A MUST

• If it is a bad game design no one will use the game – or the players will try to transform the non-game into a game

• If it is a bad didactic design people will learn – but probably something else

• .

So Unite• Game Designers – The whole crowd• Didactic Designers – SME’s,

Instructional Designers and Interaction Designers

• Work together develop a language and concepts

• Meetings

Observing Constructing

Co-ConstructingRe-Constructing

Observing Constructing

Co-ConstructingRe-Constructing

http://gamesforhealth.dk/

Games and Soldiers• It is good for them:• 3-4 hours of video gaming daily proved across a large

sample survey of the Army stationed in Afghanistan to provide the best protection against PTSD, depression, family violence and suicidal ideation. The only activitythat provided more mental resilience was 5-6 hours of physical training daily; 3-4 hours of video gaming beat reading, music, general Internet/socialnetworking, and physical training up to 5 hours/day.

• However, more than 4 hours of gaming showed dangerous declines in mental resilience 7-8 hours aday or more, as bad as no gaming-- and no gaming was very bad.

But War is not Good for Them

• PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder)

• Growing Problem• Treatment – various forms such as

exposure therapy (ET)

Multi Disciplinarity• Apex - Game Developers • Serious Games Interactive (SGI)• Falck A/S• Shelterland• Photobia ApS• Siemens Healthcare• The Central Association of Permanent

Defense Personnel (CS)

• Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri,• The Danish Research Unit of

Psychological Trauma • DI - Confederation of Danish Industry• The IT University• Knowledge Lab

Ongoing Process• What is PTSD• What makes it happen• How do we cope with it• Integration in Game & Didactic

Design• To develop new practises

Game Design• Goals• Rules• Feedback• Authentic• A Strong”Gameplay” (another strange

word)

Comming Up..• Affective Gaming - & Learning• Augmented Gaming - & Learning

Nacke, L.E., Kalyn, M., Lough, C., Mandryk, R.L. (2011). Biofeedback Game Design: Using Direct and Indirect Physiological Control to Enhance Game Interaction. In Proceedings of CHI 2011, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Situated learning – Multi Modal

Auditory

Visual

Kinaesthetic

I see, I remember

I hear, I know

I do, I understand

Deeper Learning

Mere in

spira

tion

http://janemcgonigal.com/

Assessment and GBL

Assessing vs GBL

Knows

Shows How

Knows how

Does

1960ies: Written complex simulations

70ies: 1970ies-80ies Performance assessment in vitro (OSCE)

1990iesPerformance Assessment in vivo fx Portfolio

Assessing vs GBL

Knows

Shows How

Knows How

Does“Generic Competences- How we cope if things turn out differently”

We are not just looking!!

We are participating

ReferencesAbt, C.C. (1970/71). Serious Games. N.Y.,Viking Press

Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S. (2007). Third Generation Educational Use of Computer Games. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia. v16,3. Fullerton, T., Swain, C., Hoffman, S.(2008). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games. Amsterdam: Elsevier Morgan Kaufmann, 2008. Gale,K, et al (2002): Triadic Assessment, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27:6, 557-567 Klopfer, E., K. Squire, and H. Jenkin. n.d. Environmental detectives: The development of an augmented reality platform for environmental simulations. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society

Publications. Logan, K.,R.(2001).The Sixth Language: Learning a Living in the Internet Age”

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World . Penguin Press.

Michael, D., & Chen, S. (2006). Serious games: Games that educate, train and inform. Thomson: Boston, MA Miller GE.(1990) The assessment of clinical skills/competence/performance. Academic Medicine (Supplement); 65: S63-S7.

Nacke, L.E., Kalyn, M., Lough, C., Mandryk, R.L. (2011). Biofeedback Game Design: Using Direct and Indirect Physiological Control to Enhance Game Interaction. In Proceedings of CHI 2011, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Van der Vleuten, C. P. M., & D. Swanson, D. (1990). Assessment of Clinical Skills With Standardized Patients: State of the Art. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2(2), 58 - 76. Van der Vleuten, C. P. M., & Newble, D. I. (1995). How can we test clinical reasoning? The Lancet, 345, 1032-1034. Van der Vleuten, C. P. M., Norman, G. R., & De Graaff, E. (1991). Pitfalls in the pursuit of objectivity: Issues of reliability. Medical Education, 25, 110-118. Van der Vleuten, C. P. M., & Schuwirth, L. W. T. (2005). Assessment of professional competence: from methods to programmes. Medical Education, 39, 309-317.

 Slideshows: www.slideshare.net/timbuckteeth/redesigning-learning-spaces-for-a-digital-worldMHPE Lessons learned in Assesment.ppt

illustrations• Slide # 1. By presenter• Slide # 8 By presenter• Slide # 9 By presenter +

http://www.mundopapercraft.com/blog/2010/11/josef-the-robot/ (manipulated)

• Slide # 18www.slideshare.net/timbuckteeth/redesigning-learning-spaces-for-a-digital-world

• Slide # 19 http://www.avantgame.com/• Slide # 21 & 22 MHPE Lessons learned in

Assesment.ppt