Serious Game Design For Playful Exploratory Urban Simulation

Background Internet interventions for improving health and well-being have the potential to reach many people and fill gaps in service provision. Serious gaming interfaces provide opportunities to optimize user adherence and impact. Health interventions based in theory and evidence and tailored to psychological constructs have been found to be more effective to promote behavior change. Defining the design elements which engage users and help them to meet their goals can contribute to better informed serious games. Objective To elucidate design elements important in SPARX, a serious game for adolescents with depression, from a user-centered perspective. Methods We proposed a model based on an established theory of health behavior change and practical features of serious game design to organize ideas and rationale. We analyzed data from 5 studies comprising a total of 22 focus groups and 66 semistructured interviews conducted with youth and families in New Zealand and Australia who had viewed or used SPARX. User perceptions of the game were applied to this framework. Results A coherent framework was established using the three constructs of self-determination theory (SDT), autonomy, competence, and relatedness, to organize user perceptions and design elements within four areas important in design: computer game, accessibility, working alliance, and learning in immersion. User perceptions mapped well to the framework, which may assist developers in understanding the context of user needs. By mapping these elements against the constructs of SDT, we were able to propose a sound theoretical base for the model. Conclusions This study’s method allowed for the articulation of design elements in a serious game from a user-centered perspective within a coherent overarching framework. The framework can be used to deliberately incorporate serious game design elements that support a user’s sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, key constructs which have been found to mediate motivation at all stages of the change process. The resulting model introduces promising avenues for future exploration. Involving users in program design remains an imperative if serious games are to be fit for purpose.

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The creation and trial of a serious game to support teaching and learning of professional psychology competencies in postgraduate programs

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology ◽

10.14742/ajet.4237 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Gillian McGregor ◽

Emma Bartle

Keyword(s):

Game Design ◽

Design Theory ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

High Stress ◽

Psychology Students ◽

Professional Psychology ◽

The Body ◽

Serious Game ◽

Safe Delivery ◽

Stage Of Development

The education of healthcare professionals is critical for the safe delivery of services to patients (Ricciardi & de Paolis, 2014). Postgraduate psychology students undertaking a professional degree encounter a steep learning curve when transitioning from theoretical knowledge to professional practice. This beginning student stage of development is fraught with anxiety and high-stress levels, and has implications for both student and client wellbeing (Skovholt & Ronnestad, 2003). Successful navigation of this phase is critical to psychology graduate competence and employability, with potentially lasting consequences for psychologists’ perceptions of self-efficacy and career trajectory (De Stefano et al., 2007; Skovholt & Ronnestad, 2003). Serious games in health provide the potential for safe practice opportunities in an engaging and entertaining manner (Hawn, 2009; Knight et al., 2010). The author developed a serious game with the intention of providing postgraduate professional psychology students with increased and more convenient opportunity to practice psychological competencies. This paper synthesises game design theory into a prototype for educators to provide innovative solutions in a health context. It contributes to the body of research determining the efficacy of games in educational contexts and advances knowledge in the use of simulation pedagogies.

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Contribution of the co.LAB Framework to the Collaborative Design of Serious Games: Mixed-Methods Validation Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.33144 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dominique Jaccard ◽

Laurent Suppan ◽

Félicia Bielser

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Game Design ◽

Serious Games ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Serious Game ◽

Multidisciplinary Design ◽

Design Teams ◽

Design And Development ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to the successful development of serious games, albeit difficult to achieve. The co.LAB serious game design framework was created to support collaboration within serious game multidisciplinary design teams. Its use has not yet been validated in a naturalistic context. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to perform a first assessment of the impact of the co.LAB framework on collaboration within multidisciplinary teams during serious game design and development. METHODS This was a mixed-methods study based on two serious game design projects in which the co.LAB framework was used. The first phase was qualitative and carried out using a general inductive approach. To this end, all members of the first serious game project team who used the co.LAB framework were invited to take part in a focus group session (N=6). Results inferred from qualitative data were then used to define a quantitative instrument (questionnaire) which was designed according to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys. Members of both project teams (N=11) were then asked to answer the questionnaire. Quantitative results were reported as median [Q1;Q3] and appropriate non-parametric tests used to assess for between group differences. Finally, results gathered through the qualitative and quantitative phases were integrated. RESULTS In both phases, the participation rate was 100%. Verbatim transcripts were classified into 4 high level themes: influence on collaborative dimensions; impact on project course, monitoring and efficiency; qualitative perceptions of the framework; and influence of team composition on the use of the framework. Accordingly, the web-based questionnaire was then developed according to Burhardt's seven dimensions of collaboration. In both projects, the co.LAB framework had a positive impact on most dimensions of collaboration during the multidisciplinary design and development of serious games. When all collaborative dimensions were aggregated, the overall impact of the framework was rated on a scale from "-42" to "+42" (very negative to very positive). The overall score was 23 [20;27], with no significant difference between groups (P=.58). Most respondents also believed that all serious game design teams should include a member possessing a significant expertise in serious game design frameworks to guide the development process. CONCLUSIONS The co.LAB framework has a positive impact on collaboration within serious game development teams. However, expert guidance seems necessary to maximize development efficiency. Whether such guidance can be provided by means of a collaborative web platform remains to be determined.

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Improving the Serious Game design using Game Learning Analytics and Eye-tracking: A pilot study

10.1109/urucon53396.2021.9647058 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Diego Avila-Pesantez ◽

Brandon Alexander Tubon Usca ◽

Bryan Gagnay Angamarca ◽

L. Miriam Avila

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Game Design ◽

Learning Analytics ◽

Serious Game

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Balancing Fun and Learning in a Serious Game Design

Gamification ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8200-9.ch022 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 452-471 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Christopher Franzwa ◽

Ying Tang ◽

Aaron Johnson ◽

Talbot Bielefeldt

Keyword(s):

Engineering Design ◽

Game Design ◽

Serious Games ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Serious Game ◽

Guidance System ◽

Stem Fields ◽

Science And Engineering ◽

Design Challenges ◽

Narrative Learning

This article presents the underlying philosophy of Sustain City, an educational serious game system that engages students, particularly prospective and beginning science and engineering students, in a series of engineering design challenges. Various strategies implemented in Sustain City for achieving a balance of fun and learning are discussed, including narrative-learning synthesis, supplementing the player's actions with feedback, and the development of a sufficient guidance system. The evaluation of Sustain City deployment is also presented. The assessment confirms the values of the serious games in promoting students' interests and learning in STEM fields.

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Crowdfunding Serious Games

Practical Perspectives on Educational Theory and Game Development - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-5021-2.ch005 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 112-129

Author(s):

Christopher Buckingham ◽

Vanissa Wanick

Keyword(s):

Game Design ◽

Serious Games ◽

Business Case ◽

Serious Game ◽

Design Models ◽

Robust Approach ◽

Early Stages ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Target Markets

In serious game design, addressing issues related to the value and opportunity of the development of a game is vital in the early stages, creating a more structured and robust approach by exploring the business case. Present frameworks provide an in-depth analysis of game design models but often fail to state the case of predetermined target markets and new funding options for serious game design. Crowdfunding is an emerging funding path for these games and one that leads the vanguard in breaking with traditional forms of raising funding. This chapter aims to help in addressing an existing limitation in the literature by reviewing an existing framework on game design and blending this with the concept of crowdfunding. This chapter proposes the extension of a framework that reflects the possibility for early crowdfunding of a serious game.

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