Serious Games for education and training

Authors

  • Alessandro De Gloria University of Genoa
  • Francesco Bellotti University of Genoa
  • Riccardo Berta University of Genoa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v1i1.11

Keywords:

serious games, overview, taxonomy, game meachanics, design, models, education, training

Abstract

Serious Games (SGs) are gaining an ever increasing interest for education and traning. Exploiting the latest simulation and visualization technologies, SGs are able to contextualize the player’s experience in challenging, realistic environments, supporting situated cognition. However, we still miss methods and tools for effectively and deeply infusing pedagogy and instruction inside digital games. After presenting an overview of the state of the art of the SG taxonomies, the paper introduces the pedagogical theories and models most relevant to SGs and their implications on SG design.  We also present a schema for a proper integration of games in education, supporting different goals in different steps of a formal education process. By analyzing a set of well-established SGs and formats, the paper presents the main mechanics and models that are being used in SG designs, with a particular focus on assessment, feedback and learning analytics. An overview of tools and models for SG design is also presented. Finally, based on the performed analysis, indications for future research in the field are provided.

References

[1] Prensky M., “Digital game-based learning”, ACM Computers in Entertainment, vol. 1, no. 1, 2003.
[2] Gee J. P., What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
[3] Zyda M.. "From visual simulation to virtual reality to games". IEEE Computer, September 2005.
[4] Bellotti F., Berta R. and De Gloria A., “Designing Effective Serious Games: Opportunities and Challenges for Research”, Special Issue: Creative Learning with Serious Games, Int.l Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET), Special Issue: Creative Learning with Serious Games Vol. 5, 2010, pp. 22-35
[5] Watkins, R., Leigh, D., Foshay, R. and Kaufman, R., “Kirkpatrick Plus: Evaluation and Continuous Improvement with a Community Focus”, Educational Technology Research & Development, vol. 46, no. 4, 1998. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02299676
[6] Klopfer E, Osterweil S., and Salen K., Moving Learning Games Forward, Obstacles Opportunities & Openness, The Education Arcade, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009, available online at: http://education.mit.edu/papers/MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArcade.pdf.
[7] Kincaid, J.P., Westerlund, K.K., "Simulation in education and training," Proceedings of the 2009 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), Dec. 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/WSC.2009.5429337
[8] Jarvis, S., de Freitas, S., Evaluation of a Serious Game to support Triage Training: In-game Feedback and its effect on Learning Transfer. Proceedings of 2009 IEEE Conference in Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications, 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/VS-GAMES.2009.31
[9] Connolly, T.M., Boyle, E.A., Stansfield, M.H., and Hainey, T., “The Potential of Online Games as a Collaborative Learning Environment”, Journal of Advanced Technology for Learning, 2007
[10] Islas Sedano, C.; Carvalho, M.B.; Secco, N.; Longstreet, C.S., "Collaborative and cooperative games: Facts and assumptions," Collaboration Technologies and Systems (CTS), 2013 International Conference on , vol., no., pp.370,376, 20-24 May 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/CTS.2013.6567257
[11] Wendel V., Gutjahr M., Göbel S., and Steinmetz R.. 2013. Designing collaborative multiplayer serious games. Education and Information Technologies 18, 2 (June 2013) http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10639-012-9244-6
[12] Parsons, D.; Petrova, K.; Hokyoung Ryu, "Mobile Gaming - A Serious Business!," Wireless, Mobile and Ubiquitous Technology in Education (WMUTE), 2012 IEEE Seventh International Conference on , vol., no., pp.17,24, 27-30 March 2012
[13] Chi-Husiung Liang, "Solving family communication problems between children and parents by using Mobile Serious Games," Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL), 2012 15th International Conference on , vol., no., pp.1,6, 26-28 Sept. 2012
[14] Pew Research Center, The Future of Gamification http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Future-of-Gamification.aspx
[15] Deloitte, Technology Trends 2012 - Elevate IT for digital business, online: http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Services/consulting/technology-consulting/49ec911905f25310VgnVCM3000001c56f00aRCRD.htm
[16] Gartner, “Gartner Predicts Over 70 Percent of Global 2000 Organisations Will Have at Least One Gamified Application by 2014”, press release, available online: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1844115
