The document outlines the CEMSDI serious game called DLAVille, which aims to educate policy makers and public administration practitioners about digital literacy action plans through a simulation game. It discusses why serious gaming is an effective educational approach, providing active participation, hands-on problem solving and continuous feedback. DLAVille simulates managing a city to increase citizen welfare by achieving objectives in a library, classroom and office. Open source tools like Blender and jQuery are used to develop the 3D environment and interface. The game has evolved based on feedback from consortium meetings.

1. Contract No. 250482
CEMSDI
Civil-Servant Empowerment for Multi Media Service Delivery ICT-
enabled
Interim Review Meeting
WP4 – Instruments and e-learning tools
DLAVILLE
ICT Policy Support Programme
Call 3 objective 3.3 Inclusive eGovernance
Project start date: 1st June 2010 Date: 28-11-2011
Duration: 24 months Dissemination Level: Confidential
Coordinating partner: INNOVA Spa Work package 4: Instruments and e-learning tools
Published by the CEMSDI Consortium Task 4.4: Design and implementation of the CEMSDI
Project co-funded by the European Commission serious game.
within the CIP ICT-PSP Programme Document owner: CATTID

2. Outlines
 EU Inspiration
 Why serious gaming ….
 Game structure
 Playable demo
 Sustainability & expected cost

3. DLAVille - Overview
DLAVille is an "educational-management” serious game, aimed at policy
makers and practitioners of public administration.
The game puts the player in the shoes of a director involved in adoption of
strategic action forward adoption of DLA plan.
Mixing elements of “decision making process simulation” and “self
assessment tool” the game proposes to provide a clear scenario on the main
DLA topics, putting together awareness functions and knowledge management
elements.
The model implemented aims to create an interactive and innovative ICT
“learning environment”, in line with the overall vision of the CIP –PSP program
“The ICT Policy Support Programme (or ICT PSP) aims at stimulating
innovation and competitiveness through the wider uptake and best use of ICT
by citizens, governments and businesses”

4. GALA PROJECT (FP7 – ICT TEL)
The GALA motivation stems from the acknowledgment of
the potentiality of Serious Games (SGs) for education and
training and the need to address the challenges of the main
stakeholders of the SGs European landscape (users,
researchers, developers/industry, educators).

5. ASPIS PROJECT (LLP Programme)
ASPIS is a 3-year European project co-funded by the Lifelong
Learning Programme (Transversal Programmes – Key Activity 3 ICT
– Multilateral Projects) and involves 7 European countries and 9
organisations, including universities, planning and IT consultancies,
research institutes and local authorities
The ASPIS project aims to stimulate dialogue between urban
citizens and professional architects and planners, with a focus on
the sustainability of public open spaces. To achieve this aim, innovative
IT tools and methods are used, including games- based learning, web
2.0, podcasts, interactive forum, online discussion groups.

6. LUDUS PROJECT (South East Europe Prog)
European Community has gathered the best practices in the Serious
Games field through the LUDUS project: objective of LUDUS is the
creation of a European network for the transfer of knowledge and
dissemination of best practices in the innovative field of Serious
Games.
Examples of Serious Games awarded in the 2011 edition:
EnerCities
SimSafety
6

7. SAVE ENERGY (CIP – PSP Programme)
GREEN MY PLACE

8. DLAVille – Tag Cloud
Empowerment Self Assessment
Profiling
Learning material Community
Knowledge
ePortfolio
Open Source
Sustainability
HMI

9. Why Serious Gaming ….
A
Serious
Game
is
an
interac+ve
experience.
It
could
have
different
aims,
like
business
training,
educa+onal
or
social
campaigns,
and
promo+onal
ac+vi+es.
Moreover,
it
reproduces
real
situa+ons
in
which
using
knowledge
and
ac+ng
with
strategy
could
help
achieve
a
final
goal.
Serious
games
are
based
on
a
teaching
model
aimed
to
provide
learners
with
an
involving
and
mo6va6ng
ac+vity
through:
•
Ac6ve
par6cipa6on
of
the
learners
•
Hands-­‐on
approach
based
on
problem
solving
•
Con6nuous
feedback

10. Why Serious Gaming ….
The
use
of
a
serious
game
s+mulates
and
involves
par+cpants.
The
ability
to
involve
learners
in
a
hands-­‐on,
prac+cal
and
realis+c
imita+on
of
DLA
implementa+on
could
be
crucial
for
the
eventual
effec6veness
of
the
forma6ve
plan.
The
implementa+on
of
the
DLA
represents
in
fact
a
challenging
ac+vity,
especially
in
a
digital-­‐divide
areas.
The
different
exis6ng
approaches,
that
should
be
harmonized
in
a
common
European
methodology,
all
require
par6cipants
to
carry-­‐out
different,
interrelated
tasks
aimed
at
helping
the
development
of
the
Informa+on
Society.

