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Abstract Background Serious games are risk-free environments training various medical competencies, such as clinical reasoning, without endangering patients’ safety. Furthermore, serious games provide a context for training situations with unpredictable outcomes. Training these competencies is particularly important for healthcare professionals in emergency medicine. Methods Based on these considerations, we designed, implemented, and evaluated a serious game in form of an emergency department, containing the features of a virtual patient generator, a chatbot for medical history taking with self-formulated questions, artificially generated faces based on an artificial intelligence algorithm, and feedback for students. The development process was based on an already existing framework resulting in an iterative procedure between development and evaluation. The serious game was evaluated using the System Usability Scale and the User Experience Questionnaire. Results The System Usability Scale provided a substantial result for the usability. In terms of the user experience, four scales yielded positive results, whereas two scales yielded neutral results. Conclusion The evaluation of both usability and user experience yielded overall positive results, while simultaneously identifying potential areas for improvement. Further studies will address the implementation of additional game design elements, and testing student learning outcome.

This study investigates the design and development process of “Super Journey”, a 2D platformer mobile game aimed at enhancing user engagement and satisfaction through innovative game mechanics and design. Utilizing the Agile methodology, the development stages included conceptualization, design, implementation using the Unity game engine, and iterative testing and evaluation based on user feedback. This development process involved crafting a detailed game design document, creating initial sketches and prototypes, and integrating graphical elements, animations, and game mechanics. The game features 3 levels with simple controls, visually appealing pixel art, and progressively challenging levels. A survey conducted with 20 participants revealed high overall satisfaction (4.15 out of 5), with particular praise for level design (4.25) and game mechanics (4.2). Feedback indicated areas for improvement, such as balancing difficulty levels and incorporating more diverse obstacles and enemies. The findings underscore the importance of agile, user-centered design in game development and provide insights for future iterations to further enhance the gaming experience. “Super Journey” exemplifies the effective integration of classic platformer elements with modern innovations, highlighting its potential in the competitive mobile gaming market. The results of this research are expected to serve as a reference and inspiration for other game developers to create superior products by combining innovative technology and thoughtful design.

The development of software aligned with Web3 innovations is essential to stimulate discussions on the application of these technologies in the scientific realm. This study presents the development of a 'cryptogame,' a game that integrates blockchain technology to incorporate Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) into its functionalities. The paper explores fundamental Web3 concepts, with references to relevant literature, and details the development process, including the methodologies and models adopted. As a result, a puzzle game was created that utilizes NFTs as playable characters, allowing for the transfer of these assets between digital wallets. Furthermore, the study investigates the application of these concepts in adapting a traditional mobile game for the use of NFTs, demonstrating the necessary changes in user interface and game mechanics to support the integration with digital assets.

Aim/purpose – The study delves into the creation and the experience of interactive children’s narratives based on poetry, examining the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) as a collaborative partner in storytelling for children. The research questions are: 1) What are the experiences of readers, specifically children’s guardians, with interactive narratives based on children’s poetry?; 2) How do children’s guardians experience inter-active stories co-generated in real-time through conversations with artificial intelligence?; 3) Is it feasible to create a satisfying narrative for children from a specific set of images through the use of AI technology?

This article explores and highlights the differences between art styles in video games, and details how the use of them can allow for the expression of creative ideas and communicate messages through games as a medium. This article also investigates existing research and analyses various case studies of games with distinctive art styles. The term “art style” in the context of this article pertains to visual elements such as proportions and shading techniques, as opposed to encompassing sound design or animation. To effectively showcase the influence of art styles on creative expression, I have developed a practical prototype in the form of an art game titled The Maze of Nightmares, which contains features such as the ability to switch between multiple art styles as a creative tool to overcome obstacles. By doing so, the game addresses the topic of significant personal changes and how impactful they can be towards one’s life, especially in the context of overcoming obstacles and solving problems. This way, players and audiences can observe differences between art styles in the context of an experience that reinforces the benefits of change.

To develop technologies that facilitate the creation and customization of digital educational games, this research aimed to explore the use of a game authoring tool by elementary school teachers and to identify the challenges and skills of this public using the tool. Our findings indicate that most of them had difficulties using it due to a lack of digital literacy and many possible configuration settings. They struggled with the steps they needed to complete in the tutorial and understanding concepts such as events, conditions, and actions. On the other hand, they were able to easily arrange the objects in the scenes. As a result, we present a set of recommendations that can be useful to construct new tools for this audience.

