How does framing theory and the method of frame-reflective discourse analysis provide foundations for the emerging discipline of serious games research? A definitional or taxonomic approach to serious games (SG) is problematic and unfruitful. Using Goffman’s frame analysis as an alternative, I construct four frames, with sample illustrations, demonstrating the different ways in which the utility of games for society, business and politics is considered. These are serious games as: 1) tool (therapy, drug), 2) innovation (economic utility), 3) persuasion (idea, belief) and 4) self-organization (complexity). The frames are based upon different values and perceive different impacts of games in society, business and politics. The slides summarize the publications: 1) Mayer, I. S., Warmelink, H. J. G., & Zhou, Q. (2014). The Utility of Games for Society, Business and Politics: A Frame Reflective Analysis. In Nick Rushby & D. Surry (Eds.), Wiley Handbook of Learning Technology (in press). Wiley. 2) Mayer, I. S., Warmelink, H. J. G., & Zhou, Q. (2015). A Frame-Reflective Discourse Analysis of Serious Games. British Journal of Educational Technology.

1. Framing Serious Gaming
© P RO F. D R . I G O R M AY E R
I . S . M AY E R @ H OT M A I L . C O M
S I G NAT U R E G A M E S
W W W. S I G N AT U R E G A M E S . E U
AC A D E M Y F O R D I G I TA L E N T E RTA I N M E N T,
N H T V, A P P L I E D U N I V E R S I T Y

3. www.signaturegames.eu
Find me / us:
1. Linkedin
2. Slideshare
3. Youtube

4. Towards a science of SG
Frames and
discourse
analysis
Principles of
play
Methodology
for SG
research
Study designs
and data-
gathering
Research
instruments
and tools
Professional
ethics

5. Read the
presentation
Go to…
Research Gate
www.researchgate.net/
profile/Igor_Mayer?ev
=hdr_xprf
Academia.edu
Mendeley
Mayer, I. S., Warmelink, H. J. G., & Zhou, Q. (2014). The Utility of
Games for Society, Business and Politics: A Frame Reflective Analysis.
In Nick Rushby & D. Surry (Eds.), Wiley Handbook of Learning
Technology (in press). Wiley.
Mayer, I. S., Warmelink, H. J. G., & Zhou, Q. (2015). A Frame-
Reflective Discourse Analysis of Serious Games. British Journal of
Educational Technology. (in press)
Zhou, Q. (2014). The Princess in the Castle: Challenging Serious Game
Play for Integrated Policy Analysis and Planning. PhD thesis. TU Delft.
Mayer, I. S., Bekebrede, G., Harteveld, C., Warmelink, H. J. G., Zhou,
Q., van Ruijven, T., … Wenzler, I. (2014). The Research and
Evaluation of Serious Games: Toward a Comprehensive Methodology.
British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(3), 502–527.
doi:10.1111/bjet.12067
Mayer, I. S., Bekebrede, G., Warmelink, H. J. G., & Zhou, Q. (2014). A
Brief Methodology for Researching and Evaluating Serious Games and
Game-Based Learning. In T. M. Connolly, L. Boyle, T. Hainey, G.
Baxter, & P. Moreno-Ger (Eds.), Psychology, Pedagogy and
Assessment in Serious Games (pp. 357–393). IGI Global.
doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-4773-2.ch017

7. Innovation model: Where are SGs?
Ref: Gartner Hype Cycle / Through of disillusionment

8. Essentialist definitions
 “How should we explain to someone what a game is? I imagine that we should
describe games to him, and we might add: ‘This and similar things are called
‘games’. And do we know any more about it ourselves? Is it only other people
whom we cannot tell exactly what a game is? But this is not ignorance. We do not
know the boundaries because none have been drawn. To repeat, we can draw a
boundary for a special purpose. Does it take that to make the concept usable? Not
at all! (Except for that special purpose)” (Wittgenstein, 1953).
 “Voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles” J.B. Suits The
Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia 1978

9. Functionalist definitions
 Games for non-entertainment purposes…(Sawyer, 2002)
 Serious game is a mental contest, played with a computer in
accordance with specific rules, that uses entertainment to
further government or corporate training, education,
health, public policy and strategic communication objectives.
(Zyda 2005)
 Games for health, training, military, learning…

10. The politics behind functional definitions
 Despite the possibility of rescuing serious games under the
definition I have just offered, I do not want to preserve that name.
Instead, I would like to advance persuasive games as an
alternative whose promise lies in the possibility of using
procedural rhetoric to support or challenge our understanding of
the way things in the world do or should work. (Bogost, 2007: 59)
 ‘Gamification is bullshit’ (Bogost, 2011)

