Serious games - more than just content

Simon Scarle (University of the West of England)

Monday 16th July, 2pm, KE LT2

ABSTRACT

With the increasing acceptance of computer games as a means of entertainment has come an increasing interest in their use for more serious purposes. Just as in the previous century radio and television took on an educational role, so too are games. Unfortunately, many such serious games seem to forget or fail to appreciate the underlying fundamentals and difficulty of games design and development. What game mechanics can best be applied to a serious game with an educational, training or even therapeutic aim? Is fun important or a hindrance? Can Gamification be saved from just being a marketing tool? We shall also talk about moving beyond just making serious games content, towards the concept of games with a purpose and directly using games and games technology as a research tool.