Abstract Utopian images in XR-games are often ambiguous. How can ambiguity be consciously designed in virtual worlds? What are the design principles for game designers? Ambiguity arises from discontinuity and decontextualization, from the deliberate omission of facts, and from the skillful superimposition of contradictory codes. An ontology of interactive media explains the elusive visual poetry and image perception. The five basic elements of media are presented. The model shows the key correlations of user, content, and technology in image perception. An overview of utopian representation as a cross-media phenomenon places game design in an interdisciplinary context. Six selected computer-generated illustrations show how the above design criteria can be successfully applied to the design of virtual worlds. The ambiguous utopia of an image exists only in a brief, irretrievable moment of our own perception. But this moment is valuable for designing real visions for a better future.

This article proposes to explore the concept of videogames rules by Salen and Zimmerman through the work of Yoko Ono, specifically the event scores or performative instructions published in Grapefruit (2000 [1964]). To do so, the authors have created an interactive experience based on four event scores' rules where gameplay emerges from their direct application. The project is contextualized through those rules and the differences between Ono's work and Fluxus. The return on the creative act reveals an innovative approach outside of the imperatives of "fun," privileging an embracing of errors and incertitude.

The Computational Thinking (CT) teaching approach allows students to practice problem-solving in a way that they can use the Computer Science mindset. In this sense, Collaborative Learning has a lot to contribute to educational activities involving the CT. This article presents the design and evaluation of a Collaborative Learning framework for the development of CT skills in students. To design the proposed strategy, several fundamental features of the Collaborative Learning concept of the literature have been studied and sketched. The strategy was applied to middle school students through a digital games programming workshop. Data were collected by three means: (1) collecting artifacts produced during activities; (2) recording of game programming sessions; and (3) applying a structured interview to students. The data analysis showed evidence that the strategy was able to mobilize Computational Thinking skills in addition to mobilizing collaborative skills in learners.

It is necessary to discuss from various angles how to make the younger generation, who will be responsible for future society, aware of disasters and how to cope with them. Therefore, we designed a project-based learning class, “Media Design Project III · IV”, in which students are asked to create a game to raise their awareness of disaster prevention. This class aims to improve disaster awareness, especially tsunami evacuation, and to improve abilities that students will need in the future, i.e., time management and problem-solving, especially after they begin work. It was found that the game can increase tsunami evaluation awareness. Therefore, the projects presented here might become a new method for education, especially disaster education and career education, with games focused on disasters potentially being a new tool for raising awareness about disasters.

This article proposes an analysis of recent alternative video games through the particularities of industrial music’s aesthetics. Considering a massive increase in video game production by solo designers since 2015, the author identifies how singular practices of game creation can be inspired by underground art forms. To further this research, five game developers were invited to participate through interviews: Yames, Selfish Dream, Valerie Dusk, Stef Pinto and Andrea Pignataro. The article proposes an analysis of the common production strategies between industrial culture and these game creators, more precisely by studying the singular use of noise in their games (audio but also visual and spatial) and how their creations act as noise in the context of the dominant video game industry by weakening its core definitions of what games are and the technocentrist history of the medium.

Most Brazilian schools do not offer evacuation training from their buildings in the event of a fire. The lack of safety culture among students and teachers, coupled with a lack of knowledge and training on safety protocols to follow when facing fires, have led to unwanted outcomes, including unnecessary injuries and even death. This study describes the development of a prototype of a Serious Game to teach fire evacuation procedures in schools in the case of fire, aiming to help students to learn fire safety procedures, to know how to behave in case of fire, and to start discussions to create a positive fire safety culture. The prototype was used and evaluated by 35 public school students from 12 to 16 years old. The results indicated that students’ knowledge on how to behave in case of fire after they played the game was significantly improved, and the discussions triggered by the game contributed to the creation of a positive fire safety culture in school. The game developed proved useful to teach evacuation procedures and is available for use by all public schools in the city.

