This presentation was given at Great Ormond Street Hospital's Learning Innovation Day 2013. It briefly covers the nature of games for education, including serious games and showcases a number of games created for use in healthcare settings in the UK
9. Multiple meta-studies (De Freitas et al; Sitzmann; Egenfeldt-Nielson for example) all
suggest games can be more effective than more ‘traditional’ teaching methods, in the
right circumstances.
“Advocates of game-based learning suggest that games create deeper learning
experiences that more thoroughly engage participants in the attainment of learning
objectives” (Betts et al, 2013).
New studies (Glass et al, 2013) also cite neuroplasticity improvements; other known
benefits include improved core processing speed, faster logical comprehension, better
contrast sensitivity and more…
See: Glass et al (2013). Real-Time Strategy Game Training: Emergence of a Cognitive Flexibility Trait.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0070350
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11. Designing Games
The four pillars of games design, adapted
from Jesse Schell; The Art of Game Design.
See: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-ArtGame-Design-lenses/dp/0123694965
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13. What types of games exist for learning?
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Drill & Practice
Serious Games
Simulations
COTS
ARGs
Gamification…
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14. Drill & Practice
• Ask players to perform a basic
task in repetitions often with
the aim of reaching rote
retention.
• Used when information is
explicit and well defined, for
example maths and spelling.
• Tend to embody a single
mechanic; don’t often include
much in the way of story
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15. Serious Games
• Games played with a specific,
real-world goal.
• Embody multiple mechanics, a
well-defined space and a
compelling story.
• Can be realistic – situated
learning
• Can be more creative –
deliberately NOT reality.
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16. Simulations
“If they don’t get one, I don’t get one”
- Ken Mattingly, Apollo 13.
• High fidelity with the rules and
conditions of the ‘real-world’.
• Not necessary to have a ‘win-state’.
• Games create artificial barriers for
players to overcome; simulations
replicate realistic constraints.
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17. COTS and ARGs…
• Commercial Off-The-Shelf games
(COTS) can be used in learning
contexts; especially those
concerned primarily with
strategy and decision making.
• Alternate Reality Games (ARGs)
use the Internet as a platform to
create a fictional narrative that
players can interact.
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18. Gamification
• Applying game-like feedback to
non-game situations.
• Often manifests itself as points,
levels and badges, based on
users performing certain
actions.
• Typically used to promote
short-term engagement
• Also consider ‘gamefulness’.
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19. Some examples from Healthcare…
These are all being demonstrated outside if you want to get ‘hands on’ later…
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20. Defining Moments
Serious Game
• High-stakes ‘epic’ story
• ‘Meta’ game – it’s not
really about being good in
a disaster
• Wrapped in extensive
debrief and reflective
activity.
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21. COLP
University-level gamified course
• Short-term progress
checks for a long-term
process
• Quantifiable level of
understanding – part of
the grading mechanism
• Gamification nudges
social activity
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22. ECMO
Technical simulation with gamification
• Technically accurate
• Gamification gives
feedback on quality of
decisions and generates
leaderboard
• Aim to promote re-use;
time-on-task.
• Cuts initial cost of training
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23. Mission to Mars
Serious Game
• Understand negotiation
• Reflect on the emotions
felt in a high-pressure
negotiation scenario
• Promote team-work in
real-world networks
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24. What about value?
• Value is a function of cost and
impact, it doesn’t mean
‘cheap’ or ‘expensive’.
• Some games aren’t good
value.
• But games perhaps have
more potential to be
extremely good value than
other options…
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