SERIOUS GAME MARKET

Microlearning For Companies About To Rewrite The Rules Of The Game

2023-08-02T14:05:00.001-07:00

Image credit: Game Changer by TRAINING.GAME

Last year, Flagship Store, developed by the Dutch corporation, TRAINING.GAME, located in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, was awarded a gold medal for its excellence in the 2022 International Serious Play Awards Program.

Flagship Store is a series of first person mobile microgames designed to train retail staff. Gameplay starts when you have just been hired at the prestigious Flagship Store, where everything revolves around the ultimate customer and brand experience. In 12 microgames, each lasting approximately 20 minutes, players are faced with professional and personal challenges. The fictional store is located in New York City.

Image credit: Flagship Store by TRAINING.GAME

The company’s new Mobile Serious Game for Corporate Learning, Game Changer, targets employees of companies that are on the verge of a step change and about to rewrite the rules of the game.

Image credit: Game Changer by TRAINING.GAME

Game Changer is a miniseries of three game episodes, which are specifically developed for supporting change management processes. In this interactive storytelling game, you have been selected for a special task force: you are briefed and trained to prepare the entire organization and key stakeholders for a major strategy shift.

The declared learning objectives of the whole training game miniseries is to engage, train and challenge players on how best to explain the benefits of a radical change for company, customers and employees.

Game Changer is a single player mobile game available on iOS and Android.

Image credit: Game Changer by TRAINING.GAME

TRAINING.GAME interactive storytelling games offer engaging storylines and recognizable scenarios than can be tailored to specific company needs.

Highlighting Government Audience Finalists For 2022 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

2022-11-16T10:28:00.004-08:00

Image credit: Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) celebrates the use of games and game technology as a delivery medium for instructional material. The Challenge welcomes industry, government, and student developers of Serious Games that target general audience or government specific learning needs.

After a rigorous evaluation, the top entries from all received are selected as finalists and invited to showcase their games on the exhibit floor during I/ITSEC. A second round of evaluations from worldwide industry experts determines the award winners for the following categories:

Best General Audience Game
Best Government Audience Game
Best Student Developed Game
Best Serious Game Innovation
Best XR Game
Students’ Choice

Awards are presented at I/ITSEC to recognize this prestigious accomplishment PLUS an additional award is selected by all I/ITSEC attendees via ballots for the "People's Choice Award" – the serious game attendees deem the Best of Show.

HERE ARE THIS YEAR'S GOVERNMENT AUDIENCE FINALISTS:

Mage Duel by Tutorworks Inc.

Subject: Language Learning

Mage Duel exists to support military linguists and anyone else seeking to master communicative competency in a new language.

Military linguists in the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) train in an intensive environment and are expected to learn and master hundreds of new words and phrases daily. As language analysts, they struggle for years to achieve the right balance of speed and accuracy in their translation work. Mage Duel solves this critical problem and provides USAF and DoD linguists with a cradle to grave solution for vocabulary acquisition and translation competency to complement their formal language study.

Mage Duel is a Serious Game aided by bleeding edge technologies, including the use of a natural language processing approach or NLP grounded in sound language acquisition pedagogy. Players must use their revolving word magic to navigate complex challenges, duel with mages and win quests. Mage Duel builds both receptive and productive language knowledge by developing phonological, semantic, and context discrimination skills.

The game features timed language production activities that build language fluency, accuracy, and complexity, while rewarding the learner for semantic similarity rather than exact formal language equivalence. Mage Duel currently includes one multilingual semantic similarity engine and is built for expansion. This state-of-the-art, deep neural network-based model powers the language production activity. This means that the players in-game language inputs are evaluated based on meaning, which mirrors the way humans naturally acquire language skills.

Extend the Shield by TiER1 Performance

Subject: Ship Communications

Extend the Shield provides trainees with an opportunity to establish a network of assets (i.e., ships, aircraft) that includes sensors, communication capabilities, and weapons. The trainee places these assets in varying configurations, while considering the benefits and weaknesses.

As an example scenario, an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is well equipped with sensors, enabling a long line of sight to enemy ships and aircraft. The AEW&C also provides a communications relay but does not possess firing capabilities. In contrast, a naval warship carries many weapons, but has a low line-of-sight visibility. Fighter jets have limited sensor capabilities, limited weapons, and communications abilities. Given a set of assets with these particular strengths and weaknesses, trainees are asked to position the equipment in a configuration that maximizes benefits while minimizing weaknesses.

When users work with the Extend the Shield training, they are guided through a set of missions that gradually increase in difficulty. The first missions just focus on moving and firing capabilities. Once the trainee has developed some fluency in this interaction, the missions become more complex. Sensors are added in for line of sight. Then communications capabilities are included. Finally, different types of assets are added to the missions.

Advanced Haptics Burn Care Escharotomy by Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. (ECS)

Subject: Escharotomy surgical procedure

Get hands-on with medical training that you can actually feel to save a patient from losing life and limb with an emergency surgery.

This game places the learner in the setting of a combat support hospital, presented with a patient with a full circumferential burn on their leg who has been prepared for an escharotomy, which is a surgical procedure that is done to relieve pressure in the torso or a limb that is caused by an eschar, a thickening of the skin that develops due to a burn and can cause significant swelling.

The learner can complete the scenario either in single player or as a shared experience with a remote instructor using a tele-teaching model. At the start of the scenario, the learner can watch an example of a real-life escharotomy being performed on a video interface in the scene. The player is able to check off each task to complete the procedure to save the patient’s leg. Throughout the scenario, the system assesses the completion of each step, and provides the learner with a summary of their results at the end.

Army Fuel Digital Training Environments by Potawatomi Training, Army U, CASCOM

Subject: Petroleum Specialist 92F10 MOS

The Army Fuel Digital Training Environment provides a simulation for soldiers to assemble, operate and maintain fueling Systems.

The goal of the Serious Game is to provide real world scenarios that will help reinforce familiarity with army fueling systems through scaling difficulty game modes.

Procurify by Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army – Procurement

Subject: Government Procurement Process

The Government procurement process of acquiring goods and services is vital; however, it is not an exciting subject to teach and train. Developed by the Army Game Studio, Procurify, an innovative, interactive procurement game, utilizes game-based training technology allowing U.S. Army Contracting professionals to learn the procurement process without the risk of making mistakes on a real contract. The goal of the training application is to supplement current training programs, providing contracting professionals valuable experience in a safe learning environment. The proponent for the application is the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement.

Procurify introduces gamified interactive learning as an alternative to traditional lecture style training. During the 30-minute Procurify training module, Contract Specialists, are given simulated scenarios and situations based on real-life events and asked how to respond. This style of learning forces a deeper knowledge of the materials as Contract Specialists apply contracting knowledge to the simulated scenarios learning the procurement process.

Virtual Reality Simulated Delirium Environment (VRSDE) by Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Institute for Learning, Education and Development

Subject: Delirium Characteristics

The Virtual Reality Simulated Delirium Environment (VRSDE) iOS application provides a training product to physicians and Allied Health professionals who provide elder care and emergency care for Veterans experiencing delirium. The firsthand virtual (visual, audial, and haptic) delirium experience will engender empathy in healthcare professionals and provide experiential learning in the treatment of delirium. Learners will be able to recognize the symptoms of delirium from a patient point of view, the type of limitations associated with a symptom of delirium, evaluate a person for delirium, classify the type of delirium symptom a person exhibits as hypoactive, hyperactive, or mixed, and conclude with managing the behavior of a person suffering from delirium using non-pharmacological interventions.

vTC3 by Real Response

Subject: Tactical Combat Casualty Care

vTC3 teaches army medics about decision making when providing casualty care during combat. The Serious Game uses VR on a standalone headset to immerse learners in a combat casualty care experience, where they must provide care under fire, tactical field care, and tactical evacuation care. Advanced biometrics track the users stress throughout gameplay, allowing customized experiences for each learner depending on stress levels, as well as advanced analytics at the end of the game which aligns stress levels with the decisions made.

