An Immersive Virtual Reality Training Game for Power Substations Evaluated in Terms of Usability and Engagement

Safety-focused training is essential for the operation and maintenance concentrated on the reliability of critical infrastructures, such as power grids. This paper introduces and evaluates a system for power substation operational training by exploring and interacting with realistic models in virtual worlds using serious games. The virtual reality (VR) simulator used building information modelling (BIM) from a 115 kV substation to develop a scenario with high technical detail suitable for professional training. This system created interactive models that could be explored using a first-person-perspective serious game in a cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE). Different operational missions could be carried out in the serious game, allowing several skills to be coached. The suitability for vocational training carried out by utility companies was evaluated in terms of usability and engagement. The evaluation used a System Usability Scale (SUS) and a Game Engagement Questionnaire (GEQ) filled by 16 power substation operators demonstrating marginally acceptable usability, with improvement opportunities and high acceptance (by utility technicians) of this system for operation training focused on safety in such hazardous tasks.

Jogo educativo sobre cirurgia segura para a equipe de enfermagem

Objetivo: planejar e desenvolver um serious game como recurso adicional de capacitação para profissionais de enfermagem de nível médio, voltado ao cuidado seguro do paciente cirúrgico. Métodos : Trata-se de uma pesquisa metodológica, aplicada, para desenvolvimento do jogo nomeado como: Nurses for Safety, que tem como tema a segurança do paciente cirúrgico, e abrange a meta quatro (cirurgia segura) da OMS para Educação Permanente (EP) de profissionais de enfermagem de nível médio. Desenvolvida entre 2017 e 2018. Resultados: Percebe-se que o desenvolvimento do papel do enfermeiro na produção do serious game permitiu a este trabalhar com multidisciplinaridade, organizar as informações técnicas para a realidade do grupo de trabalho, exercitar sua criatividade na produção do conteúdo instrucional e na criação do roteiro. Conclusão: Apesar de desafiador, é estimulante proporcionar estratégias inovadoras que promovam a capacitação profissional refletindo na melhoria do cuidado por meio de reflexões sobre a prática profissional.

An adaptable multi-learner serious game for learning cultural heritage

The current study presents an adaptable light game engine, which is used to produce interactive educational settings focused on cultural heritage. The tool is implemented using inexpensive and open source technologies. In this paper we first discuss the architecture of the application and we then present two games developed by using the proposed engine. The produced games are multi-user and support the collaboration and communication among learners and among learners and instructors. Learners earn marks, badges and certificates as they study the material and complete the quizzes. Various evaluation experiments have been realized to understand the suitability of the produced content in educational activities. The evaluation results of the authentic educational actions were quite positive and supportive by both students and teachers.

Studying Thracian Civilization Through Serious Games and Storytelling

This chapter presents a novel learning approach for studying ancient Bulgarian history, civilization, and their cultural heritage, namely the Thracian civilization, through storytelling and serious game combinations. The chapter also provides an overview of serious educational games, digital storytelling, and game development tools that can be used to present ancient history and their cultural heritage. The combination of storytelling and serious games successfully helps instructors to motivate student learning, stimulate their curiosity, and make them interested. The authors developed a game editor and a game portal that facilitated the game's development by applying game templates, layout styles, and question pools.

The Effect of Religiosity on Learning Ethics in Serious Gaming Environments

The multi-disciplinary literature on ethics asserts that the relationship between religiosity and ethical perceptions and judgements is an under-researched topic. Despite its importance, few studies have examined the relationship between religiosity and the learning of business ethics. This research investigates whether religiosity is conducive to the learning of business ethics in a digital learning environment: a serious 3D ethics game. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 302 final-year students from two different academic institutions based in the UK. The results of a structural equation modelling analysis suggest that religiosity does not inform the ethical perceptions and decisions of religious individuals in digital learning environments. Religious individuals perceive the utilitarian aspects of a serious game such as ease of use to be more important for learning ethics than religion. In contrast, less religious individuals perceive the hedonic aspects of a serious game to be a key catalyst for enhancing the learning of ethics.