This paper describes a game prototype development project named “Code-E” for players learning and practicing their knowledge about coding while playing. Our research is based on design and development research (DDR) methodology. The main purpose of our project was actually to create a 3D action-adventure game with interesting gameplay for educational purposes that can be used by students (i.e., players) as part of their coding practice. Our chosen topic was C++ function codes. Rapid Application Development Model was used as the development method to allow us to focus on minimizing the planning stage and maximizing prototype development. First, the gameplay idea was designed. A quick prototype was developed to assist the potential users to understand the gameplay easily when we were asking for their feedback on requirements. To collect them from potential users, we used interviews. Very fortunately, our first gameplay idea was well accepted which required minimal improvement. Then, we designed and developed a full game prototype using Roblox. A questionnaire session was then conducted to get further feedback from our potential users. The 5-Likert scale questions were categorized into three categories: the game’s technical features, its gameplay concepts, and its usability as a learning tool. We used median values to interpret the Likert data. Our findings showed that the “Code-E” game prototype was well-functioned and well-accepted by our potential users. Some improvements were still required to enhance its ability in terms of difficulty level and motivation.

The Atari 2600 video game Entombed (1982) left open questions in the design and implementation of its efficient maze-generation algorithm that, through serendipity, we are able to address at last. We have analysed almost 500 artefacts that capture the development process leading up to Entombed, artefacts that have not been seen for decades, including a distinct, unreleased Atari 2600 game. This work is interdisciplinary between the fields of archaeology and computer science in the area of archaeogaming; computer science has allowed informed technical analysis of the artefacts, with processes from archaeology used to manage and organise the large number of artefacts, as well as view game development in a human, archaeological context. The deliberate inclusion of a co-author who was a first-hand participant in the game development additionally raises interesting questions about autoethnography, authorship, and objectivity.

According to our knowledge, there are only few existing mobile games for learning Viena Karelian dialect and culture. Karelian is classified as a minority and endangered language. Different actions for revitalizing the Karelian language and culture have been made during the several past years in Finland and Russia. However, more effort is needed, especially to developed digital and easily accessible ways to learn and teach Karelian. This paper presents simple games developed for beginners to learn Viena Karelian. We also present findings from a small-scale user study. In addition, we propose a concept idea of the tool for teachers to create simple learning exercises.

This paper explores the link between play, an evolutionary and biological trait found in human behaviour and the fundamental human psychological needs; and its complex relationship with the game design principles in order to answer the following - why do people play games and what motivates them to do so? Answering these two questions would enable educational game designers to better understand game design principles for developing engaging educational games. This research will delve into the psychological aspects of play and attempt to link those aspects to game design elements. Studying Prensky’s six elements of successful games, the Octalysis gamification framework and the fundamental psychological needs, the paper will then present the findings of an exploratory and confirmatory survey from practicing game designers all around South-East Asia. The results of these findings give an overall positive and current result that provides a useful point of reference in order to create a game design model that would offer a set of guiding principles for educational game designers to create engaging gameplay.

The purpose of the research is as a medium for learning traditional dances and regional traditional houses and can be used as a debriefing for the community to better know the traditional dances and regional traditional houses properly. The research method used is the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) waterfall method, a research method that has the characteristics of each phase in the waterfall must be completed before proceeding to the next phase The analytical aid used is Flowchart and Unified Modeling Language. Software used with the help of the Java programming language, Android Studio Editor, Android Standard Development Kit, and Android Development Tools. The conclusion is that this application was built so that it can provide convenience in learning regional dance education and local traditional houses.

Philippine folk epics are the highest stage of development in Philippine folk literature. However, due to the ravages of colonization and the evolution of contemporary cultural preferences, folk literature has been waning in popularity. With the advent of modern culture and its attendant technology has come the new medium of video games, which is truly popular among the younger generations and can be used as an alternative method of learning. Through this medium offered by the new technologies, this research aims to reclaim Philippine folk epics by developing a video game based on an Ifugao epic called Hudhud hi Aliguyon. The work will follow the process called the modified waterfall model. To create a structured narrative, the epic has been analyzed and tabulated according to Vogler’s adaptation of the monomyth in order to see how Aliguyon, the main character, develops. The values, unique cultural traits and distinct ideals that characterize Ifugao culture have been carefully studied so that the culture may be represented authentically in the game’s narrative, character traits and artwork. The narrative will start in the village of Hannanga with the protagonist Aliguyon, who recklessly seeks retribution against his father’s enemy; as the game progresses, he will grow into a more honorable and ideal hero.