2022 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge General Audience Finalists

2022-11-09T06:19:00.014-08:00

The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) has announced the finalists in the various award categories for 2022.

As anticipated, the awards structure has been updated and is now based on the target audience for the game submitted (General or Government Audience), not the submitting organization.

An esteemed panel of evaluators from around the globe are now reviewing the finalists and will determine the winners. For the 2022 challenge the SGS&C will award games for Best General Audience, Best Government Audience, Innovation, People’s Choice, Best Student-Developed Game, Best XR (VR/AR/MR), and Students’ Choice.

HERE ARE THIS YEAR'S GENERAL AUDIENCE FINALISTS:

RoboCo by Filament Games

Subject: Robotics

RoboCo is a Serious Game about designing and building robots to serve the needs of hapless humans in the world of tomorrow.

The uniqueness of RoboCo approach can be experienced through the combination of a robot-building sandbox mode and a campaign mode where players build specific robots to take on open-ended challenges. Players also have the option to use the Python language to automate their creations and let their robots conquer the challenges.

STROKE-Keep the Brain Alive in 45 by Veterans Health Administration

Subject: Acute Ischemic Stroke

STROKE-Keep the Brain Alive in 45 is a Serious Games to diagnose and treat virtual avatar patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) using the VA stroke protocol. Game goal is to save the brain of a stroke victim in 45 minutes or less.

In Level one, the player will observe virtual patients display multiple physical symptoms and try to determine if the patient is 1. having a stroke and 2. which of the seven symptoms is the avatar patient displaying. Level two is role based where the player chooses doctor or nurse who is on the clock to save the brain of a stroke victim. The mentor brain gives the player immediate positive or negative feedback on their clinical decisions while the scoring system of a live brain will deteriorate and die over time if the player cannot save the brain in 45 minutes or less.

Top Derm by Level Ex

Subject: Dermatology

Top Derm is a medically accurate, fun, and challenging experience for dermatologist- and it's free and available on your phone.

Top Derm consists of short, rapid-fire, focused challenge packs, designed to give players a variety of well-rounded dermatology challenges that strengthen both the players’ derm knowledge and their ability to visually identify common and rare skin disorders.

In addition to challenge packs, Top Derm includes certified CME packs on popular topics such as acne, melanoma, and dermatitis for free anytime, anywhere. Level Ex has harnessed the most cutting-edge visual effects and video game technology to create its dermatologist-approved, groundbreaking DeepSkinFX™ Generator, which allows us to create mind-blowing, medically accurate, high-resolution imagery of any skin disorder on any region of the body and any skin tone—giving players the opportunity to visually experience a wide variety of derm scenarios.

HoloBrand by University of Applied Science Trier

Subject: Product Market Placement

HoloBrand is a collocated Serious Game for the HoloLens and Meta Quest 2, covering Urban’s preceptor model of product market placement (Glen L. Urban: Preceptor: A Model for Product Positioning, 1975).

Players should get an intuitive understanding of consumer mass market mechanics. Collocated means a multiplayer game taking place in the same physical space. Collocated AR Games combine the advantages of a board game with a computer game. As in a board game, discussing game aspects with people in the same physical space is possible.

As in a computer game, you have the advantages of automated simulation and the possibility to display private information as not every player needs to see the same situation. HoloBrand distinguishes between a master and three players. The master is the mentor in the situation that steers the mission progress and can explain additional information on the included slides. HoloBrand is a joint development between the computer science department and the economics department of the University of Applied Science Trier.

ARIN-561 by USC Institute for Creative Technologies

Subject: Artificial Intelligence & Math

ARIN-561 is a 3D role-playing game built on Unity, a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies. In the game, students play as a space-faring scientist who crash landed on an alien planet named ARIN-561. In order to safely return home, the scientist begin exploring the planet to gather resources needed to repair the broken ship while uncovering the mystery of the planet.

The activities for survival and for exploration form the basis for the tasks the students carry out in the game, with challenges such as searching for missing spaceship parts or cracking passwords serving as natural opportunities for the introduction of search as a topic.

The current implementation of the game covers three classical search algorithms: breadth-first search, depth-first search, and greedy search.

Poconostics by BlueHalo

Subject: Physical Rehabilitation

Poconostics consists of two games for balance training. Tilted dungeon requires the player to sway their body to navigate a character through a maze. Food Frenzy requires the player to use their head and eyes to target flying food elements and shoot them from the air.

These games use body-pose and head/eye tracking to give patients engaging ways to complete therapy exercises and provide therapists with objective data about patients’ performance.

PreSore: 3D Pressure Injury Prevention by Simofun & Koç Universty

Subject: Pressure Injury Prevention

PreSore was designed to educate the patients’ relatives and the community on the prevention of pressure injuries, formerly named pressure sores. In the game, the player is expected to make quick and accurate attempts to prevent pressure injury in the virtual patient receiving home care.

GENERAL AUDIENCE: STUDENT-DEVELOPED GAMES

Pirates of the Sea++ by Norfolk State University

Subject: Computer Science Concepts

Pirates of the Sea++ was designed to create a fun and engaging 2D learning game for the player to successfully enhance their knowledge of C++ computer programming concepts, specifically basic output structure, C++ basic data types, conditional operators, and conditional statements such as if statements and while loops.

Numbers and Letters by Ulster University & Fresno State University

Subject: Numeracy and literacy skills

Numbers and Letters is an immersive virtual reality game for developing numeracy and literacy skills. The Numbers part of the game focuses on developing flexible mathematical thinking skills through the use of four basic mathematical operators and adaptive strategies. Players can explore the role of numerical relations and operators in mathematical problem solving. This is achieved in the game through the exploration of number combinations with a range of operators (subtraction, addition, multiplication and division). The game aims to develop mathematical proficiency through exploration of different problem-solving strategies based on the understanding of key concepts and has progressive difficulty modes depending on player ability and includes instructional scaffolding functionality to provide context specific help to the player when required or requested. The Letters game helps the player improve their literacy skills and become better at spelling by completing words by finding the missing letter.

Medical Imaging VR by Ulster University & Fresno State University

Subject: Imaging/human physiology

Medical Imaging VR is an immersive virtual reality learning environment which allows users to view, visualize, browse, and interact with magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI) in 2D/3D identifying and learning about key regions of the body. The game element orientates the user and shows them how to read an MRI, understanding the difference between different views with 3D visualization functionality. Through this they learn about brain anatomy and how to identify key regions (e.g., pituitary gland and cerebellum etc.) and other features of interest.

Serious Game To Reduce Corporate GHG Emissions While Optimizing Business Performance

2022-10-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Sustainability Management Simulation: Net Zero

Two Serious Games designed for Higher Education use won Gold in the 2022 International Serious Play Awards Program - Sustainability Management Simulation: Net Zero is one of them.

