can serious games save lives: the gamification of everyday lifeby prof sara de freitas
1) grand challenges of society. key grand challenges of modern societies e.g.:
(a) population growth is leading to greater pressures on our environments
(climate change, restricted resources, education systems, energy sources) (b)
globalisation is leading to more interconnected and complex social structures
(self-organised criticality) > futurICT
2) serious games institute model and projects. how we are addressing
critical challenges in our research and development work, including trajectories
for research work and some key findings and research challenges
3) what is gamification? the role of ‘gamification’ in social (behavioural)
change and awareness raising.
4) trajectories for research work and some key findings and research
challenges: strands of research
5) can gamification change our world and solve grand challenges we
face? Some examples of how we can meet challenges
reflections and conclusions: move towards more complex structures and socially
driven innovation and technology development: solutions to big data and
vulnerable systems. can games save lives?
summary: grand challenges and gamification
1: grand challenges of society: e.g. population and
city growth, climate change leading to complexity
and data explosion challenges
challenges humanity is facing in the 21st century (copyright: dirk helbing)
Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University,
formulated the issue as follows: “The forces affecting
societies around the world ... are powerful and novel. The
spread of global market systems ... are ... reshaping our
world ..., raising profound questions. These questions call
for the kinds of analyses and understandings that academic
institutions are uniquely capable of providing. Too many
policy failures are fundamentally failures of knowledge.”
1. Financial and economic crisis
2. Debts and inflation
3. Stability of the European Union
4. Political revolutions, war
5. Critical infrastructure risks
6. Environmental change
7. Epidemics (SARS, H1N1 pandemic)
8. Migration and integration
9. Extremism, terrorism
10. Corruption, organized crime
predicting the sequence of possible impacts of earthquakes
Data Models
Validation
infe
cti
on
geographic
data
Forecasts
demographic
data
transport
data
contact
network
models
agent-
based
models
multi-
scale
models+ =
policies
...complexity...
predictionsscenario
analysis
copyright Alex Vespignani and
FuturICT
priorities
sgi: an agenda for applied
research..sgi: an agenda for applied
research..
2: serious games institute: an international hub of excellence in serious games research, business and study
i. applied research projects (23 projects, 12 eu projects)ii. masters programmeiii. doctoral schooliv. cpd coursesv. sgi overseas (singapore, south africa, mexico)vi. business projects (26 projects: e.g. bae, jaguar landrovervii. business incubationviii. serious games international spin outix. serious games labx. mobile development labxi. 30 companies in the clusterxii. ieee vs-games conference (2008-2011)xiii. companies based at the sgi (e.g. Pixelearning)
sgi activities: a hybrid model for business, research & study
projects & games at the serious games institute
meducator
alice
gala
maseltov
floodsim
code of everand
modes
edugamelab
sex healthgame
simaula
romanova
futurict
mirror
customer
vtrade
i. erasmus: roma novaii. herbert gallery:
undercrofts priory visualisation
iii. coventry city council: far gosford street reconstruction
iv. technology strategy board: shakespeare trust
v. fet futurictvi. jisc customer projectvii. jisc inspires
sgi projects: ict/cultural heritage/tel
viii. eu strep maseltovix. eu gala network of excellence in
serious gamesx. eu strep alicexi. llp simaulaxii. llp modesxiii. eu ip meducatorxiv. llp edugamelabxv. prime ministers initiative fund:
disaster city reconstructionxvi. uk department for transport:
code of everandxvii. jisc opex platformxviii. epsrc sensor networks and
gamesxix. eu mexpex
3: what is gamification? how can we use serious games to answer the grand challenges?
beginning of 2010 the games industry posted total sales of $1.17 billion for the month of january
value of sg in 2010 was estimated to be 1.5 billion, and is set to increase by average 47% between 2010 and 2015 (idate market report)
international software federation of europe (isfe, 2010):74% of those aged 16-19 considered themselves gamers (n=3000), 60% of those 20-24, 56% 25-29 and 38% 30-44.
