7.4 Defining And Leveraging Game Qualities For Serious Games
7.4Defining and Leveraging Game Qualities for Serious GamesDefining and Leveraging Game Qualities for Serious GamesMichael W. Martin & Yuzhong ShenOld Dominion UniversityDepartment of Mod eling, Simulation, and Visualization Engineeringmmart081@odu.edu yshen@odu.eduAbstract. Serious games can and should leverage the unique qualities of video games 10 effectively deliver educational experiencesfor the learners. However, leveraging these qualities is incumbent upon understanding what these unique 'game' qualities are , andhow they can facilitate the learning process. This paper presents an examination of the meaning of the term 'game' . as it applies toboth serious games and digital entertainment games. Through the examination of counter examples, we derive three gamecharacteristics; games are self contained, provide a variety of meaningful cho ices, and are intrinsically compelling. We also discussthe theoretical educational foundations which support the applicalion of these 'game qua lilies' to educational endeavors. This paperconcludes with a presentation 01 results achieved Ihrough the application of these qualities and the applicable educational theoriesto teach leamers about the periodic table of elements via a serious game de veklped by the authors."Game" which are relevant to thediscussion:1.0 INTRODUCTIONThe term "serious games" is somewhatopen-ended , and even people who workwith serious games have a hard timeagreeing upon its exact meaning. This workis not presented with the intent of settlingthe debate on the mean ing of the term , butsi mply as an effort to add to the greaterbody of discussion. Additionally, this workis presented because the authors believethat this approach to looking at seriousgames can be useful, not only in theacademic sense of defining the term , but inactual development of serious games, aswell."3a(1) : a physical or mental competitionconducted according to rules with theparticipants in direct opposition to eachother. 3a(S) : the manner of playing in acontest . 3c(2) .' any activity undertaken orregarded as a contest involving rivalry, strategy,or struggle " [1 ].There are a number of more in depth workson the subject of games, and they all tendtowards these same basic definitionalcomponents. [n the 1961 book Man , Playand Game, Roger Caillois, described gamesas being activities that are fun, distinct,uncertain, non-productive, rule-driven, andTo that end , this paper will first present adiscussion of both common definitions of"games", and "serious games", followed byan effort to identify some of their salientcharacteristics to clarify the definitions.Then, the paper will discuss thedevelopment and deployment of a seriousgame that was created by the authors ,based on these concepts ,fictitious [2]. Clark Abt. in 1970. describedgames as an "activity among two or moreindependent decision-makers seeking toachieve their objectives in some limitingcontext" [3]. More recently, Katie Sa len andEric Zimmerman describe "a rtificial conflict,defined by rules , that results in aquantifiable outcome" [4]. Wlile eachdefinition has its own nuances, in general,they fairly close[y resemble the dictionarydefinitions found above, Those commonrecurrent components found in thesedefinitions can be summed up asparticipants , goals, rules , and cha llenges,The participants have goals within thegame, which they try to achieve via a set of2.0 BODY2.1Definitions for Game and VideoGameMirriam-Webster's online dictionaryprovides several definitions of the term944
to the reallNOrid. The game mechanics andcontent have a sufficient degree of fidelitywith real life mechanics and subject. Whenthe player learns something in the game,that knowledge is transferable , withinreason , to the real world as well as thegame.rules. The rules define the participants'interactions, and in the application of theserules, the participants try to overcomechallenges in order to achieve their goals.The definitions apply to the general termgame. However, the focus of this paper willbe on computer based games. This issimply the stipulation that the game inquestion takes part on a computer. MichaelZyda , Director of the University of SouthernCalifornia Viterbi School of Engineering'sGamePipe Laboratory builds a similardictionary based definition proposing that avideo game is:A number of established serious gameauthorities define serious games in terms oftheir intent. One of the most succinctdefinitions for serious games is found on theMichigan State University Serious GameDesign Program webpage:"Serious games are games with purpose beyondjust providing enteftainment. [7]"A mental contest, played with a computeraccording to certain rules for amusement,recreation, or winning a stake." [5] (emphasisPut another way , "Serious Games" aregame played for a serious intent or reason.Zyda proposes a similar definition , thoughwith more detail as to the nature of thepurpose:added)2.2 Definitions for Serious Gameand Definitional PitfallsHaving established a basic definition for"game", the next step is to determine themeaning of "serious games ."Serious game: a mental contest, played with acomputer in accordance with specific rules, thatuses enteftainment to further government orcorporate training, education, health, publicpolicy, and strategic communication objectives. "In understanding the nature of a SeriousGame, as defined in thi s paper, it is helpfulto consider that game players learnsomething in every game. If this were nottrue , then a player's performance on agame would be the same the first theyplayed as the last. However, this is not so,and players improve their performance bylearning the mechanics which govern thegame.