The overall purpose of the simulation is enabling learners to experience how large cuts in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions is feasible and does not need to occur at the expense of business performance. Developed by Tim Rogmans, the game is available through Harvard Business Publishing

In Sustainability Management Simulation: Net Zero, learners play the role of the General Manager of a 500-room, 4-star city-center hotel who needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% over the next 7 years and at the same time optimize financial performance.

Image credit: Sustainability Management Simulation: Net Zero

At the start of the game, players choose a location and name for the hotel. They then review information about climate change, and the hotel that they will manage.

The hotel can be located in New York, London or Singapore. Facilitators can also customize key settings of the simulation such as the location of the hotel and other model parameters to tailor the simulation to specific local conditions.

Image credit: Sustainability Management Simulation: Net Zero

Each year, you select up to three initiatives from a wide-ranging and evolving list that can help the hotel to reduce emissions. You also decide how much to spend on staff training and guest communication. Initiatives cover multiple sources of emissions and relate to both technical solutions and behavior change. Each year several new initiatives become available.

After entering decisions for the year, results are shown in the dashboard to understand and improve players’ performance. The dashboard contains feedback on all decisions made in the previous year. Feedback is provided to players in terms of the hotel's emissions and their underlying drivers, as well as the hotel's financial performance.

Altogether, the hotel's emissions are reduced through a combination of technical solutions and behavioral changes by staff, customers and suppliers. Business performance is impacted through investments in initiatives, changes in operational costs, and potential improvements in revenue per available room (REVPAR).

The Sustainability Management Simulation: Net Zero is an integral part of the course "Corporate Sustainability Strategy" from Harvard Business Publishing.

Conscious Capitalism - Bikes Helping Students Bridge The Gap Between Knowledge And Skill

2022-09-28T14:06:00.002-07:00

Image credit: Conscious Capitalism – Bikes by Marketplace Simulations

Among the nine educational games developed for Higher Education use and cited for excellence in the 2022 International Serious Play Awards Program is Conscious Capitalism – Bikes .

A collaborative effort between Conscious Capitalism®, Inc and Marketplace Simulations, the game challenges players to create and manage a new entrepreneurial venture in an innovative new niche of the bicycle industry. Students deal with ethical, environmental, and sustainability issues in addition to the usual management challenges of running a business.

According to the developers, “Employers have long been signaling that new business graduates lack the level of critical competencies they will need in the workplace. Business schools need to do a better job of helping students bridge the gap between knowledge and skill.”

The Conscious Capitalism® business simulation provides a cost efficient and scalable solution to this problem. The simulation places students in a game environment that allows them to practice what they learn in a safe learning space. Through hands-on learning, students transform their knowledge into skills. Not only do they know what to do in practical business situations, they are able to do it.

Game Scenario

In this simulation, students are provided with the seed capital to start up an innovative, new product line, 3D-printed, carbon fiber bikes. These bikes are light, strong, and very affordable. And, they can be customized to each customer’s physical and performance requirements. Bike riders are very intrigued by these benefits but are waiting to see what the players will bring to the market. A big game changer for the industry is that 3D printers enable made-to-order production. This breakthrough eliminates the need to hold inventory anywhere in the supply chain, and the costs to finance and store inventory are eliminated.

The game uniqueness resides in the fact that it allows players to experience the impact of “learning to do” as opposed to “learning to know”. Those who have ever formatted new offerings for market re/positioning or played the traditional spreadsheet-based equivalent business games, are to be amazed by the most playable, engaging, and compelling solution Marketplace Simulations have come up with.

Developers have created a breathtaking test bed for aligning game context with market dynamics, immersing players in a unique experience that shows how data can be translated into actionable information; how leaders can harness that information to make better strategic decisions and decide to become a Conscious Business harmonizing the interests of all stakeholders.

There are also micro-simulations that constitute an added bonus, allowing players to enjoy key business concepts and helping to perform better in the main simulation.

Conscious Capitalism – Bikes is offered in two versions: “Play Again Classmates” and “Play Against the Computer”. Teams of 4-5 students work well. But students can play individually, eliminating the need to arrange teams, which may be impractical in large classes.

The Play Against the Computer version is made available at Harvard Business Publishing Education. For the Play Against Classmates version, see https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/MP0015-HTM-ENG

Image credit: Conscious Capitalism – Bikes by Marketplace Simulations

Gameplay

The goal of the Conscious Capitalism - Bikes simulation is to develop conscious leaders that build sustainable businesses that benefit all stakeholders.

Students are challenged to operate a conscious business in contrast to the traditional profit-maximizing paradigm. They deal with ethical, environmental, and sustainability issues in addition to the usual management challenges of running a business. It is fun, realistic, relevant, and spirited.

Players start up an international bicycle company. Two innovative technologies, an economical form of carbon fiber and advanced 3D printers, make it possible to build carbon fiber bikes of any size and shape. The new carbon fiber bikes are still pricey, but more affordable than current models. Will buyers pay the premium for a light weight, really cool, carbon fiber bike tailored to their needs? There is also a new mindset emerging in global commerce, Conscious Capitalism. Will the players take on an expanded goal to become a profitable, conscious business that aligns and harmonizes the interests of employees, customers, suppliers, the community, and shareholders?

Gameplay is online, self-guided with an intuitive interface, built-in instructions, help files, and helpful warnings. There are 6 decision rounds of 2 to 3 hours.

This simulation is based on the Conscious Capitalism movement founded by Dr. Raj Sisodia. Marketplace Simulations is a global company based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Conscious Capitalism® is one of over 30 simulations created by Marketplace Simulations

Leadership 101 Short Sims for New Managers 2023 Edition

2022-09-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Clark Aldrich’s Short Sims

As anticipated in my previous post Coming Soon: Off-The-Shelf Leadership for New Managers Short Sim Suite, Clark Aldrich is introducing an off-the-shelf/tailorable suite of Short Sims tackling work-life balance, employee disengagement, and remote working.

According to Clark, “Most new managers are forced to learn critical leadership skills on the job. The cost to productivity and morale is enormous.”

To address this, he continues to work with leading organizations across industries developing "Leadership 101" Short Sims for new managers to practice and understand their new role.

“For 2023, we are making a Short Sim suite—which has gathered the best-of-breed content—available either off-the-shelf or tailored to individual industries, entities, or specific initiatives,” says Clark.

As with all Short Sims, they have distilled complex content into their simple essence. They clarify and focus on immediate, practical applications, all in less than 40 minutes.

Connecting business goals and values, this new manager leadership program also supports many broader ethics and inclusiveness initiatives.

Topics include:

Delegating Authority to engage employee passions

Role-Modeling for growing influence

Leading a Hybrid/Remote workforce for greater productivity and work-life balance

Image credit: Clark Aldrich’s Short Sims

The leadership content is foundational for new managers, and provides a baseline upon which organization specific initiatives can be built.

Each of the four Short Sims takes about 8 minutes to play through. They can be used as stand-alone learning or as part of your larger program. And of course they use the revolutionary Short Sim methodology of experiential learning that is easy to tailor to your needs.

Visit Short Sims site to learn more.

Osso VR’s “Learn Faster Perform Better” Training Platform Now Used by 1K Surgeons Monthly

2022-08-23T04:30:00.001-07:00

Image credit: Osso VR

Following its $66M Series C fundraise last March, Osso VR recently announced it has doubled in size over the last year, and expects to double its footprint again by 2023.