Visuaalisten tutkimusmenetelmien käyttö on levinnyt 2000-luvulla yhteiskuntatieteellisestä etnografisesta tutkimuksesta monille muille tieteenaloille, joissa ollaan kiinnostuneita yksilöiden kokemuksista, tunteista ja muistoista tai organisaatiotason prosesseista ja käytänteistä. Tässä artikkelissa keskustellaan visuaalisten tutkimusmenetelmien soveltuvuudesta ajallisuuden ja ajan tutkimiseen organisaatiokontekstissa. Artikkelissa kehitetään dialogisen valokuvahaastattelun menetelmää tarkastelemalla suomalaisen pelistudion pelinkehittäjien tapoja hahmottaa työaikaa. Lisäksi artikkelissa vastataan siihen, millaista tietoa dialogisella valokuvahaastattelulla voidaan saada ja miten se menetelmänä ohjaa tutkijan ja haastateltavan välistä vuorovaikutusta. Menetelmän kehittämisessä selvisi, että valokuvat mahdollistavat dialogisen ja haastateltavia osallistavan haastattelukeskustelun, toimivat muistamisen ja reflektoinnin tukena sekä tekevät näkyväksi ajan jäsentämistä

Abstract The impact of environment on individuals is particularly critical. In evolutionary games, adopting the strategy of the neighbor who performs better is nontrivial for the survival and maintenance of cooperation, in that such an action may help the agents to obtain higher benefit and more obvious evolutionary advantages. Inspired by this idea, we investigate the effect of the environment-based preference selection on the evolution of cooperation in spatial prisoner’s dilemma. A simple rule, incorporating individual preference selection via an adjustable parameter α to explore how the selection of the potential strategy sources influences individual behavior traits, is considered. Because social interaction may not be the only way of generating payoffs, we assume that the individual’s income is also affected by the environment. Besides, taking into account individual differences, we introduce the heterogeneity of the environment. Through numerous computing simulations, we find that environment-based preference selection, which accelerates the microscopic organization of cooperator clusters to resist the aggression of defectors, can truly promote cooperation within a large range of parameters. Our study indicates that the combination of heterogeneity and preference selection may be key for the sustainability of cooperation in structured populations.

The purpose of this article is to present and evaluate Entity-component-system architecture designed based on data. The solution allows for improving application development process and increasing its efficiency. A test application was prepared for research using custom solutions. Evaluated techniques was compared with object-oriented programming in the article.

Nowadays technology follows us everywhere. However, it is often overlooked when dealing with social issues, despite how easily it might improve the life of countless handicapped individuals. In other words, small pieces of software, under the form of games, can help the individual remain focus and go through treatments and therapies effortlessly. But game development is tricky because simply adopting a software development approach is not enough, as it assumes that games as a software can be developed through the commonly used systematic processes, yet these do have specific requirements. This paper proposes a new game development model to successfully deliver a quality serious game, towards social causes, bearing in mind the specific aspects both from games as a special kind of software and from the target players introducing a therapeutic / clinical perspective in the games development model.

Performance in basketball has been widely studied with regard to the results of the game using competition statistics. Few studies have analyzed the play process from a dynamic viewpoint regarding tactical actions and styles of play. The general objective of this research was to analyze the development in the styles of play of the teams participating in the Spanish Copa del Rey by studying the development of ball possessions (from start to finish) and the styles of play (attack and defense phases). The specific aim was to identify the relations between how possessions end and the style of play, as well as the relation between the duration of possession and the action of shooting and efficacy of the possession. All the matches corresponding to the Spanish Copa del Rey in basketball in the seasons 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018 were analyzed, comprising a total of 3,865 possessions. To this end, two groups of variables were characterized, which made it possible to define play, the development of possession (start and finish), and the style of play (attack and defense phase). An exploratory and descriptive analysis of the situational variables, development of possession, and style of play was carried out to characterize the competition. The Chi-squared test and Cramer’s V coefficient were used to estimate the association among the categorical variables, interpreting the association among the categories using contingency tables. The results show a greater number of attacks in the final stages of the matches, with short possessions that end in baskets or rebounds, and positional attacks and individual half-court defenses predominating. There were more shots in positional attacks and more fouls in transitions. It also was apparent that the competition is developing from 1 year to another. The Spanish Copa del Rey competition changes from season to season, revealing slight modifications in the teams’ styles of play, although there is stability in the fundamental play parameters, like the predominance of man-to-man defense, the duration of the attacks, and the use of screens. The style of play conditions the finalization of the possession.

