Theory of serious games

1. What is the definition of serious games?

   Although there is a lot of discussion surrounding the definition of serious games, Jessie Scanlon describes them as being “used for non-entertainment purposes including education, corporate and military training, and health care” (2007). In this way games that have as their central purpose to teach or if they are developed for professional or corporate use are also incorporated into the definition. Furthermore, an understanding of serious games can also be applied to recreational games that are adapted for practical purposes. For example when a history teacher uses Civilization in the classroom, or when consumers use Konami's Dance Dance Revolution as a form of exercise games can therefore become much more than entertainment (Scanlon, 2007)

    

    

2. Where does the term “serious games” come from?

   The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars coined the term ”serious games” which defined and mobilized a loose-knit collection of game developers, educational foundations, grassroots organizations, human rights advocates, medical professionals, first responders, homeland security consultants, and assorted others around a common cause. These people, along with many others who are interested in serious games have been attending the Game Developers Conference which holds a summit on serious games twice a year. In coming together for a common cause this group has actively promoted the idea that serious games can teach just as well as books, film, or any other medium. Josh Schollmeyer explains that “games let us create representation of how things work in a medium that’s built to do exactly that” (2006, p. 35). In other words, one of the best ways to understand and learn about the operation of machinery or certain phenomena can be learned through the simulation of games that allow the user to interact with the model of how a system works.

    

    

3. How profitable is the video game industry?

   PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) June analysis of the growth of the global video game industry is hardly surprising. In its annual report "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2007-2011," the financial firm predicts the video game market will continue to expand at a compounded annual rate of 9.1% over the next five years. Other reports, such as the NPD Group's annual report on the U.S. gaming industry, show similar growth. PwC estimates that the global video game market will increase from $31.6 billion in 2006 to $48.9 billion in 2011, growing in every region (Scanlon, 2007).

    

    

4. What portion of the video game segment do serious games have?

   Although the growth of the video game industry takes into account mainstream games it neglects the newer attempts of serious games to mesh gaming with social networking and social responsibility. It is therefore difficult to project the growth of the serious games industry as it is still in its infancy. However, projections roughly land around the $150 million dollar mark if one excludes traditional "edugames" developed for primary or secondary school education such as Carmen Sandiego and Math Blaster. Jessie Scanlon explains that he "thinks there's no reason it can't be a billion-dollar market within a decade or sooner." Scanlon (2007) sees Nintendo’s sales of games like Brain Age and Dance Dance Revolution as being in tremendous demand. This number is certainly likely to increase as consumers and businesses are changing their thinking about games as products to understanding them as services.

    

    

5.  What is the real world value of serious games to our society?

   The value of serious games is that it allows users to fail again and again without real-world repercussions. This concept was originally invested heavily into by the U.S. military which reasons that if soldiers lose fake lives in simulations, it better hones their ability to survive on the real battlefield. A similar thinking has trickled down to emergency services such as firehouses, police stations, and hospitals. Although, police officers, nurses and doctors have the added advantage of a consistent environment in which to practice their skills, firefighters do not have the same opportunity. Jesse Schell, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) worked closely with both the Pittsburgh and New York City fire departments to craft a multiplayer game called Hazmat: Hotzone. Schell explains that firefighters “don’t necessarily prepare for colorless, odorless toxins" (Schollmeyer, 2006). Hazmat: Hotzone places firefighters on the scene, forcing quick decisions and tests their ability to operate in a safe, virtual environment. The instructor creates or sets a particular hazmat scenario and alters the variables while firefighters who are playing respond using their training and knowledge. After the game the firefighters are briefed on what worked, what did not and how next time they can react to the environment in a safer way.

    

    

6.  Can serious games provide meaningful social action for society?

   The game A Force More Powerful: The Game of Non-violent Strategy pits users against an enemy dictator who rules the fictional environment with corruption. The mission for users is to lead a “nonviolent struggles to win freedom and secure human rights against dictators, colonizers and corrupt regimes, as well as campaigns for political and human rights for minorities and women" (AFMP, 2007). Users are expected to achieve these objectives through the use of nonviolent tactics such as fundraising, hunger strikes, and fraternizing with neutral/sympathetic parties. This game has had a tremendous effect in the Ukraine. As a result of a journalist who introduced this game to a collection of Georgian, Belarusian, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyz activists they began collaborating in order to learn about nonviolent strategy for their own purposes. The game has therefore helped in the training of the leadership circles of these various movements in order to bring about social change. In this way, serious games can have a tremendous effect on people in achieving their social and cultural means.

References

A Force More Powerful. Game. Retrieved October 20, 2007 from http://www.aforcemorepowerful.org/game/index.php#info

Scanlon, Jessie (2007, August 14th). Getting Serious About Gaming. Business Week Online. Retrieved October 20, 2007 from http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2007/id20070813_756874.htm

Schollmeyer, Josh (2006). Games Get Serious. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 62, 34-39. Retrieved October 20, 2007 from Academic Search Premier database.