[5[Building upon the definitions above, aSerious Game might be "an activityconsisting of participants, goals, rules , andchallenges with a purpose beyondentertainment. "These definitions for "Games" and "SeriousGames" are useful for grounding thebaseline understanding of these concepts .However, as analytic propositions, they mayalso be seen as being overly inclusive.They encompass the concepts in widelyapplicable terms , and as a result, may alsobe valid for things which are not games.For example, a game of football hasparticipants, goals, rules , and challenges.However, arguably the chore of mowing thelawn has all of these com ponents as well.This does not necessarily invalidate thedefinition as much as it highlights that thisdefinition does not provide sufficientMost of the time, what the players learn isuseless in the real world. Players ofNintendo's famous game Super Mario Bros.[6) learn that mushrooms are evil, but thatthe player can jump on them to kill them.They also learn that they can jump onturtles and use their shells to kill otherenemies, like the mushrooms. Learningthese aspects of the game helps the playersperform better, but this knowledge usuallytransfers very poorly to the real world.In a Serious Game, the knowledge that theuser learns within the game is transferable945
seized upon the Serious Games trend .They apply game-like facades to traditionalcomputer education activities and declaredthem to be games. This misappropriation ofinformation to distinguish games from non·games.Normally, a traditional game maker will notsuffer from such a definitional dilemma.Arguably, the one and only value metricused for entertainment games is their " fun or entertainment va lue. Serious games adda competing metric: the ulterior purposebeyond entertainment. This additionalaspect can confound the value assessment.the term ·Serious Game" is compounded bythe fact that, as w ith the examples above,many traditional computer based leamingactivities fulfill the definition of gameprovided above.A quiz or test, common to most educationalsystems , is a prime example of an activitythat can satisfy the majority of the gameattributes listed above. A quiz has rules (fillin the blank, multiple choice, etc.) , it hasgoals (to score the highest possible score)VVith these competing values , the field ofserious games can become quite confusing .Organizations of all sizes and types attemptto leverage viable serious games to achievetheir goals. Ambiguity in what constitutes agame allows the term to be applied to avariety of efforts which are perhaps betteridentified as non·games.and conflict (the difficulty of the questions).It is a difficult to argue that quizzes or testsare fun , but some educational applicationsdecorate test·like experiences with fun veneers, such as cute graphics and sillysound effects and label them seriousgames. Two examples of this are GrammarGorillas (8), and Snark's Long Division [9].Grammar Gorillas has the player selectspecific parts from a sentence. Snork'sLong Division has the player simply performlong division. Both are self declared seriousAs with the Iawn mowing example above,the serious game definition mightencompass the use of a budgeting program .Budgeting program have participants , goals,rules , challenges, and a purpose beyondentertainment. Such a definition might betechnically correct, but ultimately it isunhelpful in trying to determine how to bestmake use of serious games. Clearly, ifsomeone expected a game, and was gi vena budget to balance, they might bedissatisfied. Such confusion couldcontribute to disillusionment on the part ofserious game customers, users, anddevelopers.games, but clea y fall short of what wouldnormally be considered a game.In examining why these activities do notseem like game, one finds that at their core ,these programs don't provide the leamerwith any meaningful choices. The usersimply answers the question correctly orfails the question. While the studentschoose how to answer the question, thesechoices are not meaningful in that there isonly one correct answer, with no viable2.3 Characterization of SeriousGamesTo better understand and apply the term serious games it is helpful to identify whataspects of games make them unique fromnon·game activities. There are two seriousgame counter examples which help provideadditional clarity through contrast. The firstcounter example is generic computer basedtraining , and the second is computerizedsand box training .Nalternative. Raph Koster identified thispitfall in A Theory of Fun and Leaming(10] .Using Tic-Tac-Toe as an example, heillustrates that the game ceases to be agame when the players leam that they haveno choices. At that point, the gamebecomes a simple drill in the rateapplication of logic.2.3.1 Computer Based TrainingFurther, by not providing meaningfulaltematives , these software examples limitThere are a number of computer basedleaming or training application w hich have946