Acknowledged as the largest and fastest-growing virtual reality company in healthcare, Osso VR also surpassed an exciting milestone, having recently crossed the 200-employee threshold.

According to Road to VR, “the platform, which was created to provide surgeons with an immersive, repeatable environment to safely practice their craft, is now used by more than 20 teaching hospitals and eight top medical device companies across 11 countries.”

The company's modules cover multiple specialty areas, such as orthopedics, neurovascular surgery, and robotics, amongst others. In an interview last week to MIXED, Osso VR CEO Justin Barad revealed that the “VR training has made available more than 200 surgical training modules. By the end of the year, Osso VR plans to simultaneously develop a hundred more modules. There will also be team training so that surgeons around the world can train together.”

Osso VR’s Approach to Transformative Change

Osso VR targets both healthcare professionals and medical device companies with specific value propositions: “Learn faster. Perform better.” for the former and “Help your customers meet the pace of change” for the latter.

Image credit: Osso VR

As a result, in addition to pure surgical training and assessment, Osso VR is also used by leading global medical device companies. These include Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, and Smith + Nephew. These companies use Osso VR to train surgeons in the use of their products.

According to Barad, Osso VR’s revenue scales with the number of training sessions medical technology companies conduct through the platform.

Ultimately, the startup’s vision is for Osso VR’s training to become a mandatory part of surgeon certification and recertification.

About Osso VR
Osso VR is an award-winning, clinically validated surgical training and assessment platform designed for medical device companies and practicing surgeons of all skill levels. Using cinema quality VR, the scalable platform offers a realistic, hands-on training environment that leads to real world performance gains and ultimately improved patient outcomes. Osso VR is the first training platform to incorporate assessment into its modules, objectively measuring the trainee's knowledge of steps, level of accuracy and overall efficiency throughout the procedure providing a benchmark for proficiency.

Led by UCLA and Harvard trained orthopedic surgeon Justin Barad, MD, the Osso VR team has a deep background in clinical care, medical technology, and VR development. To learn more, visit http://ossovr.com/

Coming Soon: Off-The-Shelf Leadership for New Managers Short Sim Suite

2022-08-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Clark Aldrich’s Short Sims

Short Sims: The Pedagogy for the Next Generation

In the recent article “Education for a Post-Baby Boomer World”, Clark Aldrich invites us to commit to a new mission of education and use "learning to do" media (such as Short Sims) that directly build the competencies and conviction that lead to behaviors in leadership, innovation, and other life and professional skills.

“Where standardized tests and drills are necessary,” Clark adds, “use rigorous assessment Short Sims focused on such topics as leadership, entrepreneurship, stewardship, self-mastery, ethics, and innovation. We know we have assessment right when students don't want to cheat.”

“Baby Boomers gave us online courses that spoke the passive language of teaching, using lectures and workbooks,” states Clark. “Now, Short Sims fill the gaps by speaking the active language of real-world discovery and progress.”

A Short Sim Suite on Leadership for New Managers is coming soon - an off-the-shelf four sim suite of core skills for new managers that is also easily customizable.

You can test drive one sim at Practicing Leadership and/or email lisa.eastwood@clarkaldrichdesigns.com to learn more.

SGS&C Awards Structure Is Now Based On Target Audience

2022-08-01T10:59:00.001-07:00

Image credit: Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For — 2022 SGS&C Game Submissions Open!

We’re excited to announce the 2022 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge is open and ready for business!

As always, the finalists chosen get to showcase their game at the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training event, Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Florida from Nov. 28- Dec 2.

Attendees from all over the world take part in I/ITSEC, which includes a commercial exhibit hall, professional workshops, special events and so much more. The submission period closes September 2, so don’t wait.

SGS&C winners will be announced at I/ITSEC on Thursday, Dec. 1 — perhaps your game will be named a winner!

New for 2022

The awards structure has been updated and is NOW BASED on the target audience for the game submission for government and business, not submission category.

Check out the 2022 Award Categories

All games qualify for one of the two categories below:

• Best General Audience Game Award – These games are built specifically for a general audience, such as corporate training, general education, general health/healthcare and wellness, public interest, etc. Funders and developers of the game can be private or government entities.

• Best Government Audience Game Award – These games are built specifically for national or local government or defense purposes, such as military tactics, equipment, or procedures, law enforcement, cybersecurity, tactical combat care and triage, veterans’ health and affairs, public works, and space.

All games also qualify for:

• Innovation Award – The Innovation Award aims to recognize innovation in serious games; that is, those games that exhibits a unique characteristic or technique. For purposes of the Challenge, innovation is defined as a characteristic or technique that enhances the serious game in a new or different way. The technique can be in terms of hardware integration, instructional design, game design, content topic or a combination thereof. The Innovation Award will be judged by and is awarded at the sole discretion of the Innovation Committee.

• People’s Choice Award – I/ITSEC attendees vote using ballots that are given out at registration. Each attendee votes and drops off their ballot at the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge booth on the tradeshow floor. Ballots are collected until the tradeshow floor closes on Wednesday night (the eve of awards day), after which they are tallied by the SGS&C IPT.

In addition, games may also qualify for:

• Best Student-Developed Game – You don’t have to be an athlete to compete inter-collegiately. Go up against other top colleges and universities, and network with top-paying employers at I/ITSEC. This award is judged by our esteemed panel of international evaluators and comes with a high-value grand prize.

• Best XR (VR/AR/MR) Category – “XR” is the new hip term that all of the cool kids are using to summarize the category of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). This award is judged by our esteemed panel of international evaluators and comes with a high-value grand prize.

• Students’ Choice Award – Games that are geared toward middle and high school students and their curricula and standards have the opportunity to be evaluated by selected school systems from around the United States. See if your game could be best new game as rated by these students.

Questions?

If you have questions about the competition or would like to join our team of game evaluators who help determine each year’s award winners, connect with us by emailing SGSChallenge@gmail.com! And be sure to keep up with the latest on SGS&C news on our social media platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, as well as visiting our website

We look forward to playing your game!

I’m ready! Take me to the Game Submission Page

Serious Play 2022 Announces Post-Conference Skill Workshop Program

2022-04-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Serious Play Conference

Skill Workshops For Serious Play Conference

2022 edition of Serious Play Conference, to be held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando starting on 13th June in both virtual and live formats, has just announced the Post-Conference Skill Workshop Program.

Below is the schedule for Post-Conference Workshops, which will be held on Thursday, June 14th and Friday, June 15th. These workshops must be purchased separately from the main conference. Click here to reserve your slot.

Check Out Line Up Of Speakers For Serious Play 2022!

2022-04-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Serious Play Conference

Speakers and Program Up For Serious Play Conference

2022 edition of Serious Play Conference will be held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando starting on 13th June in both virtual and live formats.

Check out the full program and line up of speakers for Serious Play 2022!

Serious Play Conference offers a full track of sessions on every major market for the use of Serious Games and Simulations in training or education as well as a full track on instructional/game design.

Select from more than 100 Sessions to create a Personalized Schedule: closer to the conference you will be able to create your own personal schedule of sessions you want to attend or access during the conference. Check back around May 1 for link.

Speakers from all parts of the globe will share their experience creating or using games or simulations in the corporation, classroom, healthcare institution, government, military and many other industries, offering tips on how to move game-based education programs ahead.