This paper investigates the usability of the RAGE component-based software architecture (RCSA). Thisarchitecture was designed to support serious game development by enabling cross-platform reuse of gamesoftware components. While the architecture has been technically validated elsewhere, this paper studies theperceived usefulness and ease of use of the architecture in practice. An extensive questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was administered to 23 software and game developers that have been creating RCSA-compliant game components or integrating these in actual serious games. The results show that developers are generally positive about the usability of the architecture and that the architecture helps them to do a better job in less time. It turns out that developers effectively use all communication modes that are offered by thearchitecture, most frequently those based on the component´s APIs and the bridge pattern. Some issues were reported, but could be easily addressed. Most developers reported that they have well understood the effectiveness of the architecture and indicated to keep using the architecture in future projects. The outcomes of this study show that the architecture opens up new opportunities to the cross-platform reuse of advanced game functionalities in serious game projects, to reduce production efforts and to advance the domain of serious games at large.

Digital games have the tools and capacity to build interactive worlds that can both share knowledge and decolonize. Even though games have been accused of reinforcing white supremacist systems that tend to privilege profit over humanity, digital games by Indigenous and Indigenist artists and scholars provide evidence that games have the tools to facilitate decolonization. Along these lines, this paper is an exploration of how digital games can help to decolonize and reframe how Indigenous literature is read in the postsecondary classroom, specifically academic editions of Indigenous literatures.

After a literature review published by Nascimento et. al. (2017), the research team noticed the lack of studies focused on game controllers’ accessibility during use by children with Down syndrome. In view of that, this research describes a mobile game development and its usability analyses, which were created to evaluate the accessibility of touchscreen gestural interfaces. The methodology was organized into three steps: bibliographic research and the definition of the project guidelines, the game development, and its evaluation. The guidelines used were based on a study made by Nascimento et. al. (2019) of the impairments that children can have, their game preferences found on Prena’s article (2014), games accessibility guidelines for people with intellectual deficiency from the Includification Book (2012), a manual of touchscreen gestural interfaces from Android and iOS and a game development framework from Schuytema (2008). Then, for the usability analyses, the team decided to first submit the game to a group of experts in order to make some improvements before submitting it to the audience. In this way, two evaluations were done, a heuristic test with usability specialists and a cognitive walkthrough with health professionals. The list of heuristics used on the tests was created by a mash up of the Breyer evaluation (2008) and the recommendations of the Able Games Association (2012) and the cognitive one followed the Preece, Sharp and Rogers (2007) recommendations. The results found reveal some challenges in the field and adjustments, mainly in the narrative, game goals and interface feedback, that should be addressed as soon as possible.

Serious educational games provide a novel way to transfer knowledge on cultural heritage, which can especially attract young people by using interactive multimedia technology. The paper presents a new flexible tool for developing, managing and presenting games. This server-based solution can facilitate the game development by applying game templates, layout styles and question pools. It also supports the development of game packages for multiple languages and multiple platforms (Web and mobile). The games can easily be customised for various learning domains. Complex games can be composed from several socalled minigames (e.g. puzzle, multiple choice, memory game, crossword etc.) and the tool also supports the evaluation of the user answers and organising competitions. The games were applied to deepen knowledge on various topics related to our cultural heritage. The latest game development is represented by the serious educational game “The Thracians” running in a virtual 360º panorama environment, which presents the life, beliefs and traditions of the ancient tribes.

Game development consists of many elements. Implementation of basic features such as rendering and sound handling requires usage of low level libraries and deep knowledge. Libraries that help to create user interfaces (UI), because of their functionality, may be an attractive platform for creating basic games. This paper presents the results of comparison of the two popular libraries: GTK+ and Qt.