can spend hours adjusting the eye color,cheek bone height, hair style, etcetera, butultimately none of that has any effect on thegame play. In contrast, a meaningful choiceallows the player to select ber.veen viablealternatives with concrete consequences ,without any clear optimal choice , therebyallowing the player to freely explore theconceptual space created by the game.the potential for creating a psychosocialmoratorium, as described by James PaulGee. The psychosocial moratorium, aphrase which Gee adapts from psychologistEric Erikson, is a learning space in whichthe learner can take risks where real worldconsequences are lowered, " (11]. The lackof choice collapses the exploratory learningspace, and deprives the player of theopportunity to reflect upon the informationbeing presented and applied. David Shafferargues that games have the potential toallow a more "authentic" method of learningthan traditional schooling techniquesbecause games set the stage for learners tothink not only about what the right answeris, but also how they know an answer isright and what is the process by which theyarrive at that answer {12]. Quizzes, whichlimit the "players" interaction with their world(the quiz) to a single correct answer, with allother options being incorrect, do notengender the same degree of introspectionthat a wider array of viable choices might.In order to differentiate games from quizzes,the first necessary characteristic of games(and serious games) is that they provide theuser with an array of meaningful choices.2.3.2 Sandbox ExperiencesThe next counter example of non-games isthe open sandbox experience. These typesof programs are commonly used in militaryand police training. They are programs thatcreate worlds in which typically large groupsof individuals engage in educational orlearning scenarios.Such programs have been in use for severaldecades. One of the first was SIMNET,which was developed and deployed in theearly to mid 1980's [14) . For many years ,such programs have used specializedhardware and software , which wasinexpensive in comparison to the resourcecost of conducting the training using realworld equipment and locations.In order to provide that sense of freedomthat fosters exploration and , as Gee andShaffer suggest, learning, games need toadhere, to an extent, to game designer SidMeier's dictum that games are a "series ofinteresting decisions" {13]. Meier isrenowned for his complex and involvedstrategy games, like the Civilization andTycoon series, where each decision canhave profound consequences . However,games can provide the player withmeaningful choices without having to resortto such elaborate depth. The termmeaningful, in this sense, can refer not to aprofound consequence for the availablechoices, but rather, to having anyconsequence at all.Recently, however, the commercialentertainment software industry has proventhat high quality experiences can bedelivered on commercially availablehardware and software. And theseexperiences can be delivered for even lessthan the cost of simulation using specializedhardware and software.One recent development in this field is theUS Army's adoption of a program calledVirtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) (15). VBS2 isdeveloped by Bohemia Interactive, whichwas previously a commercial entertainmentcompany. Bohemia developed a greatnumber of games including a tactical virtualreality shooting game called OperationFlashpoint. Unlike earlier trainingSome activities, like the above mentionedquizzes, offer no meaningful choices - theplayer's only option is to answer thequestion correctly. At the other extreme,some games offer a wide array of choicesthat effectively have no consequence. Forexample, many games allow the player tovisually customize their character. A player947
simulations using specialized software andhardware, VBS2 is based on the OperationFlashpoint game, and is designed to run oncommon desktops and laptops. Becausethe program shares software technologywith Bohemia Interactive's new game,Operation Flashpoint II , there is a naturaltendency to call VBS2 a serious game.like it lack this fundamental gamecharacteristic.If VBS2 did have those qualities, then userscould train at their own pace, learning thematerials as appropriate to their individualskills. Targeting training at the indi viduallevel could greatly increase the userengagement and ultimately theeffectiveness of the training. No longerwould quick learners be held up by the slowmembers of traditional classes or traininggroups, nor would the slow learners bedragged along faster than they canassimilate the material. If the instructionalframewor1 . were properly embedded, thenthe serious game would be a selfencapsulated experience, just ascommercial video games are.However, VBS2 is not a game in thetraditional sense. It is designed to hostlarge numbers of networked users in avirtual environment. In game terms, it wouldbe considered a large multiplayer game.Unlike games, however, this experience isnot a closed system. The multiplayersessions don't have scores, or objectivesdefined within the game. They lack theframework associated with even freeformmultiplayer