Serious games and simulations are poised for a second revolution. Today's children, our workforce and scientists are increasingly playing, learning, and inventing in visually intensive "virtual" environments. In our increasingly experiential economy, immersive educational and training solutions are needed to advance the workforce of tomorrow. Game-based learning and technologies meet this challenge.

However, regardless of the fuss being made, apart from the euphorics their is little attention to determine in a more scientific way what the actual value of the game is in the learning process, and what elements or aspects of the game contribute to the learning experience. To provide such a foundation, we will propose a game reference model in section 12.1, that we have applied to formulate criteria for effective service management games in  [Serious].

There is a wide choice of technology available for the realization of serious games. For example, in the climate game project, we did explore various technologies, including interactive video with flash, as well as the use of the HalfLife2 game engine, with which we gained experience in developing a promotional game for our faculty,  [VULife].

With regard to the use of 3D we may remark that since ancient times a walk in space has served as a mnemonic device, and as such spatial memory may aid in retention and understanding, which might also provide a decisive argument for the use of 3D in aa serious game, such as a service management game!

As explained in section 3.4, we found great inspiration for Clima Futura, our climate game, in Peacemaker, that provided us with an example of how to translate a serious issue into a turn-based game

From an interview with the makers:

peace maker(s)

Q: With the lion's share of strategy games on the market being devoted to ending a conflict through violence, why was it important to you to emphasize the need for a peaceful solution?
A: When we started to work on the project and looked around at other video games, we encountered the notion that war is much more challenging and conflict is essential to engage players. Many people we talked to perceived peacemaking as mere negotiations, where a group of diplomats sit at a table for lengthy discussions and sign agreements. We tried to shed light on what we see as the other side of peacemaking how challenging it is for a leader to gain trust and understanding in the face of constant violence. How difficult it is to execute concessions, while your own population is under stress or feeling despair. In a sense, peacemaking can be more complicated, sophisticated and rewarding than war making, and it is a message that we would like to convey to young adults, the future generation of leaders.

In summary, Peacemaker covers both political and social issues, with appealing visuals, not sacrificing the seriousness of the topic. By presenting real-time events using video and (short) text, awareness is created by allowing a choice between the points of view of the various parties involved. Such awareness may lead to political action and will no doubt influence choices, also when it comes to issues of climate change. Essentially, serious games aim at attitude change, the rest follows automatically ...

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[] readme course(s) preface I 1 2 II 3 4 III 5 6 7 IV 8 9 10 V 11 12 afterthought(s) appendix reference(s) example(s) resource(s) _

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(C) Æliens 04/09/2009

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