11. Taxonomies? They…
…never seem to work
…are political
…reify
…block innovation
© Ben Sawyer

12. Frame analysis (Erving Goffman 1974 Frame
analysis: An essay on the organization of
experience )

14. Serious games
can only be
viewed through
multiple frames
at the same time

15. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological

16. Gaming = Intervention, Therapy
ADHD – Healseeker - © Flanders Care
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnkhfgowEPI

17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CexMBkKwWUY
Gaming = Cost-effective learning
Training dike inspection, Levee Patroller / Deltares, The Netherlands

18. Gaming = Safe training
virtual training first responders (XVR © Esemble, the Netherlands)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl8cN4qvnKQ

19. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological

20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zmeR-u-DioE
Gaming = Product and process innovation (€)
Augmented Reality in industry (© Ford Valencia, Spain)

21. Gaming = Innovation in surgery (€) !?
Headmounted video display for surgery (© Sony)

22. Gaming = Innovation in spatial planning
Next Generation Urban Planning © Tygron, the Netherlands
http://vimeo.com/54296051

23. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological

24. Gaming = Societal criticism
politics of nutrition, Fatworld (© persuasive games)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u64QCQe2sx0

25. Gaming = Ridiculizing serious matters
Wikileaks / Snowden leaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMD-qStUGgc

26. Gaming = Public awareness
FloodSim (© Playgen, UK)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTEgI6N-cWI

27. Gaming = Public involvement
Aqua Republica (© DHI et al.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqC9f7F3als

28. Gaming = Customer loyalty, branding
Aviation Empire (© Little Chicken, KLM, the Netherlands)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdLfMqoMOqw

29. Changing (political) ideas: sub frames
Economia (EU) ‘Let’s
educate them’ frame
Occupy Wall street
‘Radical, anti-politics’
frame
Wikileaks – ‘Critical’
frame
SOS slaves – ‘Grass
Roots‘ frame
Anti SOPA / PIPA
‘Advocacy Perspective’

30. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological

31. Gaming = citizen science, wisdom of the crowd
Biomedical research, Foldit, (© Foldit, US)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdBcpdH_ptA

32. Gaming = citizen science, wisdom of the crowd
Biomedical research, Eyewire
http://blog.eyewire.org/about/

33. Gaming = managing complex systems
Ocean management, MSP Challenge 2050 (I&M, Signature Games, the Netherlands)
http://www.mspchallenge.org/maritime-spatial-planning-challenge-2050/

34. Discourse analysis
Truth claim Criteria
Rebuttal Type of research
Policy

35. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological
Discourse analysis
Effectiveness
Gaming is a cost-effective,
means for learning, training
and intervention.
Innovation (€)
Global Economic Rat race.
Gaming = Innovation and
ec. sector.
Persuasion
Games are rhetorical; They
can convince, change ideas,
beliefs of players,
consumers, citizens
Playfulness
Ludification, gamification of
society, organization, politics,
leadership, management.
Lack of Proof
Show me the evidence? Do
we teach the right things?.
Poss. Neg. effects, such as
agression, addiction?
Disturbance
Over-optimism and side
effects.Risks of industrial
policy (subsidies,
protection).
Inequality
Social-ec. exclusion; what
are the consequences for
society, power (gap between
generations, rich/poor,
nations).
Manipulation
Risk of manipulation, abuse
of power, hidden agendas
and ideologies. Ideology
battle.

36. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological
Discourse analysis: consequences for research
Efficacy:
The ability to reach a limited set
of pre-determined goals or
effects effectively and cost
efficiently
Innovation value
delivery
The ability to deliver certain
values important to
innovation, such as efficiency,
creativity, new socio-technical
combinations.
Belief change:
The ability to change the way
people perceive, discuss
behave around certain
issues;
Self-organization:
the ability to constitute new
forms of human-system
interaction.
Psychological, medical,
consultancy, experimental
Economic, organizational,
engineering
System sciences
(organizational learning) and
complexity sciences
Media, cultural, sociological,
political.

37. Realist, Utilitarian
Evolutionist,
Transformationist
Interventionist,
Decisionist
Idealist, Phenomenological
Consequences for policy…(e.g., Horizon 2020,)

38. Discussion
 Reflection on frame and discourse analysis
 Many serious games can be viewed through multiple frames.
 One frame may be more convincing than others.
 We can examine the fidelity or persuasiveness of frames
 Frames can break, change. New frames can emerge.
 What are your examples?
 What are your frames?