32% of the total uk population consider themselves gamers (n=3000). 31% of females described themselves as gamers and 34% of males.
several studies demonstrating the efficacy of serious games for training in particular through behavioural change (sg-ets, hope lab’s re:mission, pulse project)
wide uptake of social software (e.g. facebook, wikipedia), crowdsourcing
learning in multimodal ways: mixed reality, augmented reality, mobile learning, haptics (more flexible approaches)
converging technologies: mobile devices, ar devices, bci/eegs, sensor networks, robotics, virtual world mashups, gps, geocoding, web technologies and services (soa)
gamification trends
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
<30 30-39 40+ <30 30-39 40+
Age (years)
% R
esp
on
ses
Yes No
Males Females0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Action Adventure Arcade Education Fighting Puzzles Role play Simulation Sports Strategy Other
Games Type
% w
ho
pla
y g
am
e t
yp
e
Male Female
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Tutor Reading E-learning Video game Audio Workshop Internet Video Job Role-play
Learning method
% w
ho
pre
fer
learn
ing
meth
od
Male Female
4: research trajectory and findings from the studies
a: neuro-psychology approaches to learning with
games
b: visualization and modelling
c: multimodal interfaces
d: artificial intelligence and life
e: semantic web, standards and metadata
Learning
objectives
Learning content
Instructional
design
LEARNING INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT
Clear player
goals
User learning
User behavior
Player feedback
User engagement
Debriefing
System feedback
GAME ELEMENTS:
Context
GAME ELEMENTS:
Learner Specifics
GAME ELEMENTS:
Pedagogy
GAME ELEMENTS:
Representation
mapping our systems more closely against human behaviour
models and frameworks 2006-2011
design
feedback
theory
interactivity
adaptivity
interactive tutoring environment
models and frameworks 2006-2012
de Freitas, S. & Oliver, M. (2006). How can exploratory learning with games and simulations within the curriculum be most effectively evaluated? Computers and Education, 46 (3): 249-264.
Staalduinen, J. P. v. & de Freitas, S. (2011). A game-based learning framework: Linking game design and learning outcomes. In: Learning to Play: Exploring the
Future of Education with Video Games. M. S. Khyne (Ed.). New York, Peter Lang: 29-54.
models and frameworks 2006-2012
de Freitas, S. & Jarvis, S. (2008). Towards a development approach for serious games. In T.M. Connolly, M. Stansfield, & E. Boyle (Eds) Games-based learning advancements for multi-sensory human-computer interfaces: Techniques and effective practices. IGI Global. Hershey, PA.
Petridis P., Dunwell I., Panzoli, D., de Freitas S. (2012), GameEngines Selection Framework for High Fidelity SeriousApplication. International Journal of Interactive Worlds, Volume2012.
strand a: neuro-psychological approaches to game-based learning: are games effective teaching tools?
how can we measure immersion and efficacy of games? sg-ets project
triage trainer (tt) trial summary:
5 trials: september 2007 – january 2008
independently conducted by the university of birmingham
trial participants:
91 uk nhs doctors, nurses & paramedics
all on alsg major incident medical management and support (mimms) training courses
participants were randomly distributed:
tt game (n = 47)
non-game (n = 44)
triage trainer – trial results
tt game group:
15 minute tutorial in game play / user interface
60 minutes playing the tt game on their own
instructor available to answer questions
non-game group:
75 minute normal alsg instructor-led table top exercise
involved sorting cards with vital signs variables written on them into priority groups
trial results of tt game trainees versus non-game trainees:
tagging accuracy of tt game trainees:
significantly higher accuracy *χ2 = 13.126, p<0.05]
step accuracy of tt game trainees. comparing the ratios of participants who achieved an 8/8
accuracy rating (i.e. followed the correct protocol for all 8 casualties):
significantly more accurate (28%) than the non-game group (7%) *χ2 = 7.29, p<0.05]
time taken by tt game trainees to complete triage of all 8 casualties:
no significant difference on time taken (p>0.05)
triage trainer – (knight et al., 2010)possible conclusions:
a ‘serious game’ such as the triage trainer offers the potential to:
enhance learning; and
improve transfer of training
possible reasons are that the game offers:
opportunity to practice skills and knowledge gained on the course in a more realistic and more engaging environment
personalised feedback which enables the game player to correct procedural errors made, through repeated play
neuro-psychology approaches: studies with graz
strand b: visualization and modelling
shakespeare trust & priory undercrofts visualisations
roma nova
strand c: multimodal interface integration: roma
nova
strand d: semantic web mash ups: roma nova
strand d: artificial intelligence and crowd modelling
artificial intelligence and crowd modelling
strand e: standards and repurposing game
content: meducator project
climate health impact
5: can gamification solve world-scale problems?: examples
behavioural change: code of everand
behavioural change: code of everand
code of everand
emergency response training: games for change
international risk, resilience and rescue centre (ir3c): texas a&m & coventry universities
what benefits do serious games provide?