Few theses, proposals and books in game studies start without some statement of the importance of video games as a media format. However, despite this emphasis on the industry’s size and importance, very little academic attention goes toward what is behind the process of designing games. Game developer Katharine Neil, writing about the state of the game industry and its relation to academia mounts a call to arms: "We can demand research and development into design support technology — not for more tools for prototyping and production or metrics, but for tools that support design thinking". For Neil, these have led to a palpable stagnation in game design. Judging by the articles selected for this issue of Press Start, young game scholars increasingly seek to ameliorate both the lacking academic reflection on game design; and the lack of communication that Neil diagnoses between academics and game makers.

This article is a first-hand account of the birth of the UK game development industry through the lens of the rise of Quicksilva, the most successful game development company of the early 1980s. Between 1980 and 1982 Sinclair Research released the ZX80, ZX81 and ZX Spectrum home computers and these supported the nascent game development industry. The market created by the volume of sales of the ZX81 meant that UK game developers could, for the first time, support full time employees through their sales of games. Game developer Quicksilva was one of the first game developers in the UK and this account explains how the UK industry game development industry was improvised into being. The material for this article is drawn from the personal collection, and recollections, of Mark Eyles, the first employee of Quicksilva.

When teachers try to implement game-based learning, they always have questions like: What kind of games should we use? How high is the educational value of the game? How much do the students like the game? One safe way to answer these questions is to let the students develop the educational games instead of playing the games - the focus can then be on the process of developing the game. This article describes a case-study in which 11 - 12 year old students designed educational games for learning English as a foreign language.

Domain Analysis (DA) plays an important role in Model Driven Development (MDD) and Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM). However, most formal DA methods are heavy weight and not practical sometimes. For instance, when computer games are developed, the problem domain (game design) is decided gradually within numerous iterations. It is not practical to fit a heavy-weight DA in such an agile process. In this research, we propose a light-weight DA which can be embedded in the original game development process. The DA process is based on a game ontology which serves for both game design and domain analysis. In this paper, we introduce the ontology and demonstrate how to use it in the domain analysis process. We discuss the quality and evaluate the ontology with a user acceptance survey. The test result shows that most potential users considered the ontology useful and easy to use.

Game motif programming exercises (GM-Games) were developed to help novices develop complex client server game systems within their freshman year. GM-Games foster a strong work ethic in as much as they reproduce the challenges and excitement associated with game play; yet their purpose is the development of advanced programming skills. We have found that young people are just as interested in mastering programming skills as they are in mastering the shooting, racing or strategy skills required in many entertainment games. We describe in this paper how GM-Games imitate many of the aspects of game play.

The number of individuals seeking treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is increasing quickly and families often have difficulty accessing effective therapy. A number of computer assisted interventions (CAI) have been developed in an attempt to address these needs. However, most development of CAI has taken place in the absence of an understanding of how variability in ASD behavioral phenotypes may affect CAI effectiveness. The current effort describes the first step towards developing a framework to understand how behavioral phenotypes among those diagnosed with ASD can inform the design of CAI. Specifically, we propose a four-step methodology to better inform the design and development of such CAI. Generally, these steps involve by (1) identifying a need where CAI is appropriate, (2) identifying a technology or set of technologies that are relevant for that population, (3) identifying an appropriate population that stands to benefit from our CAI, and (4) identifying specific content to be included in our CAI. We also describe the results of an effort applying this proposed methodology for the development of our CAI.

Serious games offer users information disguised with game-like entertaining elements. Due to their elements of surprise and simulation, such games can potentially engage and inspire their target groups more than traditional methods. Health games are serious games that can be divided into cognitive, emotional and rehabilitative health games. Social and healthcare services need to develop new customer-oriented functions empowering its customers. Health games provide a new method and model of maintaining and developing the mental and physical capability of all age groups, for instance as part of self-treatment. Health game development starts from the need to find a new solution to support treatment. The participation of game design experts, healthcare professionals and end-users is required in planning the game concept. Game implementation requires a team consisting of game design, production, graphics, programming, and sound and testing professionals. Health care experts, who bring their knowledge into the process, support this team’s work. Game development proceeds in cycles or sprints during which the health game is tested by customer groups at various stages of development. The tested game is then commercialized for marketing purposes taking into account potential business openings. Overall, good health game development occurs via multidisciplinary cooperation. Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) has developed several health game prototypes as a result of cooperation between Game Studies within Business Information Technology and Nursing and Healthcare education: the Stroke Kinect rehabilitation game for stroke patients, a dance game for the elderly and Elämäni peli – the Game of My Life supporting the development of youth life management skills during 2011-2012. KAMK is currently building a virtual exercise and training simulator within the ATHENE project, which first implemented an orienteering simulator. The HETTE project is exploring potential business models for health games within various market areas and advancing the development of the ‘Elämäni Peli’ (The Game of My Life), under the name of Elamanipeli – The Game of My Life.

