a serious game is a software application developed with game technology and game design pr...

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A serious game is a software application developed with game technology and game design principles for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment.OverviewLong before the term "serious game" came into wide use with the Serious Games Initiative in 2002, games were being developed for non-entertainment purposes. The continued failure of the edutainment space to prove profitable, plus the growing technical abilities of games to provide realistic settings, led to a re-examination of the concept of serious games in the late 1990s. During this time, a number of scholars began to examine the utility of games for other purposes, contributed to the growing interest in applying games to new purposes. Additionally, the ability of games to contribute to training expanded at the same time with the development of multi-player gaming. In 2002, the Woodrow Wilson Inteational Center for Scholars in Washington D.C. launched a "Serious Games Initiative" to encourage the development of games that address policy and management issues. More focused sub-groups began to appear in 2004, including Games for Change which focuses on social issues and social change, and Games for Health which addresses health care applications.There is no single definition of serious games, though they are generally held to be games used for training, advertising, simulation, or education. Alteate definitions include the application of games concepts, technologies and ideas to non-entertainment applications.Serious games include and are than those intended for an audience outside of primary or secondary education. Serious games can be of any genre, use any game technology, and be developed for any platform. Some may consider them a kind of edutainment; however, the mainstay of the community are resistant to this term..A serious game may be a simulation which has the look and feel of a game, but corresponds to non-game events or processes, including business operations and military operations (even though many popular entertainment games depicted business and military operations). The games are intended to provide an engaging, self-reinforcing context in which to motivate and educate the players. Other purposes for such games include marketing and advertisement. The largest users (unsubstantiated by business intelligence) of SGs appear to be the US govement and medical professionals.[citation needed] Other commercial sectors are actively pursuing development of these types of tools as well. DevelopmentThe concept of using games for education dates back before the days of computers, but the first serious game is often considered to be Army Battlezone, an abortive project headed by Atari in 1980, designed to use the Battlezone tank game for military training. In recent years, the US govement and military have periodically looked towards game developers to create low-cost simulations that are both accurate and engaging. Game developer's experience with gameplay and game design made them prime candidates for developing these types of simulations which cost millions of dollars less than traditional simulations, which often require special hardware or complete facilities to use.Outside of the govement, there is substantial interest in games for education, professional training, healthcare, advertising and public policy. For example, games from websites such as Newsgaming.com are "very political games groups made outside the corporate game system" that are "raising issues through media but using the distinct properties of games to engage people from a fresh perspective," says Henry Jenkins, the director of MIT's comparative media studies program. Such games, he said, constitute a "radical fictional work."1 Michigan State University offers a Serious Games MA, a Master of Arts graduate program and graduate certificate in serious game design. AdvantagesVideo and computer game developers are accustomed to developing games quickly and are adept at creating games that simulateâ�?��?�to varying degreesâ�?��?�functional entities such as radar and combat vehicles. Using existing infrastructure, game developers can develop games that simulate battles, processes and events at a fraction of the cost of traditional govement contractors.Traditional simulators usually cost millions of dollars not only to develop, but also to deploy, and generally require the procurement of specialized hardware. The costs of media for serious games is very low. Instead of volumes of media or computers for high-end simulators, SGs require nothing than a DVD or even a single CD-ROM, exactly like traditional computer and video games require. Deploying these to the field requires nothing than dropping them in the mail or accessing a dedicated web site.Finally, while SGs are meant to train or otherwise educate users, they often hope to be engaging. Game developers are experienced at making games fun and engaging as their livelihood depends on it. In the course of simulating events and processes, developers automatically inject entertainment and playability in their applications. Game Impact TheoryThe very nature of games in Weste society makes them a disruptive force. As Parker Brothers discovered in the late 19th and early 20th century, games have the power to influence society, though they must fit within societal norms. Today we see computer games extending their influence into the serious business of military operations, medical education, emergency management training, and many others. In doing this, game technology is jumping the gap between entertainment and work. Throughout the evolution of electronic and computer games, this gap has kept this technology out of business, largely because games were not seen as â�?��?seriousâ�?� tools. Games have often been viewed as toys, not as tools for productivity. But the incredible power of the personal computer, graphics cards, broadband Inteet connections, intelligent software agents, accurate physics models, and accessible user interface are making it impossible to ignore the potential of these â�?��?toysâ�?