What are serious games?

As many people often lack the motivation to learn something, learning through play can help. For this reason, serious games have a multi-purpose and use entertainment elements. Carefully selected game mechanics must be used to keep the player hooked on the game.

Serious games can be used in a wide variety of areas. These include educational institutions, in the form of learning games (also known as “educational games”), as well as training and further education for companies. Other areas include healthcare, the military and fitness sector, as well as the advertising industry, art and religion. Certain topics in the political and social sphere can attract attention and encourage players to engage with them more intensively. An example of this would be the topic of “climate change”.

Learning must be fun, which is why the entertainment factor plays the most important role. With the right use of the game flow, motivational cycle and three-phase cycle, the player can be motivated. This allows knowledge to be absorbed more easily and effectively.

Serious games require a balanced “game flow”. The game flow consists of 50% entertainment and 50% knowledge transfer. The “flow” should neither under- nor overtax the player, otherwise the fun of the game may be lost. The game must therefore consist of difficult and easy levels in order to generate this balance.

The motivation cycle consists of three phases: Action, Reward and Motivation. The player must be motivated by rewards, for example in the form of achievements. A points system in a ranking list can also help to motivate players in the long term. More on this topic can be found in the article “Serious games: learning is a game”.

The three-phase cycle consists of user behavior, feedback and user judgment. The repetition of the three-phase cycle should enable the player to consolidate the knowledge learned. By constantly receiving direct and individual feedback, the player can change their behavior and adapt their actions. In this way, learning success can be achieved more quickly and easily. Further information can be found in the following document: “Serious games for information and knowledge transfer”.

Serious games are games with a multi-purpose, in which the focus is on entertainment. They serve to impart knowledge in an entertaining way and can be used in a wide variety of areas. In order to use serious games effectively, the correct use of game flow, game mechanics, motivation cycle and three-phase cycle play an important role.