The videogame industry is a considerable market: in 2012, the industry was worth over $86 billion USD and about seventy-two percent of American households play videogames. It is unsurprising, then, that commercial and educational developers and/or researchers have sought to capitalise on videogames. Games and simulation technologies have been used for educational purposes for thousands of years prior to the digital era (Gee 2007). Digital games, however, offer many new affordances including increased accessibility, reinforced automation (i.e., fair and consistent application of rules), embedded data-gathering for assessment, dynamic adaptation to student needs, the ability to simulate complex situations for student inquiry in a safe context, and reduced overall costs (Jin and Low 2011). However, it is difficult to assess the process of serious game development and effectiveness of educational play. Many serious games retrofit assessment late into the project, creating a gap between original intents and the game's current uses, limiting effectiveness of measuring and meeting the project's goals. As such, we propose an assessment framework that synthesises work from various fields (educational assessment, game design, usability, project management) that aims to guide researchers and game developers through a project from its inception to the end by presenting specific topics to address and questions to answer throughout the game design phase of the project. By building assessment into the game development from the get-go, original intents and a game's current uses can more closely align, allowing for stronger, purposeful games. L’industrie du jeu vidéo est un marché appréciable. En 2012, elle dépassait 86 milliards de dollars US et environ soixante-douze pour cent des ménages américains jouent aux jeux vidéo. Il n’est pas surprenant alors que des concepteurs et des chercheurs de la sphère commerciale et éducationnelle ont cherché à tirer profit des jeux vidéo. Bien avant l’avènement de l’ère numérique, jeux et technologie de simulation étaient utilisés à des fins pédagogiques (Gee 2007). Le jeu vidéo offre toutefois de nouvelles affordances : accessibilité accrue, automatisation renforcée (c.-à-d. l’application juste et systématique des règles), collecte de données intégrée pour l’évaluation, adaptation dynamique aux besoins des élèves, possibilité de simuler des situations complexes pour l’expérience de recherche de l’élève dans un contexte sécuritaire et, finalement, réduction des coûts globaux (Jin and Low 2011). Il est toutefois difficile d’évaluer le processus de conception de jeux sérieux et l’efficacité du jeu éducationnel. De nombreux jeux sérieux intègrent l’évaluation tard dans le projet, créant un écart entre les intentions originelles et les utilisations actuelles du jeu, limitant ainsi l’efficacité à mesurer et respecter les objectifs du projet. À ce titre, nous proposons un cadre d’évaluation synthétisant les travaux dans divers domaines (évaluation pédagogique, conception de jeu, facilité d’utilisation, gestion de projet) qui guiderait chercheurs et concepteurs de jeux dans un projet, de son lancement à sa fin, en présentant des sujets précis à traiter et des questions à répondre pendant la phase conception du jeu du projet. L’incorporation dès le départ de l’évaluation dans la conception du jeu permettrait un meilleur alignement des intentions premières et des utilisations actuelles du jeu, permettant ainsi une expérience de jeux plus forte et plus significative.

This article aims to present the productivity of the assumptions of Philosophical Hermeneutics (Gadamer, 1996) and his discovery of the logical, ontological and structural model of the game that takes place during the experience that is the basis of comprehension. Thus, digital games are proposed as manners, methods and ways to improve the understanding, interpretation and application of the concepts of Sustainability and Environmental Principles. The attraction of the game as a pedagogic space lays in the fact that it takes over and allows the player to internalize ecological sensitivity, something that happens during the play. Finally, the results show an augment on students’ motivation, when using the game versus the traditional process.