Just a taste of it:

2022 Games for Change Awards and Speakers Portals Will Close On Feb 6

2022-01-24T05:28:00.001-08:00

Games for Change is excited to present their first hybrid festival this summer, taking place online and returning in-person to New York City! The 19th annual Games for Change Festival will take place July 13 - 16, now with FOUR days of completely unique programming offered between in-person and online engagements. Organizers look forward to the continued participation of thousands from their international community whilst they return to their roots in NYC!

Games for Change just launched their open call for speaker sessions and awards considerations! Attendees are welcome to apply with any sessions or games that explore how we can drive real-world impact through your work in games and immersive media. Please submit a game for G4C Awards or apply to be a speaker. Note that these portals will close on February 6!

The G4C Festival Team is eager to review your submissions. Please send questions or concerns to festival@gamesforchange.org

Looking For Serious Game Developers With Innovative Products For Education

2022-01-10T11:34:00.001-08:00

Serious Play Conference is looking for developers to speak at our 2022 conference June 13-17. We will be both virtual and live.

Our focus is on speakers willing to share their knowledge and experience creating or implementing game-based education and training programs. We offer good exposure of your expertise if you will do a non-commercial talk.

Submissions are open here

Speakers receive free registration. We will also have exhibit tables where you can exhibit your products.

For more information, take a look at our site www.seriousplayconf.com

Zooming In On 2021 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Winners

2021-12-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Image credit: Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

The six categories of SGS&C winners were announced at the Awards Ceremony earlier this month. Congrats to all for the superb quality of 2021 submissions!

This year’s Best Government Serious Game was awarded to CoronaQuest, developed by DNA Studios for the Education, Youth and Culture Department - État de Vaud - Switzerland.

Image credit: CoronaQuest

As an online strategy card game, CoronaQuest is extremely successful in introducing students to protective and hygiene measures that could make return to school less stressful and safer in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CoronaQuest’s uniqueness resides in its central idea of fighting the Corona Virus using "heroes" who represent the people that can actually help the students (parents, teachers, nurses, etc.); using defensive cards to block the virus and offensive cards to strengthening the heroes.

Finding the "perfect counterattack" for each offensive card played by the virus, results in engaging & fun gameplay that helps kids to acquire new habits.

This year’s Best Business Serious Game goes to Basic Vectoring powered by StrataGem, developed by Rigil

Image credit: Basic Vectoring

Basic Vectoring teaches the basics of vectoring including fundamental concepts such as turn radius, aircraft performance, and wind effects.

Aimed at learners in early stages of air traffic controller school or anyone with an interest in air traffic control, the game starts with basic aircraft vectoring concepts and gradually builds in stages to teach more complex skillsets. Players learn the effects of different variables on aircraft and, once they master their compass rose directions, can start learning proper phrasing and ways to give vectoring commands. They also experience how wind impacts an aircraft’s flight path.

The 2021 winner for the Best Student Developed Serious Game is Vector Unknown: Echelon Seas by Christopher Olson, Arizona State University

Image credit: Vector Unknown - Echelon Seas

In Vector Unknown: Echelon Seas, players are stranded on an island and need to complete different types of linear algebra puzzles to recover the pieces to their ship. The overall goal is to rebuild their ship by mastering various aspects of linear algebra.

The game has the extraordinary merit of combining learning and game, without losing the goodness of games, achieved via seamless integration – a perfect blend of game elements and instructional elements to create a Serious Game that is fundamentally fun.

The winner of the much anticipated People’s Choice Best Serious Game is a tie: Legends of Europe by Regional Council of Brittany France and developer Succubus Interactive and TC3Sim 2020 by Engineering & Computer Simulations

Legends of Europe is an online treasure hunt that plunges the player into an imaginary world inspired by medieval fantasy, with scenery integrated in panoramic Google Street views and then customized. It offers a fantastic tale that captivates and seduces a young public thanks to the legends from the rich lore of European countries.

Image credit: Legends of Europe

TC3Sim 2020 is a “first-person thinker” game to train Combat Medics and Combat Lifesavers on battlefield medical treatments and triage skills.

Providing a powerful, highly engaging playful context, the game leverages on realistic visuals and skill-driven scenarios to teach and reinforce the concepts of Tactical Combat Casualty Care, each scenario as a goal-oriented training exercise, making it readily playable to even a user who is new to concepts of combat medicine.

Image credit: TC3Sim 2020

The 2021 Best XR Serious Game is Street Smarts VR by Street Smarts VR

Street Smarts VR is a decision-making game utilizing VR to simulate challenging situations faced by first responders while in the line of duty. The game provides a safe and realistic training area where players can get exposure to (and successfully solve) these challenges several times before actually dealing with it for the first time on the street.

Image credit: Street Smarts VR

And finally, the winner of the 2021 Serious Game Innovation award is CodAR by Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.

CodAR is an Augmented Reality serious game to develop computer programming skills. By playing CodAR, players are introduced to the basic concepts of computer programming such as sequence, functions, and iterative codes (loops).

Image credit: CodAR

The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) is the premier venue for recognition of excellence in the field of Serious Games development. Since 2006, SGS&C has helped foster creativity and innovation in Serious Games as part of NTSA’s I/ITSEC conference held each year in Orlando, Florida. An esteemed panel of evaluators from around the globe review the finalists and select all the winners, except for the People’s Choice award, which is voted on by I/ITSEC attendees.

Thank You For Being A Part Of Our Serious Games Community In 2021

2021-12-16T12:20:00.001-08:00

I’d like to wish all my friends and colleagues around the world the very best for this festive season!

A Joyful Holiday and a Playful New Year!!!!!!!!

Game-Based Learning Competition: Commercial, Student Entries Due Feb.15

2021-11-16T08:22:00.006-08:00

The entry deadline for the 2022 International Serious Play Awards is Tuesday, February 15, 2022.

Increase awareness for your Serious Game, game-based learning program or educational simulation with an award from Serious Play. We honor and promote outstanding commercial and student products, either digital or tabletop, created for use in education or training. Choose from four separate award classifications:

• Digital Entries from Industry Professionals

• Digital Entries created by Students

• Tabletop/Board Learning Game Entries: Professional

• Tabletop/Board Learning Game Entries: Student

Categories include K-12 Education; Higher Education; Healthcare/Medical; Museum/Visitor Centers; Corporate/Vocational; Military/Government; Pre-School Education; and Non-Profit. Entries are judged on how well they are executed, against the following game elements:

• Orientation

• Engagement

• Interactivity/Feedback

• Learning Objectives

• Assessment

• Aesthetics

• Gameplay

The entry process is in two steps: Entrant information followed by Submission information. Please review the full form before submitting.

The entry information you provide is given to the judges and is the basis on which they evaluate your entry.

Entry Deadline: February 15, 2022.

For further information and entry forms, please click here

2021 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Finalists Announced

2021-10-23T14:07:00.005-07:00

Image credit: Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) has just announced the finalists in the various award categories for 2021.

This year, as with every year, we had many high-quality games submitted to the Challenge. The entries came from a broad spectrum of industry, academia and government and included numerous international entries. We also had many submittals from organizations that are new to the Challenge. This year's finalists represent the best of the best, and I think each year gets better and better.

An esteemed panel of evaluators from around the globe are now reviewing the finalists and will determine the winners. For the 2021 challenge we will award games in the following categories: Best Government Developed, Best Student Developed, Best Business Developed, People’s Choice, Innovation Award, and Best XR game.

