Factors driving and influencing the development of serious games
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v3i1.71Keywords:
serious game development, end-users, business modelsAbstract
There are a large variety of serious games aimed at infusing knowledge into both teams and organizations. Some games aims at supporting the team in a given project or development process, whereas others aim at widening the knowledge, skills and competences in an organization on a more general level. In the serious game literature most focus and attention is given to the design and development of digital games. However in Denmark, at least, there has been a growing industry of analogue serious games and serious game facilitation, which give evidence to the fact that not all development in the area of serious games happens in terms of the digital versions. This paper investigate these new analog serious games and learning tools in the Danish market with focus on the drivers and influencing factors during their development and the effort of making a business out of the serious games. Empirically, the paper is based on close interaction and semi-structured interviews with some of the key serious game developers in Denmark (plus one in the US), some of them with a portfolio of up to ten serious games. Besides from uncovering some of the basic motivations to design and develop serious games, the paper will show, how the game developers’ interaction with the end-users and their different business strategies, influences the way the game is developed.References
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[2] Prensky M. (2001) Digital game-based learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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[10] Kelly A. E., O’Kelly J. B. (1994) Extending a tradition: teacher designed computer based games. Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, Vol. 5, No. 2, p. 153–166.
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[13] Mitchell A. (2003) Exploring the potential of a games-oriented implementation for m-portal.
Paper presented to the MLEARN 2003 Conference – Learning With Mobile Devices, 19–20 May 2003, London.
[14] Van der Spek E. D. (2012) Towards designing for competence and engagement in Serious Games. in Ma M.; Oliveira M. F.; Hauge J. B.; Duin H. & Thoben K. (eds.) Serious Games Development and Applications, Springer, p. 98-109 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33687-4_8
[15] Sweetser, P. & Wyeth, P.(2005) GameFlow: A Model for Evaluating Player Enjoyment in Games. Computers in Entertainment Vol. 3, p. 1–24 http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1077246.1077253
[16] Simons J (2006) Narrative, Games and Theory Game Studies. The international journal of computer game research. Vol. 7, No. 1.
[17] Adams, E. (1999) Three Problems For Interactive Storytelters. Gamasutra December 29, 1999
[18] Juul, J. (1998) A Clash Between Games and Narrative, Paper Presented at the Digital Arts and Culture Conference, Bergen, November 1998.
[19] Jenkins, H. (2003) Game Design as Narrative Architecture, in Harrigan P. & Wardrip-Fruin, N. (eds.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game MIT Press, Cambridge.
[20] Reeve, C. (2009); Narrative-based Serious Games in Petrovic, O. & Brand, A. (eds.) Serious Games on the move, p. 73-89, Springer, London. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-09418-1_5
[21] Jenkins, H. (2003) Game Design as Narrative Architecture, in Harrigan P. & Wardrip-Fruin, N. (eds.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game MIT Press, Cambridge.
[22] Bergeron, B. (2006) Developing Serious Games, Charles Rivers Media, Massachusetts
[23] Schell, J. (2008) The art of game design, Elsevier, Burlington.
[2] Prensky M. (2001) Digital game-based learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
[3] Zyda, M (2005) From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games. Computer Vol. 38, No. 9, p. 25–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/mc.2005.297
[4] Malone, T.W. (1981) Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science,Vol 4, p. 333–369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0504_2
[5] Malone, T.W. (1984) Heuristics for designing enjoyable user interfaces: Lessons from computer games. in: Thomas, J.C. & Schneider, M.L. (eds.) Human Factors in Computer Systems. Ablex, Norwood.
[6] Gee, J.P (2004): Learning by design: games as learning machines. Interactive Educational Multimedia Vol. 8, p. 15–23
[7] Marsh, T.; Nickole, L. Z.; Klopfer, E.; Xuejin, C.; Haas, J. & Osterweil, S. (2011a) Fun and learning: blending design and development dimensions in serious games through narrative and characters. In: Serious Games and Edutainment Applications. Springer, UK, pp. 273-290. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2161-9_14
[8] Marsh, T.; Xuejin, C.; Nickole, L. Z.; Osterweil, S.; Klopfer, E. & Haas, J. (2011b) Fun and learning: the power of narrative. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Foundations of Digital Games. FDG 2011 6th International Conference on Foundations of Digital Games, 28 June - 1 July 2011, Bordeaux, France, pp. 23-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2159365.2159369
[9] Susi, T.; Johannesson, M. & Backlund, P. (2007). Serious Games – An Overview. Report HS-IKI-TR-07-001) p. 4.
[10] Kelly A. E., O’Kelly J. B. (1994) Extending a tradition: teacher designed computer based games. Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, Vol. 5, No. 2, p. 153–166.
[11] Oyen, A. & Bebko, J. M. (1996). The effects of computer games and lesson contexts on children’s memonic strategies. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol. 62, p. 173–189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jecp.1996.0027
[12] Dempsey, J.V.; Haynes, L.L.; Lucassen BA and Casey, M. S. (2002). Forty simple computer games and what they could mean to educators. Simulation and Gaming, Vol. 33, No. 2, p. 157–168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1046878102332003
[13] Mitchell A. (2003) Exploring the potential of a games-oriented implementation for m-portal.
Paper presented to the MLEARN 2003 Conference – Learning With Mobile Devices, 19–20 May 2003, London.
[14] Van der Spek E. D. (2012) Towards designing for competence and engagement in Serious Games. in Ma M.; Oliveira M. F.; Hauge J. B.; Duin H. & Thoben K. (eds.) Serious Games Development and Applications, Springer, p. 98-109 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33687-4_8
[15] Sweetser, P. & Wyeth, P.(2005) GameFlow: A Model for Evaluating Player Enjoyment in Games. Computers in Entertainment Vol. 3, p. 1–24 http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1077246.1077253
[16] Simons J (2006) Narrative, Games and Theory Game Studies. The international journal of computer game research. Vol. 7, No. 1.
[17] Adams, E. (1999) Three Problems For Interactive Storytelters. Gamasutra December 29, 1999
[18] Juul, J. (1998) A Clash Between Games and Narrative, Paper Presented at the Digital Arts and Culture Conference, Bergen, November 1998.
[19] Jenkins, H. (2003) Game Design as Narrative Architecture, in Harrigan P. & Wardrip-Fruin, N. (eds.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game MIT Press, Cambridge.
[20] Reeve, C. (2009); Narrative-based Serious Games in Petrovic, O. & Brand, A. (eds.) Serious Games on the move, p. 73-89, Springer, London. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-09418-1_5
[21] Jenkins, H. (2003) Game Design as Narrative Architecture, in Harrigan P. & Wardrip-Fruin, N. (eds.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game MIT Press, Cambridge.
[22] Bergeron, B. (2006) Developing Serious Games, Charles Rivers Media, Massachusetts
[23] Schell, J. (2008) The art of game design, Elsevier, Burlington.
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2016-03-01
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Factors driving and influencing the development of serious games. (2016). International Journal of Serious Games, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v3i1.71