� to be applied to some very difficult problems in the "real business world".Game technologies have the power of technology, personal investment, financial profits, and social change behind them. Game impact theory proposes that there are five primary forces that are driving the adoption of game technologies for serious applications in a number of industries. The five forces described by this theory are: * Cost advantage of hardware platforms, * Sophistication of software applications, * Social acceptance of game tools, * Successes in other industries, and * Innovative experiments in the adopting industry.In addition to being technologically powerful, these tools and techniques are becoming socially acceptable, even socially desirable, as the people who experienced games as children become the next generation of leaders in business, govement, and the military."The forces that hone games, and gamers, have to do with anthropology than code" (Herz & Macedonia, 2001) . As with the games introduced by George Parker over 100 years ago, these forms of entertainment test the edge of socially acceptable behavior and the use of oneâ�?��?�s time. They impact the social relationships and cultural norms of a generation. The same can be said of business practices. As a generation of gamers enters the coer office and the oval office, these technologies will continue to gain acceptance. The five forces of game impact theory attempt to describe why this is happening and provide a framework within which gamers, managers, and academics can evaluate game technology impacts on other industries. Classifications and Subsets of Serious GamesThe classification of Serious Games is something that is yet to solidify, there are however a number of terms in reasonably common use for inclusion here. * Advergaming - See advergaming * Edutainment - See edutainment * Games-Based Leaing - These games have defined leaing outcomes. Generally they are designed in order to balance the subject matter with the gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world. * Edumarket Games - When a serious game combines several aspects (advergaming and edutainment aspects or persuasive and news aspects...), the application is an Edumarket game. Example Food-Force combines news, persuasive and edutainment goals. * News Games - Joualistic games that report on recent events or deliver an editorial comment. Examples include September 12th * Simulations or Simulation Games - See simulation game * Persuasive Games - these games are used as persuasion technology * Organizational-Dynamic Games - See Organizational-dynamic gameAdditionally Julian Alvarez and Olivier Rampnoux (from the European Center for Childrenâ�?��?�s Products, University of Poitiers) have attempted to classify Serious Games in 5 main categories: Advergaming, Edutainment, Edumarket game, Diverted game and Simulation game. (Alvarez J., Rampnoux O., Serious Game: Just a question of posture?, in Artificial & Ambient Intelligence, AISB'07, Newcastle, UK, April 2007, p.420 to 423) Examples * CyberCIEGE (Microsoft Windows): Computer network security sim game developed by the Naval Postgraduate School. Players protect assets while enabling "users" to achieve their goals. * Darfur is Dying (Inteet) An online game by mtvU that simulates life in a Darfur refugee camp. * DARWARS Ambush! Convoy Simulator developed as part of DARPA's DARWARS project, designed to create low-cost experiential training systems * Microsoft Flight Simulator developed as a comprehensive simulation of civil aviation. Notably one of the few flight simulation games that does not concentrate on simulation of air combat. * Food Force (PC) Humanitarian video game. The UN's World Food Programme designed this virtual world of food airdrops over crisis zones and trucks struggling up difficult roads under rebel threat with emergency food supplies. * Global Conflict: Palestine (MacWindows): A 3D-adventurerpg-game. You are given the role of a reporter in Jerusalem, and have to write articles for your paper. * Harpoon (MacWindows): Entertainment version was "dual use" from 1989 forward. Professional version Harpoon 3 Professional created in 2002 with help from Australian Defense Department, updated in 2006. * Industryplayer (PC): Business simulation game, based on real world data, with special editions for use in business education courses and corporate training. * Peacemaker (MacPC, $20) A commercial game simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict designed to promote "dialog and understanding among Israelis, Palestinians and interested people around the world". * Re-Mission (Microsoft Windows): 3-D Shooter to help improve the lives of young persons living with cancer. * Ship Simulator (Microsoft Windows): a simulator which simulates maneuvering various ships in different environments, although without the effects of wind and current. * Simport (MacWindows): A simulation game in which players lea about the intricacies involved in construction large infrastructural projects, like a major sea port. * Steel Beasts Professional: Tank simulator, developed by eSim Games, and used by several armies around the world. * Tactical Language & Culture Training System (Microsoft Windows): Computer-based leaing system that lets people quickly acquire functional knowledge of foreign languages and cultures. Current titles include Iraqi Arabic, Pashto and French. * VBS1 & VBS2 Training tool for the USMC and other military forces around the world. Developed by BIA, and based on the game engine used in Operation Flashpoint and Armed Assault. * X-Plane_(simulator) (LinuxMacWindows): a comprehensive civil aviation simulator. An FAA approved version exists which enables low cost flight training. Notable developers * BBN, defense contractor working on the DARWARS project. * Bohemia Interactive Australia, Australian developer of the VBS-Series military simulations. * BreakAway Games, developers of 24 Blue, Incident Commander, A Force More Powerful, mosbe, Pulse!! and other serious games * Cyberlore Studios * Destineer * DESQ, a UK based serious games developer, specializing in leaing games for CD ROM and online platforms, in particular role-playing leaing games. * Red Redemption, the UK-based developer of Climate Challenge. * Sumo Digital, One of Europe's leading console game developers, with an inteal Serious Games division. * TPLD, developers of SG applications and platforms, predominantly for educational and business use. * TruSim, one of the UK's leading serious games developers. A division of Blitz Games Studios. * Tygron, Dutch developer of Simport and other serious games. * Virtual Heroes, Inc., developers of Serious Games training applications Adaptive Thinking and Leadership (ATL) and Future Soldier Training System (FSTS) * VSTEP, one of the Europe's leading serious games developers. Dutch developer of Ship Simulator-series and other serious games. * Will Interactive, Serious Game developers based out of the United States. They feature live action games in a variety of fields, including military, health care, and youth education. (FSTS) * Docebo, Rapid development of multimedia simulation in Business environmet (in italian). Docebo Labs See also

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