Here are this year's Serious Games finalists:

Government

CoronaQuest

Explore: Tower Defense

Joint Inspection (JI) Simulator

Legends of Europe

NIH Clinical Center Treasure Tour

Student

CodAR

Lunar Exploration: Past – A VR Experience of the Apollo Lunar Roving Adventure

Vector Unknown: Echelon Seas

Industry

Basic Vectoring powered by StrataGem

Crowd Disaster

OtherWordly

Street Smarts VR

Tactical Combat Casualty Care Simulation (TC3Sim) 2020

The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) is the premier venue for recognition of excellence in the field of Serious Games development. Since 2006, SGS&C has helped foster creativity and innovation in Serious Games as part of NTSA’s I/ITSEC Conference held in each year in Orlando, Florida. This year’s conference is November 29-December 2 and 2021 SGS&C winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on December 2.

Submissions Open For The 2021 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

2021-07-15T15:09:00.002-07:00

Image credit: Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

Does your serious game have what it takes to be a Serious Games Showcase & Challenge finalist?

Following my previous post SGS&C to Resume Challenge in 2021, the 2021 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge is now open for submissions.

This year's awards include:

• Best Government-Developed Game

• Best Student-Developed Game

• Best Business-Developed Game

• Best XR Game

• People’s Choice Game

Need to know more? Check-out these links:

• How to Enter

• SGS&C Official Rules

• Submission Form

• FAQs

Mark your calendar with these important dates!

• Submissions Open – July 15, 2021

• Submissions Close – Sept. 10, 2021

• Finalists Announced – Oct. 18, 2021

• I/ITSEC – Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, 2021

• Awards Ceremony – Dec. 2, 2021

Need additional help? Contact sgschallenge@gmail.com

Kahoot!’s 7 Acquisitions Fuel Game-Based Learning Market Consolidation

2021-05-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Kahoot!

Kahoot!, the publicly traded, game-based learning company announced last week the acquisition of Clever Inc., a privately held, San Francisco-based company that is one of the most widely used digital learning platforms by U.S. K-12 schools. The partnership between two of the most popular platforms in education, with distinct and complementary offerings, is expected to accelerate Kahoot!’s global consolidation and expansion.

Kahoot! will acquire 100pc of Clever for an enterprise value (EV) between $435m and $500m, dependent on targets. The acquisition – Kahoot!’s seventh in two years - will unite two major players in education technology. Founded in 2012, Clever claims to have served half of all U.S. students in 2020, with a footprint in 89,000 schools, representing 65 percent of the nation’s 13,000 school districts.

The deal provides a significant pathway for Kahoot! to bolster its presence in the US market.

In the last 12 months, 279 million games have been played on the Kahoot! platform with 1.6 billion participating players in more than 200 countries. The Kahoot! family also includes award-winning DragonBox math learning apps, the Poio learn to read app, the Drops language learning apps, the Actimo and Motimate employee engagement and corporate platforms and Whiteboard.fi, the online whiteboard tool for all educators, teachers and classrooms.

Kahoot!'s vision is to build the leading learning platform in the world.

“In the same way as we are improving our offerings with Kahoot! at Work towards enterprises with Kahoot! Spirit and our acquisitions of Actimo and Motimate, the acquisition of Clever will strengthen our offerings towards schools, districts and families in Kahoot! at School and Kahoot! at Home," said Eilert Hanoa, CEO at Kahoot!. He said more acquisitions or joint ventures could help accelerate Kahoot!’s growth even further.

Last October, Kahoot! sold a near 10pc stake in the company to Japanese tech and investment giant SoftBank for $215m. The Norwegian edtech, which also counts Microsoft and Disney as large shareholders, is currently valued at $6bn with the vast majority of its $45m in invoiced revenue last year coming from North America and Europe.

Kahoot! is hoping to double its revenues this year and then again to $200m by 2023, as it adds more services to its platform.

From Crunchbase

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that makes it easy to create, share, and play fun learning games or trivia quizzes in minutes. The platform offers learning games in minutes for any subject, in any language, on any device, and for all ages. Based on the mission of making learning awesome, Kahoot!’s game-based platform engages the heart, hand, and mind, creating a wildly more social, meaningful, and powerful pedagogical experience. Kahoot!’s platform and easy-to-use features attract educators and students as well as corporate powerhouses, sporting, and cultural events.

In 2012, co-founders Alf Inge Wang, Asmund Furuseth, Jamie Brooker, Johan Brand, and Morten Versvik established the company in Oslo, Norway.

EarlyBird Raises Funding For Game-Based Pre-Literacy Assessment App

2021-05-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Image credit: EarlyBird Education

The game that can spot preschoolers at risk for reading deficits

EarlyBird Education is a startup company that has developed a game-based app aimed at detecting early literacy challenges, such as dyslexia in children as young as four years old and pointing educators to the right interventions, thus shifting a deficit model to a preventive support model.

The company created a 20-minute tablet-based game to assess children’s literacy levels as they play. Additionally, the tablet provides screening process, dashboard and analytics, customized resources, and evidence-based tools to help translate information to teachers, parents, and pediatricians so that they can implement a customized course of action.

In a Business Wire press release, the company announced last week it raised $1.5 million in seed funding. Amplify Capital, Flare Capital Partners, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solve Innovation Future are all investors in this round. The current round of funding follows a successful round that raised $1.0 million to support the development of the screening assessment platform at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a two-year validation study. This included philanthropic funding from the Heckscher Foundation for Children, Oak Foundation, Poses Family Foundation, Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, and Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

Developed and scientifically validated at Boston Children’s Hospital in partnership with faculty at the Florida Center for Reading Research, EarlyBird helps educators identify and support children at risk for dyslexia and other reading difficulties — even before they learn to read. It does this through a cloud-based technology platform that incorporates a comprehensive screening assessment, customized action plans, and evidence-based intervention resources for teachers.

Image credit: Boston Children’s Hospital

Children can administer the assessment themselves, and teachers get resources on how to respond if students are missing key literacy milestones. A child using the app will be guided through different assessments by their friendly toucan friend, Pip. The assessments are designed to test literacy milestones which are shown to be predictive of future reading success.

“Despite an intense focus on reading for decades in U.S. schools, identification and intervention for struggling readers often comes too late, resulting in negative academic, social-emotional, and societal impacts,” said Carla Small, co-founder and CEO of EarlyBird Education. “Our funding partners come from the worlds of education, health, and technology, and are keenly interested in transforming the way educators, parents, and physicians identify and support children at risk for reading difficulties.”

The EarlyBird Solution Story - Moving From A Deficit Model To A Preventive Support Model

When Massachusetts passed a law in 2018 requiring school districts to screen for dyslexia, Dr. Nadine Gaab, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School, was glad the state was taking a proactive approach to prevent early reading difficulties.

But in the professional development sessions she provides for teachers in the area they told her they weren’t trained to screen and if a screening showed that a kindergartner did have signs of the learning disorder, they didn’t always know what to do next.

That’s why she wanted to provide educators with a screening tool children can administer themselves, and one that provides strategies to help children when they miss key early literacy milestones in areas such as vocabulary, oral listening comprehension and phonological awareness.