[17] Bellotti F., Berta R., Ferretti E., DeGloria A., and Margarone M., “VeGame: Field Exploration of Art and History in Venice”, IEEE Computer, special issue on Handheld Computing, Vol. 36, No. 9. pp. 48-55 September 2003.
[18] Mitchell, A., & Savall-Smith, C. (2004). The use of computer and video games for learning. A review of the literature. The learning and skills development agency. London, p.57.
[19] Clark D., Learning by playing: can computer games and simulations support teaching and learning for post-16 learners in formal, workplace and informal learning contexts? Computer games in education and training. Presentation at LSDA seminar London, November 2003.
[20] Zyda, M.; Hiles, J.; Mayberry, A.; Wardynski, C.; Capps, M.; Osborn, B.; Shilling, R.; Robaszewski, M.; Davis, M., "Entertainment R&D for defense," Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE , vol.23, no.1, pp.28,36, Jan/Feb 2003
[21] Michael, D. & Chen, S., Serious games: Games that educate, train, and inform. Boston, MA.: Thomson Course Technology, 2006.
[22] Kirriemuir J., McFarlane A. Literature Review in Games and Learning Report 8: Futurelab Series, 2004, available online at: http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/19/04/53/PDF/kirriemuir-j-2004-r8.pdf
[23] Riedel, J; & Baalsrud Hauge, J. State of the Art of Serious Gaming for Business and Industry, 17th International Conference on Concurrent Enterprising: Collaborative Environments for Sustainable Innovation, 20-22 June 2011, Aachen, Germany, Centre for Operations Management, RWTH Aachen, Aachen.
[24] Egenfeldt-Nielsen,S, Overview of research on the educational use of videogames, Digital Kompetanse, 3(1), 2006.
[25] Sawyer B., Smith P., “Serious Game Taxonomy”, Paper presented at the meeting Serious Game Summit 2008, Game Developer Conference, 2008
[26] Kickmeier-Rust, M. D., Peirce, N., Conlan, O., Schwarz, D., Verpoorten, D., & Albert, D. Immersive Digital Games: The Interfaces for Next-Generation E-Learning? In C. Stephanidis (Ed.), Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Applications and Services (pp. 647-656). Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 4556/2007. Berlin: Springer, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73283-9_71
[27] Kickmeier-Rust, M. D. Talking digital educational games. In M. D. Kickmeier-Rust (Ed.), Proceedings of the 1st international open workshop on intelligent personalization and adaptation in digital educational games (pp. 55-66). October, 2009, Graz, Austria.
[28] Djaouti D., Alvarez J., Jessel J.P., Methel G., Molinier P., "A Gameplay Definition through Videogame Classification", International Journal of Computer Game Technology, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Quarter 1, 2008.
[29] Djaouti D., Alvarez J., Jessel JP, "Classifying Serious Games: The G/P/S Model" Patrick Felicia (ed), "Handbook of Research on Improving Learning and Motivation through Educational Games: Multidisciplinary Approaches", IGI Global, 2011.
[30] Anderson, L., Krathwohl, R., Airasian, P., Cruikshank, K., Mayer, R., Pintrich, P., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. (Eds.) (2001). Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy. New York, NY: Longman.
[31] Harrow A. J., “A taxonomy of the psychomotor domain: A guide for developing behavioral objectives”, New York: McKay, 1972
[32] Krathwohl R., Bloom B.S., Masia B.B, Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook II: The affective domain. David McKay Company, 1964.
[33] Pellegrino, J. W., Hilton, M. L. (2012) Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
[34] Greitzer F.L., Kuchar O.A., and Huston K., "Cognitive Science Implications for Enhancing Training Effectiveness in a Serious Gaming Context", ACM J. Educational Resources in Computing, vol. 7, no. 3, August 2007.
[35] Dewey, J., “How We Think”, Heath, New Yor, 1933
[36] Montessori, M. Education for a New World. Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications, 1946.
[37] Kolb, D. A., “Experiential Learning”, Prentice Hall, New York, 1984
[38] Kirschner, P.A., Sweller, J., Clark, R.E. "Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching". Educational Psychologist 41 (2): 75–86, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1
[39] Sweller, J. "Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning". Cognitive Science 12 (2), 1988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4
[40] Rowe, J. P., Shores, L. R., Mott, B. W., Lester, J. C. Individual Differences in Gameplay and Learning: A Narrative-Centered Learning Perspective. In Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (FDG), Monterey, CA, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1822348.1822371
[41] Csikszentmihalyi M., Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, New York: Harper & Row, 1990.
