Company overview

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Options Insights for Browser-based Serious
Games Serious Games Summit Europe, November
2006, Lyon
Kevin Corti, Managing Director, PIXELearning
Company overview
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The landscape is different
The needs are different
The commercials are different
Technical restrictions
Adapt to thrive / resist and die
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The dichotomy
The creative, technical and business perspectives
Browser-based games are not SERIOUS Serious
Games!
If you cannot deliver it via a browser then we
are not interested!
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PIXELearning overview

• Established in 2002 goal to be global vendor
  of choice for online business GBL solutions
• Focus upon business education, enterprise,
  employee management skills development
• 500k investment in GBL technology platforms
  RAD/authoring tools
• 100 browser-based approach!

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What
Blending training/instructional, game and
application design
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Customer demographic

• Large corporate cos (cross sector)
• The SME community
• Public sector projects
• Government agencies
• Training providers
• eLearning studios/publishers
• Not for profits
• Museums
• Universities
• Colleges
• Schools
• In UK, Sweden, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal
  and USA

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Customer (learning) needs

• Auditor training
• Diversity inclusion
• Marketing fundamentals
• Introduction to finance
• Complex sales processes
• Call centre (IT product awareness)
• Promoting careers in the retail sector
• General business awareness
• Consultancy skills for public sector workers
• Customer care
• Front line sales
• Awareness of financial products
• IT skills
• Personal finance skills
• Company induction training
• Project management
• Business studies (education)
• Health safety at work
• Operating a franchise

...and the list goes on!
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In a perfect world

• If budget time were unlimited and they all had
  top of the range PCs
• Full blown 3D engines
• High poly characters and environments
• Dynamic lighting effects
• Real time physics
• Highly realistic facial animations
• Body language / MOCAP
• Lip synching
• Natural language conversations
• Computer-generated voice
• Cutting-edge AI
• 42 HD monitors
• 3D surround sound
• MMORPG
• Expansion packs and downloadable patches
• Dedicated 8Mb/s connectivity

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How the designers see it
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How the developers see it
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In the real world

• We want it tomorrow!
• You will warrant that it will operate perfectly
  at handover
• No post release patches!
• Integration with commercial LMS/LCMS platforms
• Integrate with open-source VLEs (Moodle)
• Interoperability compliance SCORM, AICC
• 100 secure (limits networking component access)
• Assessment, assessment assessment
• Minimal proprietary multimedia/graphics plug-ins
  allowed
• Accessibility standards compliance (e.g. Section
  508, DDA)
• Business systems integration (ERP, HR, student
  management)
• Access at work, at home and on the move
• Capturing and reporting of in-game KPIs for ROI
  calcs.
• Multilingual/localised
• Easily editable by customer in the future
• Low spec / thin client PCs

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Browser vs installed file
COST ANALYSIS Development budget
50,000 No. of users 2,000 IT technician
cost 30 per hour (salary, tax
overheads) Installation cost 2,000 X 30
60,000!!! Cost of ownership exceeds total
project budget Chances of winning contract ZERO
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In the real world2
Challenging budget Wide variety of
requirements Compressed timescales Challenging
technical requirements Demanding clients
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The clients IT environment
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The budget time frame
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In the real world2
..so what are your options?
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AJAX web standards

• AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript XML)
• JSP/ASP/ASP.net/JavaScript/DHTML/PhP etc
• Allow dynamic graphical page manipulation
• Discreet data element manipulation
• - Limited interactivity, low level graphical
  appeal

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WW2 RPG 1999
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Embedded media in web pages
Win Media Player, Real Player - Can use as basis
for audiovisual branching tree RPGs - Limited
scope elsewhere (in isolation)
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Proprietary plug-ins

• Niche browser plug-ins such as Virtools Wild
  Tangent
• - Allow good level of 2D and 3D environments,
  people and objects
• Proprietary, what if vendor goes bust or
  discontinues?
• Not easy to get past the IT depts policies
• Bordering on mainstream game
• development complexity for much
• smaller budget
• Problems with availability of
• graphics card

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Java

• Platform-agnostic virtual machines e.g. Java
• - Strong OOP basis, machine API connectivity and
  graphical engines
• Requires Java VM installed, more complex
  development and suffer from time lags/extended
  loading/execution times

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Ubiquitous web plug-ins

• Adobe Shockwave
• Dont have to re-write the graphics engines
• Stable authoring environments, scripting level
  programming, Internet application integration,
  rich media/streaming and collaborative/multiplayer
  components, well supported and cost-effective
• - Shockwave quite a big download and not common
  in corporate environments

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www.necromanthus.com
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Ubiquitous web plug-ins

• Adobe Macromedia Flash
• Dont have to re-write the graphics engines
  stable authoring environments, scripting level
  programming, Internet application integration,
  built in accessibility compliance, rich media,
  streaming and collaborative/multiplayer
  components, well supported and cost-effective
• - No 3D capability in Flash interpreted code
  limits simulation application complexity

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How we choose

• Business simulations RPG
• Lower graphical fidelity
• 3D doesnt add much extra value
• Client-server model work with DBs and XML
• Data storage/record
• LMS/standards integration
• Embedded audio and video (streamed)
• Easy to use applications
• Ubiquitous (98 penetration??)
• No per game license fees
• Availability of streaming servers and
  multiplayer/collaborative components (FCS/FR)
• Cheap to purchase

• Small file sizes
• Rapid development cycles
• Designers and developers work in same
  environment
• In-built check in/out and 3rd party version
  control (SourceSafe)
• Open source file format
• Pool of available designers and developers
• Strong support (if not from vendor then user
  community)
• Stable vendor
• Trusted/accepted

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The Flash misconception
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Reuse, adapt improve
gt Minimise risk gt Cut cost gt Reduce delivery
time gt Increase margin gt Enhance technology
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Engine evolution over time
LearningBeans (business sim engine)
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Pro
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Marketing skills (Scottish Enterprise)
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Corporate Social Responsibility
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Promoting retail careers / retail training
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IT sales process training (SEER)
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GCSE Business Studies (PXL Edexcel)
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Interoperability standards / LMS
integration SCORM JavaScript calls LMS
API AICC HACP (form posting method) Open
source Moodle Proprietary student/user
management
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• Accessibility
• Section 508
• Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
• Bobby / W3C
• Custom requirements
• Fail to comply, fail to get order!

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Summary Limit your ambitions - maximise the
engagement factor but within the parameters you
are set. Align design to client needs Ensure
meet compliance issues We are solution providers!
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PIXELearning Ltdwww.pixelearning.com T 44 (0)
24 7623 6971
Kevin Corti,Managing Director kevin.corti_at_pixelea
rning.com