The Boston Children’s Hospital Early Literacy Screener was born as a 15 to 20-minute game that tests children’s early literacy skills and generates a red flag for those in need of extra support. Piloted in 42 schools in nine states and enrolling about 800 kindergarteners or entering kindergarteners, the game was also selected as one of eight winners by the 2019 MIT Solve for Early Childhood Development Program, a competition for tech entrepreneurs held by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Image credit: The Boston Children’s Hospital Early Literacy Screener App

The game is administered on a touchscreen tablet. Kids as young as 4-years-old do tasks geared at assessing their literacy skills with the help of on-screen cartoon animals. Those include touching the picture that matches the word that is said out loud, identifying rhyming words, and finding the picture that matches a spoken sentence. After a student finishes the game, the program creates a risk profile for that student and provides resources for next steps on an online platform.

The funding will be used to support the commercial launch of EarlyBird in fall 2021, and continued product enhancement.

Serious Game To Experience Leading A Country In Political Turmoil Wins German Award

2021-05-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Suzerain by Torpor Games

Founded in 2017, Torpor Games is an indie video game company based in Berlin that focuses on creating thought-provoking entertainment.

The company’s first title, Suzerain, has recently won the Best Expert Game at the German Game Awards 2021. It is a Serious Game that allows players to experience leading a country in political turmoil. The publisher, Fellow Traveller, is an indie games label exploring the possibility space of narrative games. They seek out and partner with pioneering game developers working on unusual games with narrative at their core.

Suzerain is a text-based RPG where you play as President Anton Rayne, managing the country of Sordland in your first term. Sordland has been under the leadership of Colonel Soll for the past 20 years, after he ended a bloody civil war. A military dictator, he eventually lost the support of his party, and decided to resign, albeit maintaining a controversial position as a Member of Honor. In his absence, you win the 1953 elections and are expected to shape the nation of Sordland as you see fit and carve out your legacy.

With over 400,000 words, Suzerain is as much like playing a game as reading a novel and choosing the next move. There isn’t a right answer or an explicit winning scenario. It is about strategic decision-making and choices. Decisions generally are distinct from the choices presented by reforms and bills.

Image credit: Suzerain by Torpor Games

Most of the decisions you take will appear written in the journal, detailing the path you chose.

By choosing conversations and life paths, players use their skills of persuasion and political values to reform a fictional country. You must find your own way through the complicated political landscape of your presidency and lead Sordland into ruin or repair during your first term.

Game Context and Gameplay

In 1954, the country of Sordland is emerging from the 20-year dictatorship of Colonel Soll, following a bloody civil war. Now Soll is gone but his political party is still in control of Sordland — until a charismatic young man, Anton Rayne, surprises everyone by rising to the top of the party and getting elected as the new President of Sordland.

In the game, you roleplay Anton Rayne, a man who by whatever shape or form you give him becomes President of Sordland. The introduction is simple, as is most of the game, but detailed. You have the opportunity to work through several aspects of Mr. Rayne’s childhood, adolescence and into his adulthood and career, molding not only him but some of his policies and leanings. It’s a great way to do it, and it also sets up your expectations for how the game will work, and what kind of President you are creating.

Image credit: Suzerain by Torpor Games

Suzerain takes place in the fictional country of Sordland on the continent of Merkopa.

After decades under a traditionalist power, people are hungry for democratic reforms. The economy is in shambles and the political landscape is shifting. Neighboring superpowers are watching closely, and there are military threats on the horizon.

As President Anton Rayne, the game challenges you to pull the country out of recession and meet the demands of people for reform, working closely with the Cabinet members to forge strong government policies and practices while keeping Sordland out of war. You will tackle difficult choices on immigration, healthcare, law enforcement, and more. Even outside the office, your beliefs will be challenged among your friends and your family.

It is through interactions with the enormous cast of characters in Suzerain that you govern and create policy. You have your inner circle of political advisors, a fractious cabinet of ministers who have quite different political visions and personal goals, a broader landscape of important politicians and leaders, and an international community full of fellow heads of state. Most decisions you make will occur after hearing your ministers and advisors argue their sides of an issue, and then you have to make a call.

Image credit: Suzerain by Torpor Games

Interact with a wide array of characters with different personalities and ideologies.

Suzerain gameplay is somewhat similar to a choose-your-own adventure book, so you are going to read as things happen or as people talk and then make dialogue choices to advance forward.

Image credit: Suzerain by Torpor Games

Follow the situation in Sordland through reports and news.

More than just a political drama, Suzerain lets you craft an individual narrative for the president of Sordland. According to Taming Gaming:

“The dense text of this game is best suited for mature players who don’t mind reading long letters, manifestos, and wordy conversations. The expanse of information at your fingertips is key for the complex world-building and makes for a believable political experience. This offers an educational opportunity for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of foreign policy, relationship building and the dynamics of a cabinet or senate.”

The title is available for both Mac and Windows platforms.

How Serious Games Are Changing Air Medical Education

2021-05-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Air Medical Services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and critical care to all types of patients during aeromedical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopter and propeller aircraft or jet aircraft.

AirMed&Rescue Magazine, Issue 116, May Edition, is out now with a must-read article titled Using The Sixth Sense To Escape The Monotony, covering how Serious Games are changing medical education.

The authors are William Belk, whose professional interests include high-risk obstetrics, serious gaming, 3D printing, and all aspects of healthcare simulation. He serves as the Technical Chair for the AMTC (Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium) Sim Cup alongside an international team of flight clinicians and educators; and Jennifer Noce, a Critical Care Flight Paramedic and the Division Education Manager for Air Methods Corporation, an American privately owned helicopter operator whose air medical division provides emergency medical services to 70,000-100,000 patients every year.

The Air Methods Approach

According to the authors, Air Methods Corporation (AMC) has wholly redesigned its clinical education approach to embrace emerging technology and educational concepts, focusing on problem-solving and communication while caring for simulated patients using a combination of high-fidelity human patient simulators and serious gaming activities.

“In 2020, Air Methods began working with California-based virtual reality developer SimX to create the first large-scale air medical virtual reality (VR) training program. Air Methods and SimX are developing a library of advanced clinical scenarios capable of having multiple players working together to treat patients in the virtual environment.”

Image credit: AirMed&Rescue Magazine

VR allows educators to address clinical trends anywhere in the country without the need for travel. This is accomplished simply by allowing an educator to virtually join a flight crew and run them through high-acuity cases without leaving their home or office.

“Another new development is the popularity of recreational escape rooms throughout the US. These facilities use a series of clues to solve a mystery or escape a dire threat, usually while racing against the clock. In recent years, escape rooms have been adapted for use in clinical training, and Air Methods has brought this fun and entertaining teaching style into the air medical industry. A team of educators at Air Methods have developed an escape room that mixes clinical knowledge, pop-culture references, and good old-fashioned sleuthing into an interactive learning experience designed to better prepare clinicians to care for critical pediatric patients. Each step of patient care, such as accessing medications or locating lab values, requires the team to solve the previous clues. Three groups are pitted against each other each day to see who can figure out the patient’s condition and provide the most appropriate care in the shortest amount of time.”

SGS&C to Resume Challenge in 2021

2021-04-21T10:32:00.004-07:00

Image credit: Serious Games Showcase & Challenge

We Look Forward to Welcoming Our Finalists at I/ITSEC

2020 was a quite different year – for everyone. For the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge (SGS&C), the year was marked by a pause of our traditional Serious Games competition and exhibition. Luckily, vIITSEC presented an unanticipated opportunity to reflect on the past 15 years in Serious Games, through an on-demand, video-based commemoration.

For 2021, we are happy to announce that the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge is back! We are looking forward to our best event yet under the leadership of Meagan French of BetterLesson and LCDR Devin Corrigan of USN Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD)!