scalability of game environments to large global communities
adaptivity to user requirements
closer modelling of user behaviour (feedback loop)
behavioural change
flow, feedback, visual and actual realism leading to higher levels of immersion
increased motivation and engagement
multimodal integration of interfaces and other technologies: e.g. ai, haptics, biofeedback, sensors networks etc) from convergence, mash ups and user/community interaction
reflections the upon future of serious games
so are applications of vw/games technologies really changing our approaches to working, learning, social interactions and how we consider experiences?
providing new tools for flow, feedback, visual and actual realism leading to higher levels of immersion
great potential for the medium for supporting immersive education through increased motivation and engagement
potential for personalized feedback and more sophisticated learning interaction
move towards immersive learning experiences and design: with increased motivation, immediate feedback and sophisticated user models
can serious games save lives and address the grand challenges?
need for serious games community to work with user communities and educationalists to answer some of the key grand challenges
conclusions
upcoming conference: vs-games conference in genoa, november 2012
any questions contact: prof. sara de [email protected]
JOURNAL ARTICLES & CONFERENCE PAPERS:
de Freitas, S., Jarvis, S. (2008). Towards a development approach for serious games. In T.M. Connolly, M. Stansfield, & E. Boyle (Eds) Games-based learning advancements for multi-sensory human-computer interfaces: Techniques and effective practices. IGI Global. Hershey, PA.
Anderson, E.F., McLoughlin, L., Liarokapis, F., Peters, C., Petridis, P., de Freitas, S. Serious Games in Cultural Heritage, 10th VAST International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (VAST '09), VAST-STAR, Short and Project Proceedings, Eurographics, Malta, 22-25 September, 29-48, (2009).
de Freitas, S., Rebolledo-Mendez, G., Liarokapis, F., Magoulas, G., Poulovassilis A. (2010). Learning as immersive experiences: using the four dimensional framework for designing and evaluating immersive learning experiences in a virtual world. British Journal of Educational Technology
Dunwell, I., Petridis, P., Protopsaltis, A., de Freitas, S., Panzoli, D. & Samuels, P. Automating Content Generation for Large-Scale Virtual Learning Environments using Semantic Web Services. In proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Semantic Wikis (SemWiki2010), ESWC2010, Hersonissos, Crete, Greece, May 29th -June 3rd 2010
selected referencesKnight, J., Carly, S., Tregunna, B., Jarvis, S., Smithies, R., de Freitas, S., Mackway-Jones, K. & Dunwell, I. (2010). Serious gaming technology in major incident triage training: A pragmatic controlled trial. Resuscitation Journal 81(9): 1174-9
de Freitas, S. (2011) Game for Change. Nature, 470 (7334): 330-331.
BOOKS (2010-2012):
Sharpe, R., Beetham, H. & de Freitas, S. (Eds) (2010) Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age, London & New York: Routledge.
de Freitas, S. & Maharg, P. (Eds) (2011) Digital Games and Learning. London and New York: Continuum Press
de Freitas, S & Jameson, J. (2012) The e-Learning Reader. London & New York: Routledge.
Ferdig, R & de Freitas, S. (eds.) (2012) Interdisciplinary Advancements in Gaming, Simulations and Virtual Environments: Emerging Trends, Hersey, PA, IGI Global.
BOOK SERIES:
de Freitas, S. & Maharg, P. (Series Eds) (2011-) Digital Games and Learning. London and New York: Routledge.
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