Source reference
Gamelearn Team. Eight examples that explain all you need to know about serious games and game-based learning. Game-learn.
Article type
Blog
First citation
There are five elements to serious games required to make them effective; a story, gamification, immediate and individualized feedback, simulation, and learning(Gamelearn Team, paras. 7-14).
Summary
Game-based learning is the use of video games to teach. There are five elements to serious games required to make them effective; a story, gamification, immediate and individualized feedback, simulation, and learning. Serious games come along with a lot of benefits such as increase engagement and motivation, they facilitate profound reflection, they facilitate real and safe practice, they improve memorization and retention, they make the world a better place.
In-depth summary
Dragon Box Elements has players build an army, defeat the an evil dragon Osgard, and save Euclid’s island. This game teaches nine year olds geometry and the theorems of Euclid himself. This is a game that teaches math.
Game-based learning is the use of video games to teach. This is advocated because people argue it is fun that reduces costs of training programs, increases motivation, and allow real practice.
Specifically in health care there is the game Pulse. This game is for nursing students which allows them to be in a emergency ward in a hospital; allowing future nurses to practice from theoretical classes and gain real world experience. The goal of the game is to identify patient’s problems, give priority to the most serious cases, and then apply appropriate measures.
There are five elements to serious games required to make them effective; a story, gamification, immediate and individualized feedback, simulation, and learning. Thee is no requirement for a story when it comes to producing a serious game however sophisticated argument and characters lead to high motivation because players feel involved in the game. For example the game Pacific literally starts with a story. A team is on a humanitarian mission when their plane crashes, trapping them on an island in the pacific ocean.The goal of the game is for the player to er to lead their team in making a hot air balloon to escape. This game builds leadership skills such as motivating and rewarding colleagues, resolving conflict, and delegating tasks. Gamification of games is the implantation of rankings, rewards, badges, and point systems. This also leads to motivation. Ranking encourage students to compete with their classmates, in healthy manner. In Duolingo there are levels, you can lose lives, and outdo friends. Each lesson completed provides a reward. Serious games differ many from traditional teaching styles because there is no face-to-face interaction. To compensate games offer immediate and individualized feedback. In sophisticated games players can know where they went wrong allowing them to try and do better in a specific area next time. Another factor to serious games is simulation. Games can imitate the real world. Fictional characters can complete recreated scenarios allowing players to be emerged into real situations were failure is not detrimental and able to be learned from. Simulations allows the practice of skills and concepts. For example surgeons, pilots, and military personnel can all benefit through simulators. Finally the main point of serious games, to learn. The concept of learning is what makes serious games differ from any other type of game.
Serious games come along with a lot of benefits such as increase engagement and motivation, they facilitate profound reflection, they facilitate real and safe practice, they improve memorization and retention, they make the world a better place. Traditional education has caused the common concern of lack of motivation due to its “long hours sat listening to a teacher, endless theories laid out in a book and next to no interaction with the content matter.” Video games solve these problem of lack of interaction. Game dynamics require player interaction from the second the game starts. In Our City developed in Jordan, players get involved in local communities, enhance social behavior, and take part in the life of the city. In the game young people can become mayors building a city from scratch and keeping towns people happy. They are even faced with challenges involving public services and transportation in the city. Profound reflection requires balancing current event and the future simultaneously. Serious games allow you to be immersed in a online world were players can practice prioritizing the most urgent tasks while planning for the long term encouraging in-depth reflection. This is all done through real and safe practice. Traditional learning is done through lecture not experience, video games allow practiced learning. Such as, in the game Merchants employees learn how to negotiate and resolve conflict. This allows practice without companies getting hurt through employee error. Video games increase engagement which allows an increase of motivation.“Several scientific studies have proven that learning by doing makes a more effective and long-lasting impact on students’ brains,” meaning that not only is their an increase in retention but a deeper understanding of the topic at hand. Game-based learning encourages positive attitudes and is prosocial. Games have been developed to raise awareness about the fight against hunger.
Evaluation (strengths and weaknesses)
Strengths: Provided examples of different characteristics of serious games as well as provided examples of the requirements of a serious game.
Weaknesses: The games chosen were not my favorite games to include in my paper because they aren’t too popular.
Relation to my research question
This relates to my research question because it explains the benefits of serious games while talking about what the difference of educational and serious games are.
Significant quotes
The key lies in the fact that the content and the skills that you want to teach are not put across in a face-to-face class or in a book but rather through video games (par. 4)
Several scientific studies have proven that learning by doing makes a more effective and long-lasting impact on students’ brains.
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