Games a more effective way to learn stuff

There are currently 30 companies in the UK working in Serious Game development. What are serious games and why should you be using them?

Digital 2.0 is a serious games consultancy. They don’t have in house developers however, they work with the client and manage the project. They support developers by providing the people needed by small developer companies. Digital 2.0 present Serious Games as ‘not for entertainment purposes’, a distinction which I think will be very problematic in enthusing users to play the games. For Digital 2.0, Game-Based Learning, Experiential Learning (role playing), traditional education and E-learning are all brought together in Serious Games. These are played online and run on a lower band width hence the graphics aren’t as fancy as is usual with console games.

Examples of games made by Digital 2.0.

Marketing game ‘The Process Game’

MRSA Prevention - a game to help prevent hospital super-bug.

Oil and Gas - learning the evacuation drill for oil rigs.

Team building game for young people.

Maverick TV have another approach which does consider serious games to be based on entertainment and a revenue model. These are sponsored games which are add-ons to establshed TV formats eg How to Look Good Naked. The TV show format allows for only one audience apricipant for each of teh eight shows. with 10,000 women applying to atke part, Maverick saw an opportunity to include a wider audience by creating an online ‘serious game.’ They believe the game would stand alone without the TV show as they also see it as a commercial outlet. The game has an avatar system and it also makes fashion recommendations with selected brand sponsors ie clothes retailers. This game is commissioned by Channel 4.

“TV can’t exist in isolation anymore, it’s about going out and finding your audience”.

Podcasting as a platform for Serious Games or Informal Learning.

The NTI in Birmingham uses podcasts in serious gaming which they call ‘informal learning’, meaning all the styuff around formal learning. Formal learning isn’t too great at getting information into people’s heads. Podcasting is a good part of the informal learning tool kit: person to person communication really works.

Sorry guys, what you’re saying could be interesting but the panel presentation is verry dull.