Serious Games

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Serious Games

• Carmen Serrano
• COT 4810

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What are Serious Games?

• Games designed for purpose other than just
  entertainment
• Must still be fun engaging, interesting

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Use of Serious Games

• Military
• Education
• Healthcare
• Corporate training
• Social/political issues
• Picture Food Force, United Nations World Food
  Programme. www.food-force.com

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Military

• Heavy use of training simulations
• Significant business in local area
• NavAir, Lockheed, etc.
• Simulations becoming more immersive and complex
• Tactical Iraqi based on Unreal Tournament game
  engine teaches Iraqi Arabic, gestures and
  etiquette
• Other industries adapting games and simulators as
  new approach to training

5
Healthcare - Professional

• Professional training and skill retention
• Enable simulation and practice of various
  healthcare and emergency scenarios
• Allow for assessment of skills
• Cardiac Arrest! act as emergency room
  technician administer medicine, procedures
• Accredited by American College of Emergency
  Physicians for CME credit

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Health - Consumer

• Health education
• USDA MyPyramid nutrition and exercise
• Treatment companion
• Bens Game for cancer patients fight cancer
  cells and fever monsters (free makeawish.org)

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Healthcare - Supervised

• Therapeutic games
• Clinical supervision
• Treatment companion
• SnowWorld for burn victims immersive
  exploration of snowy landscape
• Treatment tool
• SpiderWorld for arachnophobia mixed reality,
  virtual kitchen, gradual encounters
• Picture medgadget.com

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Education

• Edutainment? much hype, mixed reactions
• Special considerations expense, perceptions,
  available hardware
• Lexia Cross-Trainer for students at various
  levels strengthen thinking, memory,
  problem-solving skills
• Increasing consumer interest
• Picture games.net

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Corporate Training

• Large companies large budget for training
• Traditional tools (seminars, company videos and
  handbooks)
• Already established, lower cost, effectiveness
• Serious games
• Implementation costs, increased interest and
  effectiveness, performance measurement
• At least 100 of the global Fortune 500 will use
  gaming to educate their employees by 2012
  (BusinessWeek)

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Social/Political Issues

• Increase awareness of issues
• Historical and current world events
• May be objective or show a single perspective
• Peacemaker based on Israeli/Palestinian
  conflict player can pick either side
• UnderAsh/UnderSiege uses Palestinian
  perspective inspired by Palestinian experience
  and the number of U.S. games with Arab bad
  guys Syria
• Americas Army Army recruiting tool U.S.
• Picture peacemakergame.com

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A Force More Powerful

• A Force More Powerful
• (BreakAway Games)
• International Center for
• Non-Violent Conflict
• Strategy game based on nonviolent conflict
• Play out historical events (Gandhi Indian
  independence, civil rights movement in the U.S.,
  Serbian student resistance to Slobodan Milosevic)
• More immersive gain unique personal perspective
  on difficulties
• Picture www.afmpgame.com

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IBMs Innov8

• 3D game
• Teaches Business Process Management
• Develop skills in both business and information
  technology
• Available free Nov. 07 used by more than 20
  colleges and universities worldwide (IBM)
• IBMs RoboCode (teaches coding) and CodeRally
  (teaches Java and Eclipse to Linux developers)
  (2003)
• IBMs PowerUp free environmental game lesson
  plans (2008)
• "According to new IBM research which looked at
  technology, business and societal trends and
  issues, online videogames help people become
  better corporate leaders by fostering skills
  related to collaboration, self-organisation,
  risk-taking, openness, influence, and
  communications." (2007) (guardian.co.uk)

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Characteristics of Serious Games

• Emphasis on content accuracy
• Need for developers with content expertise
• Game design and techniques that take into account
  the serious content
• Product mix - specialize or not
• Investment required in research and development
• (Bergeron, 21)

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Controversial Games

• Some serious games push boundaries
• Game format unpalatable to some
• Super Columbine Massacre RPG
• Social commentary game and forum
• Afghanistan and Iraq wars (ex Kuma\War)
• JFK Reloaded recreation of JFK shooting play
  role of Lee Harvey Oswald

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Unique Challenges

• Sensitive subjects
• Industry interest
• Retail interest
• Consumer interest
• Overcoming negative attitudes toward games and
  gamers
• Skill set of expanded audience

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Industry Recognition

• The Serious Games Initiative - Woodrow Wilson
  International Center for Scholars
• E3 Media Business Summit introduced a Serious
  Games showcase in 2006
• I/ITSEC started Serious Games Showcase
  Challenge in 2006 now in its third year,
  accepting submissions for I/ITSEC 2008 (Orlando)
• Fifth annual Serious Games Summit at the Game
  Developers Conference (GDC) on February 18-19,
  2008

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Sources

• Developing Serious Games Bryan Bergeron,
  Charles River Media, Hingham, Massachusetts,
  2006.
• Video Games Arent a Waste of Time - Preeta M.
  Banerjee, BusinessWeek, Feb. 19, 2008.
  http//www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/feb20
  08/bs20080219_935082.htm?campaign_idrss_daily
• Innov8 IBM Introduces Video Game to Help
  University Students Develop Business Skills
• http//www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/22501.
  wss
• Spot On Games get political Tom Leupold,
  GameSpot, Aug. 12. 2004 http//www.gamespot.com/ne
  ws/2004/08/12/news_6104371.html
• Sir, the Gamers Are Revolting! Chris Kohler,
  Wired, 10/27/05, http//www.wired.com/gaming/gamin
  greviews/news/2005/10/69372
• I/ITSEC Serious Games Showcase and Challenge
  http//www.disti.com/SGSC/
• Syria launches Arab war game Kim Ghattas, BBC
  News. May 31, 2002. http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/mid
  dle_east/2019677.stm
• Serious Games Initiative - Woodrow Wilson
  International Center for Scholars.
  www.seriousgames.org
• Water Cooler Games www.watercoolergames.org
• IBM pushes game as learning tool for Linux admins
  - Jan Stafford. 23 Jun 2003. SearchOpenSource.com.
  http//searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/news/
  interview/0,289202,sid39_gci911209,00.html
• IBM gets game Keith Stuart. June 18, 2007.
  Guardian Unlimited. http//blogs.guardian.co.uk/ga
  mes/archives/2007/06/18/ibm_gets_game.html
• Environmental Learning MMO Launched by IBM. Calin
  Ciabai, Softpedia. February 18, 2008.
  http//news.softpedia.com/news/Environmental-Learn
  ing-MMO-Launched-by-IBM-78909.shtml

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Homework Questions

• 1. What is one application for serious games?
• 2. Name a game/simulation industry conference
  that has included serious games.