What are serious games?
Serious Games leverage the power of computer games design techniques and mechanics to captivate and engage end-users for purposes beyond pure entertainment. While ensuring learners are challenged and motivated, the main purpose of a Serious Game is to develop new knowledge, skills and to ultimately produce a behaviour change. Serious Games enable learners to undertake tasks and experience situations which would otherwise be impossible and/or undesirable to practice in the real world for reasons of cost, time, logistics and safety.
Far too much e-Learning content involves heaping reams of mainly text-based information upon learners, dropping in some small multimedia elements and movies and then bolting on a simplistic drag ‘n’ drop quiz or Multiple Choice Quiz assessment whereupon the user receives some notional feedback along the lines of:
“Congratulations user, you scored 64.7%...we suggest that you revisit chapters 3,5,6,9 & 11 (which you have just read) and then retake the (same) test.”
The majority reaction would be to answer that with a resounding; “No thanks!” The content is not going to react differently to using it the second time around. The ‘experience’ will be exactly the same each and every time it is ‘replayed’. This is not an engaging experience, it is not interactive and why should a busy individual feel compelled to commit their time and effort to it. This is a classic (automated) “Tell, Test” approach to instruction. The ‘gamer generation’ are increasingly frustrated by this.
Now compare that with a game (which is a powerful software application).
Have realistic and relevant environments and systems which users can ‘explore’.
Have clearly defined (overt) rules: “If your wings break you will crash”, “If you step on a landmine it will blow up”, or “if you run out of cash you will go bust”.
Have clear objectives – “save the princess from the big scary monkey”, “double turnover in 3 years”.
Are truly interactive; everything that the learner does, or does not do, has an effect and are thus highly experiential.
Have clear outcomes; “You were shot…you are dead”, “You have run out of cash and have been closed down”. They provide meaningful and relevant feedback (e.g. because of your actions or lack of actions, the plane crashed, the cash ran out, the employees quit) to show the learner the consequences of their decisions and actions. This is important because the user knows explicitly why a particular outcome happened and allows them to assess different approaches to the problem in an informed manner.
Are adaptive; they automatically track the user’s progress and performance to maintain a careful balance between boredom (because it is too easy) and frustration (because it is too hard). Static content (e-Learning) cannot be easily designed to achieve this and is therefore customised to a specific audience and of very limited use elsewhere.
Require (and foster) a level of cognitive application from the user that far exceeds reading text and then regurgitating facts. Gamers analyse huge quantities of information from a variety of sources. Games encourage, for example, problem solving, creative thinking, lateral thinking, investigation and trial and error all of which are valuable in the workplace.
Are genuinely enjoyable. This leads to longer attention spans, improved attentiveness and positive feelings.
The potential of games to drive behaviour change has been well known by any gamer and a growing number of evangelists including academics, researchers, schools and multinational blue chip corporations. Whether you call them Gamification, Serious Games, Simulations, Edutainment, or whatever, they all have one thing in common: they use game mechanics and design principles to change behaviour. Whether that’s behaviour to buy a specific product, increase brand loyalty or raise awareness or a particular process or knowledge area they all part of the same approach. And they are making a serious impact on how we learn.