games. Instead, VBS2 sessionsare designed to be administered by teamsof instructors, who then take on the role ofgiving the players objectives, assessingtheir performance and providing them withfeedback . In commercial terms , this wouldbe considered an open world experience,similar to Second Life. Players can interact,but there is not game structure to supportthe interactions.Therefore , the second quality that a seriousgame should have is that it is a selfencapsulated experience. Given that thisdiscussion has been centered on videogames, it is worth noting that this qualitywould not exclude serious game that are notplayed on a computer. Because of theirautomation advantages, computers facilitatethis characteristic. However, it is possible tohave board or card and paper games, oreven athletic games that are playable soloas well as with other people. Granted,these games are rare , and the difficulty increating them is much higher thantraditional board games, but it is notimpossible to conceive of.In commercial games, a player can play thegame entirely by himself or herself. Thisconcept even applies to multiplayer games.A player sitting down with the commercialversion of the game Operation Flashpointcan play the game by themselves, evenwhen engaging in multi player sessions.They can join a multi player session with noprior coordination, play the game, and thenquit when they desire. Most importantly, thegame provides internal feedback loops, viascores and other performance measures, tolet the player know how well theyperformed. Granted , in games which areexclusively multiplayer in nature, thisassumes a robust network structure withavailable sessions, but given thatassumption, there is no overhead to playingthe game other than the player and thegame itself. VBS2 and other serious games2.4 The Issue of FunA few of the definitions of games, suchthose of Caillois and Zyda, also refer toentertainment or fun. Many of thedefinitions omit such concepts , perhaps dueto their highly subjective nature. However,as a basic metric of value for games, it isundeniable that these are fundamentalaspects of the conceptCustomers pay money to play games notbecause the games provide some sort ofreward , but because the game experience,itself, is rewarding. The intrinsic value of948
Thus, the third quality of a serious game isthat it should be intrinsically compelling.the game experience outweighs anyextrinsic benefit bestowed by playing thegame. The games, without anyconsideration to outside benefit, areintrinsically compelling.3.0 DISCUSSIONBased on these concepts, the authors havebeen developing a Serious Game entitledElemental Solitaire . The effort to developthe game began simply enough with theidea to build a combination of popularclassic card game mechanics, such assolitaire, and the periodic table."Intrinsically Compelling" encompasses theconcepts of "fun", but it also makes room forother aspects, such as the satisfaction ofovercoming a challenge, or earning areward, which may not be entirely fun. Forexample, many Massively MultiplayerOnline Role·Playing Games (MMORPGs) ,like World of Warcraft (16] , routinely includewhat player communities often refer to as"grinding". World of Warcraft is a game inwhich players try to improve their characterby accomplishing various tasks and therebygaining experience points. Grinding is a lowrisk way to gain experience points. It is arepetitive act, which is widely described innegative terms , otten involving tediouslykilling large numbers of weaker enemieswhich pose little threat. Killing these weakenemies might be a boring and repetitivetask , but it gains pOints which grant theplayer some form of in-game reward , suchas a more powerful character. It is asignificant component of this game genrewhich is not normally deemed as fun. Yet itis intrinsically compelling.Because of the nature of this project , it wasmore likely to fall prey to the "ComputerBased Training" pitfall than the "SandboxExperience" pitfall. The mechanics of thegame lent themselves well to creating anencapsulated game·play experience.However, avoiding
"Serious games are games with purpose beyond just providing enteftainment. [7] Put another way, "Serious Games" are game played for a serious intent or reason. Zyda proposes a similar definition, though with more detail as to the nature of the purpose: "Serious game: a mental contest, playe
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Class- VI-CBSE-Mathematics Knowing Our Numbers Practice more on Knowing Our Numbers Page - 4 www.embibe.com Total tickets sold ̅ ̅ ̅̅̅7̅̅,707̅̅̅̅̅ ̅ Therefore, 7,707 tickets were sold on all the four days. 2. Shekhar is a famous cricket player. He has so far scored 6980 runs in test matches.
2. Non-defining relative clauses DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES These describe the preceding noun in such a way to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. A clause of this kind is essential to clear understanding of the noun. The boy who was playing is my brother. Defining Relative Pronouns SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE For people Who That Whom/Who That Whose For things Which That Which That Whose Of which Defining Relative Clauses: people
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