Since 2006, the SGS&C has helped foster creativity and innovation in Serious Games as part of NTSA’s I/ITSEC, and it is with great anticipation and excitement that we announce the return of our challenge in 2021! We can’t wait to see your creative and inventive minds at work once again and look forward to playing this year’s submitted games.

Some Rules Changes For the 2021 SGS&C

Each year, following the awards ceremony at I/ITSEC, the SGS&C committee gets together to discuss the successes of the past year and areas of growth for the coming year.

Based on feedback from last year's committee, evaluators, sponsors, and the game developers, we've made a few changes to the rules. Be sure to visit our website where we've highlighted the changes and to read what you can expect with regard to submission procedures, video demonstrations, and I/ITSEC attendance.

Meet the 2021 IPT Lead: Meagan French with BetterLesson

Meagan joined the IPT in 2019 after attending the Serious Games and Showcase Challenge in 2018 to showcase Martha Madison, developed by Second Avenue Learning, which won the 2018 Students' Choice Award. After meeting the IPT committee and learning about its members’ collective passion for serious games, she jumped at the opportunity to join the team. Meagan is passionate about the education market and how Serious Games can impact learners of all backgrounds and all ages. She is the Associate Director of Partnerships for BetterLesson, a provider of professional development solutions for K-12 school districts. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Villanova University.

New & Upcoming “Make Your Training More Playful” Online Event

2021-04-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Image credit: World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD)

Make Your Training More Playful: Understanding Gamification

Online Workshop Part 1 of GAMIFICATION SERIES

Date: Saturday 22nd May 2021 (17:00 – 20:00 BST or 12:00 – 15:00 EDT)

Dr. Michael Sutton, Chief Gamification Officer, FUNIFICATION, USA, co-author with Kevin Allen of Emotify! The Power of the Human Element in Game-Based Learning, Serious Games and Experiential Education, a pragmatic book on the dynamics of successful Game-Based Learning experiences, and Joe Bisz, Professor of English, City University of New York, USA, co-author with Dr. Victoria Mondelli of the forthcoming book: The Allure of Play, an educator’s guide to Game-Based Learning, are offering a half-day GBL workshop through the World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD): Make Your Training More Playful: Understanding Gamification

This will be the first of two online events on the topic, starting with an introduction-level workshop of half a day (3+ hours). If you find it valuable and wish to learn more, you can register for the longer intermediate workshop, a more in-depth event outlining elements of architecture and examples of using GBL and gamification in the classroom and workplace. The longer intermediate workshop requires attending this introduction-level event as a pre-requisite.

At the Make Your Training More Playful Online Workshop you will learn:

Ideas for building your own fun and thought-provoking activities.
How to incorporate reflective exercises to better assess employee and student learning.
A model for how to evaluate existing games for possible adoption by your organization.
How the qualities of games can improve your learners’ participation, commitment, engagement, and loyalty.

Profile of target participants includes Chief Learning Officers (CLOs); Business managers, project managers, and team leads; Training and development professionals; Senior instructional designers; Human resources directors and trainers; Deans and faculty in higher education; and administrators, trainers, instructors, and staff associated with professional development.

Date: Saturday 22nd May 2021 (17:00 – 20:00 British Summer Time or 12:00 – 15:00 Eastern Daylight Time)

For information on speakers and program outline, please visit http://www.wasd.org.uk/capacity-building/workshops/gamification-1/

Go here to buy your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/make-your-training-more-playful-understanding-gamification-tickets-151044719823

Recap On My 2018 Post: ‘Does the Future Need Schools?’

2021-02-17T07:21:00.004-08:00

Image credit: Future Learning Spaces by Kadima Mada - Educating for Life

In March 2018, John Moravec at Education Futures conducted a survey asking Does the Future Need Schools? John reached out to a select, diverse group of contacts from around the world to help bring some insight to the subject, aiming to generate an ecology of ideas for future research.

“As the future of work seems to become increasingly uncertain, schools charged with creating future-ready workers have changed very little over the past few centuries,” said Moravec. “A school from 2018 looks and functions little different than a school in 1918 would have operated. As we look 10, 20, or 50 years into the future, will ‘school’ be relevant?”

Revisiting My Personal Stand

Back in March 2018, I believed school settings would experience disruptive changes, similar to the radical changes observed over the last three decades in creative companies’ workspaces.

Image credit: Google Workspaces

Google has seen fit in a number of their high-profile offices to include these types of workspaces. With mobile workers increasing and many using spaces outside the office to get work done, Google has seen fit to create spaces that mimic traditional third spaces within the confines of their office.

As an example, I referred to the SpaceTime concept developed by Chadwick- Space Strategy, Architecture + Design, who implemented the SpaceNet® configuration for Andersen Consulting Western Europe, hereinafter Accenture Western Europe, as the company changed its name.

In 1982, architect and space planning consultant Andrew Chadwick won a competition to design the ‘Office of the Future’ – the future being the year 2000. His winning proposal was the ‘Office in a Briefcase’ which opened up to reveal a screen and keyboard. You would be able to work from anywhere and the idea of the office would be transformed.

Chadwick’s solution predicted the advent of the laptop and led to a series of seminal projects in which time and space enabled by technology became as one – the ‘space–time office’, a radical idea for the future working environment.

‘The space you need for the time you need it’ was the mantra – a notion Chadwick explored in his work for Accenture offices in Western Europe and Boston Innovation Hubs.

Similarly, in the future students shall only attend a school building part time, which is the essence of the space-time concept – the space they need for the time they need it.

As stated by Clark Aldrich in his book Unschooling Rules, "Today what a person learns in a classroom is how to be a person in a classroom."

Our current education system has its roots in the industrial age society. Today, however, students are much more social and enjoy learning in a less structured way, anytime, anywhere. Learning is no longer limited to the confines of a traditional classroom (as proved during Covid-19 pandemic).

In the article What will schools of the future look like?, Dave Townsend, a former law and business teacher, predicted a school where students aren’t always on site. He thinks that students could acquire better results by only attending a school building part time:

“Build schools half the size that they are now, for the same number of pupils but half the size,” he suggested. “Build it to a high standard – think something like a Google Campus. Have students come into the school three days a week and then the other two they can work from home. They’ll be able to access a teacher when they need one, but you won’t need such a big building because you’ll be dealing with fewer students on site at one time.”

Giving Students More Agency Over Their Education

The new learning space environment shall offer a variety of settings, as catalysts for changing classrooms into research & experimentation workshops, moving away from the post-industrial revolution settings, conceived for mass production.

This change in structure will emphasize the concept that the school student is at the core of the learning experience, rather than the teacher. Educators will then focus on what matters most: creating opportunities and environments in which students learn and thrive, establishing the foundation of a learner-centric education or student-led learning.

Image credit: Future Learning Spaces concept by Kadima Mada – Educating for Life

Changing Classrooms Into Collaborative Research & Experimentation Workshop Environments - @school or @home

VR and AR could eventually recreate these Research & Experimentation workshop environments, providing students with a full circle learning experience, while enabling them to approach a topic from every angle, and giving students more agency over their education.

Image credit: Stambol – A Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Canadian Studio. Its Educational VR products are ready to use at home and often come in the form of either games or interactive experiences

Image credit: VISIONxR™ - an immersive platform allowing multiple users, in multiple locations, on multiple devices (VR, AR, desktop and mobile) to collaborate, communicate and learn together.