[42] Chen M., and Johnson S., “Measuring flow in a computer game simulating a foreign language environment,” 2004. Available online at: http://www.markdangerchen.net/pubs/flow_in_game_simulating_fle.pdf
[43] Sweetser P. and Wyeth P., "GameFlow: A Model for Evaluating Player Enjoyment in Games," ACM Computers in Entertainment, vol. 3, no. 3, July 2005.
[44] Chen J., “Flow in games (and everything else),” Commununications of the ACM 50, 4 (April 2007), 31-34 http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1232743.1232769
[45] O’ Broin D., "Using a Criteria-Based User Model for Facilitating Flow in Serious Games," Third International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications, VS-Games 2011 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/vs-games.2011.15
[46] Lopes R., Bidarra R., "Adaptivity Challenges in Games and Simulations: A Survey," Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, IEEE Transactions on , vol.3, no.2, pp.85-99, June 2011 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TCIAIG.2011.2152841
[47] Liu C., Agrawal P., Sarkar N., and Chen S., “Dynamic difficulty adjustment in computer games through real-time anxiety-based affective feedback,” Int. J. Human-Comput. Interact., vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 506–529, Aug. 2009
[48] Berta R., Bellotti F., De Gloria A., Pranantha D., Schatten C., “Electroencephalogram and Physiological Signal Analysis for Assessing Flow in Games”, IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, Vol. 5, No. 2, 567-578, 164-175, June 2013
[49] Chiang Y. T., Cheng C. Y., and Lin S. S. J., “The Effects of Digital Games on Undergraduate Players' Flow Experiences and Affect,” in proceedings of the Second IEEE International Conference on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning (DIGITEL '08)
[50] Maritain, J., La personne et le bien commun, (1947) trans. The Person and the Common Good, by John J. Fitzgerald, Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985.
[51] UPA Usability Professionals’ Association, What is UCD, 2008, available online at: http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/usability_resources/about_usability/what_is_ucd.html.
[52] Nonaka, I., Toyama, R. and Konno, N., “SECI, Ba, and leadership: a unified model of dynamic knowledge creation”. Long Range Planning, vol. 33, no.5, 2000 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0024-6301(99)00115-6
[53] Bastos N. P., Morán Sánchez-Cantón B., Hervello Costas I., ENTRExplorer: a Serious Game for Immersive Entrepreneurs, Atas do Encontro sobre Jogos e Mobile Learning. Braga: CIEd., 2012
[54] Kirkpatrick, D. L., “Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels”, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc, San Francisco, 1998.
[55] Baalsrud Hauge J., Bellotti F., Berta R., Carvalho M. B., De Gloria A., Lavagnino E., Nadolski R., Ott M., Field assessment of Serious Games for Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, Journal of Convergence Information Technology , pp. 1-12, Volume8, Number13, August 2013
[56] Luccini, M. A., Mortara M., Catalano C. E., Romero C., “Thematic Application fields report”, Deliverable 3.2 of the Games and Learning (GaLA) Network of Excellence, 2012
[57] Piaget, J., “The Child's Conception of the World”. Harcourt, New Your, 1929
[58] Oliveira, M., Cerinsek, G., Duin, H., Taisch, M., Serious gaming in manufacturing education, In M. Ma et al. (Eds.): Serious Games Development and Applications, SGDA 2013, LNCS 8101, pp. 130–144, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40790-1_13
[59] Bellotti F., Berta R., De Gloria A., Lavagnino E., Antonaci A., Dagnino F., Ott M., (2013a), “A Gamified Short Course for Promoting Entrepreneurship among ICT Engineering Students”, Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT) 2013, Bejing, China, July, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4673-1642-2, DOI 10.1109/ICALT.2013.1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICALT.2013.1
[60] Swarz, J., Ousley, A., Magro, A., Rienzo, M., Burns, D., Lindsey, A.M., Wilburn, B., Bolcar, S., , "CancerSpace: A Simulation-Based Game for Improving Cancer-Screening Rates," Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE , vol.30, no.1, pp.90-94, Jan.-Feb. 2010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MCG.2010.4
[61] Cole, S.W., Yoo, D.J., Knutson, B. (2012). Interactivity and Reward-Related Neural Activation During a Serious Videogame. PLoS ONE 7(3). http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033909
[62] Zielke M. A., Evans M. J., Dufour F., Christopher T. V., Donahue J. K., Johnson P., Jennings E. B., Friedman B. S., Ounekeo P. L., Flores R., "Serious Games for Immersive Cultural Training: Creating a Living World," IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 49-60, Mar./Apr. 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MCG.2009.30
