Company presentation

PhD Simon Egenfeldt-NielsenCEO Serious Games Interactive

“…develop games which contain advanced content, operate according to sound pedagogical principles, enable classroom customisation, and create real excitement within the core game market”

- Henry Jenkins

History

PhD project on computer games & Learning (2002-2005)

Talks with Danish game companies (2004-2006)

Research project for prototype development (2005-2006)

Launch SGI on back of research projects (2006- )

First products hits market (2007)

Expanding with more products & client work (Today)

Our company

Research project

Growing out of international research Next generation of educational games Mix of competences: Game developers, researchers,

educators and content experts Collaborate with companies Global outreach through strong network Strong technology and access to support

Our company

Research project

Concept phase researcher & game developer Design document research, developer & content Prototype developer, advisory and researcher Evaluation researcher & schools Companies continue if project is viable

Our company

Research project

Explore whether educational computer games have a future in the educational system and the form it may take.

Explore, develop and implement a prototypical educational computer game examining the challenges and possibilities in development process and the educational use of the title

Provide a foundation for a serious games industry through a prototype convincing other developers of the potential in developing educational computer games

Our company

Background

Unique cross-disciplinary team with strong roots in research.

Founded in 2006

ReferencesGlobal Conflicts: Palestine (completed)Global Conflicts: Latin America (concept)

Bolivia Brænder (completed)Mayas Eventyr (completed)Darwin (in-production)Financial company (in-production)

Revenue

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Mar-06 Sep-06 Mar-07 Sep-07

Our company

Team

CEOCommercial directorProducerGame DirectorLead ProgrammerProgrammerLead 3D animator3D artistCharacter artistTester

Employees

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Mar-06 Sep-06 Mar-07 Sep-07

Our company

Team

CEO($)

Producer (Time)

Game director (Quality)

Programming (All programming)

Graphics/animation(All graphics)

Content (Story, script, dialogue)

Board

Commercial director (Sales, distrib. & Marketing)

Our company

Media coverageOur company

[Play CNN trailer]

This is not about edutainmentLittle intrinsic motivation: Extrinsic motivation through rewards, rather than intrinsic motivation.

No integrated learning experience: Lacks integration of the learning experience with playing experience - learning subordinated play experience.

Drill-and-practice learning principles: Rely on drill-and-practice rather than understanding – training above learning.

No teacher presence: No demands on teachers or parents.

Simple gameplay: Built on a simple gameplay from classic titles.

Small budgets: Produced on limited budgets with limited technology.

Educational Games

Edutainment has problems

Most of what goes under the name "edutainment" reminds me of George Bernard Shaw's response to a famous beauty who speculated on the marvelous child they could have together: "With your brains and my looks ..." He retorted, "But what if the child had my looks and your brains?"

(Papert, 1998: 88)

Educational Games

Design philosophy

Innovative gameplay

Feels & plays like a game

Integrated game and learning experience

Meaningful & relevant learning experiences

Games part of larger learning context

Our design philosophy

Work process

Research/Plan

Implement Concept Prototype Production Testing

1 month 2 months 2 months1 month 1 month 0,5 month

• Important with fast feedback• Depend on iterations of concept & prototype• Above influenced by budget & scope

Our design philosophy

Our work: Global Conflicts: Palestine

Platform: Mac/PC, single player, CD-Rom

Technology: 3D game engine Unity

Playtime: 8 hours

Budget: 5 mio. DKK

Game: It is about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a strong integration between learning & playing. You play a journalist that solves different assignments by talking to people and locating the right sources while building trust.

Target group: Older students + mature people

Advantages• Strong, visual, immersive universe• Feels & plays very close to a real game• Unique gameplay

Disadvantages• More expensive with 3D• Long development time• Harder to test & change gameplay [Show trailer]

Freelance journalist

Get the best article

Find informants

Gain their trust

Get their story

Dig out best quotes

Put together article

Highest journalist level

GameplayWhat is Global Conflicts: Palestine

You

Goal

Means

Winning

Teaching form

Teacher talks

Play Game

PlenumGroup

discussions

Read topic overview Overview of theme

Teacher’s manual Topics overview Curriculum mapping

Explore perspectives Experience issues Mission sheets

Discuss experiences Write article Worksheets Online companion

Debriefing Evaluation

What is the product

http://learning.seriousgames.dk/

Different rooms for learning styles

Group work

Reflectiveobservation

Activeexperimentation

GC: Palestine

Lecture Abstractconcepts

Concreteexperiences

•Kolb’s cycle covered with different teaching forms in the course.

• The teacher is crucial to facilitate a full learning experience.

Empirical study

Qualitative feedback (students)

“Global Conflicts: Palestine is a fun and different way to receive learning” (Female student, 18 years)

“You had a greater desire to learn about the topic from Global Conflicts: Palestine” (Male student, 16 years)

”You learn a lot about how Israelis and Palestinians respectively look at the conflict, because you talk to

different persons... I think it is good that the stories derive from reality, providing the stories with a realistic tone.”

(Female student, 18 years)

Empirical study

Qualitative feedback (teachers)Customers

"By playing the game, the students reached a higher level of understanding on the issues of the conflict, than I could have

accomplished in a traditional way, so it has my highest recommendations.”(Danish 8th grade teacher)

"They are VERY interested and are highly motivated to it themselves.The parents say: Wish we had that form of

teaching in school!” (Danish high school teacher

"I used the game with our 11th grade World Cultures students - I have never seen the computer lab so quiet! All of the

students were seriously engaged and many expressed that they really enjoyed it” (US high school teacher

Students want more...Empirical study

90% students find it to be an interesting course

88% students find it to be an interesting educational material

59 % students find they learned more

90% students wants to try a similar course again

Sample: 51 Danish High school low-middle class students after a one-week course (similar results for 8th graders).

Our work: Bolivia Brænder

Platform: Mac/PC, single player, CD-Rom

Technology: 3D game engine Unity

Playtime: 1 hour

Budget: 1,2 mio. DKK

Game: It is about the challenges facing Bolivia. Gameplay a bit simpler than GC: P. It relies on technology from GC: P. The game is split into two missions.

Target group: Older students + mature people

Advantages• Strong, visual, immersive universe• Feels & plays very close to a real game• Welllproven gameplay

Disadvantages• More expensive with 3D• Medium development time• Limited changes to gameplay• Only works for some domains of knowledge

Our work: Mayas Eventyr

Platform: Single player, webbased

Technology: Isometric Flash game engine

Playtime: 45 minutes

Budget: 0,65 mio. DKK

Game: Is about the Maya indians in Guatemala and the challenges they have especially around language barriers.

Target group: 5-8 years old private users

Advantages• Easy & simple graphics• Easy to access & navigate• Lower budgets for more interaction• More chance for innovative gameplay

Disadvantages• Often not perceived as a real game• Immersion & realism suffers• Often more approriate for younger age groups

Our work: Darwin

Platform: Single player, web-based

Technology: UNITY 3D engine

Playtime: 30 minutes

Budget: 0,5 mio. DKK

Game: Is aimed at learning children about Darwin and evolution theory as an example of what natural science is.

Target group: 11-13 years old private users

Advantages• Easy & simple graphics• Easy to access & navigate• Lower budgets for more interaction• More chance for innovative gameplay

Disadvantages• Often not perceived as a real game• Immersion & realism suffers• Often more appropriate for younger age groups