Rebecca Engler
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Faculteit der Exacte Wetenschappen
08 October 2012
Serious Games – Gamification of Education
1. Introduction
„It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and
a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.“
Leo Buscaglia, 1924-1998, Author
Is it possible to learn with the help of video and computer games? If you look at nowadays discussions
about (violent) computer games [1] and that these are supposedly making children more aggressive,
the idea seems very absurd at the first sigh. However, if we consider the increasing scientifically
interest in video and computer games there is no doubt in the fact that these games are belonging to
our life and culture as much as books and movies. Just like books and movies, games can rather have
an educational function than only being made for an entertaining reason. These games are called
“serious games” and are used in various areas such as medicine, military and educational institutes like
schools and universities for further training. Before serious games became popular, e-learning
applications and other learning software were used with more or less success. Compared to e-learning
software, serious games combine the primary goal of education with a (high) fun factor.
2. Serious Games
“Games that do not have entertainment, enjoyment or fun as their primary purpose”
David Michael, Sande Chen, 2005, Authors
The term “serious games” appeared the first time in the book “Serious Games” by Clark C. Abt in
1968. Abt was dealing with games uses as simulations which can be utilized for education. Since
today there is no standardized definition of „serious games“ available. However it can be said that a
serious game is a game that is developed by the technology and design used for software of the field of
entertainment and that it is not primary or exclusively made for the gamer’s amusement. It is more
important to have a balance between gaming aspects which represent the fun factor and informational
and educational facets. The person(s) playing the game should learn something which can be used in
real life situations. Serious games can be compared to documentary movies which have a strong
relation to the reality. The learning experience has a high value.
First “serious games” have been used for flight simulations. Future pilots can learn how to fly and
what to do in critical situations in a very realistic and safe game environment. Another example of
using (video) games for a serious matter is the game “America’s Army” [3]. It has been developed to
show prospective soldiers how it is being in the army. It is also a simulation which is very close to the
reality.
Moreover, serious games are applicable in nowadays health care. Games are used to train medical
staff, therapeutic means for patients with physically or psychologically diseases, for prevention (e.g.
educational advertising regarding HIV/AIDS) and health enhancing.
3. Game mechanics
Game mechanics are means to keep people playing the game. To achieve that, on the one hand the
game should not frustrate the gamer because it is too difficult or too confusing to play and on the other
hand it should not be too easy. This might lead the gamer to get bored and stop playing. The ideal way
is to create a game story midmost these two extremes with the help of game mechanics (e.g.
achievements, bonuses, countdown, levels, points).
Game mechanics can be classified by three categories:
 Game Mechanic Types
 Progression: supports development of skills
 Feedback: positive and negative feedback
 Behavioral: deals with human behavior and psyche
 Types of gamer personalities
 Achievers: like to gain “points”, levels, equipment and other measurements reflecting
success
 Explorers: like discovering areas, creating maps and learning about hidden places
 Socializers: they choose the game because of social effects, not because of the game itself
 Killers: like competing other players
 Boosts
 Engagement
 Loyalty
 Time Spent
 Influence
 Fun
 SEO
 User Generated Content
 Virality
Having this knowledge of the various categories it is possible to create a (serious) game for a specific
target group (type of gamer) by choosing the best fitting game mechanics.
4. Project Serious Games: Generation Talk
The goal of the game “Generation Talk” is to get parents and their children together in a relaxed
atmosphere which allows to discuss controversial and sometimes even embarrassing topics. Both
should learn from each other and the game will help to understand the others opinion better.
The game takes place in a virtual but realistic village having different areas belonging to a
controversial topic, e.g. there is a nightlife area dealing with the topics drinking and drugs. In each
area there are characters telling their stories regarding the specific topic. Later the gamer(s) have to
answer questions which can and should be discussed within the family. The answers will effect on the
course of the game and the life of the area’s character. For correct answers points are gained.
This serious game is addressed to “socializers” and “achievers” and it includes all game mechanic
types (progression, feedback, behavioral). The gamer will get feedback either positive or negative to
the answers he/she/they made. It should “influence” the player because of making them aware of
specific topics and to be more confident to discuss them within the family. Of course the game should
make fun otherwise the family might stop playing it.
“Generation Talk” is designed as a computer based game, but it can also be played on a mobile device.
5. Perspective
To make games serious they need to simulate a real life situation. But still it is an (electronic) game
which provides a safer environment than it probably will be in reality. If your character loses or even
dies (in e.g. war simulation) it is of course scary and makes the gamer aware of the fact that this
movement is not the correct one. Nevertheless it is still just a game and maybe some people
(personalities) see the difference between game and reality and because of that they cannot completely
see it as a real life event. But these are extreme examples where serious games are used.
I do believe that serious games are suited for knowledge transfer and development and especially for
children. In that case of having the target group of young people, general education can be taught.
Moreover, serious games will be used by adults more frequently in the coming years. I do fancy about
“serious interview games” which test job candidates with daily work tasks.
6. Conclusion
In my opinion serious games will have a big growth in developing and using them in the future.
People will think of new areas to make use of these kind of games in school, jobs and society.
Nevertheless it is important to find a good balance of reality and fiction. If the game is too unreal the
goal of changing the gamers behavior might not be achieved. On the contrary, making a game being
very realistic can reduce the fun factor because the gamer may not be challenged enough.
7. References
[1] http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America's_Army
[4] Serious Games: Games That Educate, Train, and Inform, David Michael, Sande Chen, Cengage
Learning Emea, 2005
[5] Serious Games: Clark C. Abt, University Press of America, edition from 1987
[6] http://gamification.org/wiki/Personality_Types