[63] Bachen, C. M., Hernández-Ramos, P. F., & Raphael, C. (2012). Simulating REAL LIVES: Promoting global empathy and interest in learning through simulation games. Simulation & Gaming, 43(4) - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1046878111432108
[64] Angehrn A., Maxwell K., Luccini M., Rajola F., Designing Effective Collaboration, Learning and Innovation Systems for Education Professionals, International Journal of Knowledge and Learning (IJKL), Vol. 5 No. 2, 2009.
[65] Hannig A., Kuth N., Özman M., Jonas S., Spreckelsen C., eMedOffice: A web-based collaborative serious game for teaching optimal design of a medical practice, BMC Medical Education 2012, 12:104 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-12-104
[66] Mayer I., van Dierendonck D., van Ruijven T. and Wenzler I., Stealth Assessment of Teams in a Digital Game Environment, in Proc.s of Game and Learning Alliance, GaLA Conf 2013, Velizy Paris, Oct. 2013.
[67] Bellotti F., Berta R., De Gloria A., D'Ursi A., and Fiore V.. 2012. A serious game model for cultural heritage. ACM J. Comput. Cult. Herit. 5, 4, 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2399180.2399185
[68] Marfisi-Schottman I., Labat J.-M., Carron T., Building on the Case Teaching Method to Generate Learning Games Relevant to Numerous Educational Fields. ICALT 2013: 156-160
[69] Howell K., E. Glinert, L. Holding, C. Swain. “How to build serious games.” COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM, v. 50 issue 7, 2007, p. 44-49
[70] Doucet, L. and Srinivasan, V. 2010. Designing entertaining educational games using procedural rhetoric: a case study. In Proc.s 5th ACM SIGGRAPH Symp. on Video Games, Los Angeles, Ca, July, 2010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1836135.1836136
[71] Shute, V.J, & F. Ke (2012). Games, Learning, and Assessment. In D. Ifenthaler, D. Eseryel, & X. Ge (Eds.), Assessment in Game-Based Learning: Foundations, Innovations and Perspectives (pp. 43-58). New York: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3546-4_4
[72] Bellotti F., Berta R., De Gloria A., Primavera L., "Adaptive Experience Engine for Serious Games", IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, Vol 1, No. 4, 2009
[73] Bellotti, F., Kapralos, B., Lee, K., Moreno-Ger, P., and Berta, R., (2013b), “Assessment in and of Serious Games: An Overview”, Hindawi Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 2013
[74] Bente G., and J. Breuer. Making the implicit explicit: Embedded measurement in serious games. In Serious Games: Mechanisms and Effects. U. Ritterfield, M. J. Cody, P. Vorderer (Eds.), Mahwah, NJ: Routledge, Taylor and Francis. 2009
[75] del Blanco Á., Serrano-Laguna Á., Freire M., Martínez-Ortiz I., Fernández-Manjón B., E-Learning Standards and Learning Analytics. Can Data Collection Be Improved by Using Standard Data Models?. In Proceedings of the IEEE Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), pp 1255-1261, Berlin, Germany, March 13-15, 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/educon.2013.6530268
[76] Westera, W. (2013). Learning analytics in serious gaming: uncovering the hidden treasury of game log files. Paper for the GALA Serious Gaming Conference at Paris October 24-25, France.
[77] Bauckhage C., Kersting K., Sifa R., Thurau C., Drachen A., Canossa A., How players lose interest in playing a game: An empirical study based on distributions of total playing times. CIG 2012, 139-146
[78] Del Blanco, A., Torrente, J., Moreno-Ger, P., Fernández-Manjón, B., Integrating adaptive games in student-centered virtual learning environments, International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, Volume 8, Issue 3, July 2010, Pages 1-15 http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jdet.2010070101
[79] Kjellén B., "The Case Method as seen from Different Pedagogical Perspectives", International Journal of Case Method Research & Application, vol. XIX, no1, 2007, pp. 10-16.
[80] Arnab S., Lim T., Carvalho M. B., Bellotti F., de Freitas S., Louchart S., Suttie N., Berta R. and De Gloria A., "Mapping Learning and Game Mechanics for Serious Games Analysis", British Journal of Educational Technology, in press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12113
[81] Connolly, T. M., E. A. Boyle, E. MacArthur, T. Hainey and J. M. Boyle (2012). "A systematic literature review of the empirical evidence on computer games and serious games." Computers and Education 59(2), pp. 661-686, 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.03.004
[82] Wouters, P., van Oostendorp, H., van Nimwegen, C., & van der Spek, E. D. A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games, Computers and Education, 60, 1, January, 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0031311

Downloads

Published

2014-02-03

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Serious Games for education and training. (2014). International Journal of Serious Games, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v1i1.11

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 6 > >>