11. Why Serious gaming …
The
aforemen+oned
background
highlights
how
serious
games
can
be
used
to
educate
civil
servants
who
will
be
a
part
of
the
DLA
implementa6on
program.
The
complexity
of
the
DLA
scenario
requires
skills
that
cannot
be
taught
by
simply
providing
informa+on
and
no+ons
to
the
learners.
This
calls
for
a
more
ar6culated
learning
curriculum
that
places
side
by
side
tradi+onal
learning
and
e-­‐learning.

12. Back
to
DLAVille
!!!!!
The
game’s
aim
is
to
increase
the
welfare
of
the
ci+zens
(according
to
specific
indicators
like
“numbers
of
inhabitants”
or
“level
of
DLA
implementa6on”).
Achievement
of
objec+ves
need
to
reach
three
main
areas:
• Library
• Classroom
• office
12

13. OS
Tools
-­‐
Blender
The
GUI
(graphic
user
interface)
was
developed
using
Blender
for
crea+ng
3D
contents.
Blender
is
open
source
and
released
under
the
GNU
license.
This
tool
allows
a
real
modular
structure
of
the
city,
which
is
necessary
for
the
achievement
of
par+al
aims
of
the
game.
13

14. OS
Tools
-­‐
jQuery
For
the
development
of
the
game
we
decide
to
use
jQuery,
a
framework
for
web
pages,
coded
in
JavaScript
which
allows
a
higher
level
abstrac+on
for
programming
client-­‐side
behavior
of
every
single
HTML
page.
This
framework,
released
under
GPL,
allows
us
to
easily
handle
the
graphics
and
to
interface
the
game
with
a
database
that
will
contain
the
scores
of
individual
players,
uploaded
documents
and
tests
that
you
can
do
online.
14

15. Evolution of the game
Prague, Consortium meeting – May 2011
Bruxelles, Review – July 2011

16. Evolution of the game

17. Different
Areas
for
Different
Needs
In
the
Office
is
simulated
the
process
of
implementa+on
of
specific
ac+on
in
line
with
the
DLA.
The
process
of
decision
making
and
the
implementa+on
of
specific
processes
is
simulated
according
to
a
specific
form
shared
with
experts.

18. Different
Areas
for
Different
Needs
Classroom
is
the
area
of
study
in
which
you
can
prac+ce
your
knowledge
about
DLA.
New
tests
and
contents
are
easy
to
upload
even
by
users,
thanks
to
a
Content
Management
System
with
a
“user
friendly”
interface.

19. Different
Areas
for
Different
Needs
The
Library
provides
access
to
a
various
number
of
learning
m a t e r i a l s
a n d
r e l e v a n t
documents.
T h i s
s e c + o n
m e e t s
t h e
commission’s
sugges+on
to
d e s i g n
a
“ p r o b l e m
s o l v e r
instrument”,
with
contents
useful
to
accomplish
the
task
in
the
game.

20. DLAVille Evolution Trend

21. Sustainability plan & expected cost
All the involved technologies are open source, and this will ensure the
alignment with European policies on the adoption of open source
technologies by the PA and a reduction of the implementation
costs.
Technical assistance will be guaranteed by CATTID and INESC after
the end of the project in the framework of ELANET Network.

22. Play the Demo!

23. Thanks for your attention!
WAITING YOU IN DLAVILLE

24. Main questions by the reviewers:
1. Main benefits of the Serious game solution
2. Main costs of the proposed solution
3. Final usage

25. Main benefits
The
Serious
game
reproduces
real
situa+ons
in
which
using
knowledge
and
ac+ng
with
strategy
could
help
achieve
a
final
goal.
Serious
games
are
based
on
a
teaching
model
aimed
to
provide
learners
with
an
involving
and
mo+va+ng
ac+vity
through:
•
ac6ve
par6cipa6on
of
the
learners
•
hands-­‐on
approach
based
on
problem
solving
•
con6nuous
feedback

26. Main benefits
The relationship between game and learning is supported by
many theories and researches that investigate their connection.
These theories have, in recent years, supported the
development of this type of learning. With simulations we have
the possibility to create and repeat any kind of experience,
including unlikely scenarios and/or dangerous ones.
In this sense simulations can be used to broaden the student’s
experience and learning field.
Dewey
(Dewey,
1938)
states
the
importance
of
an
in6mate
rela6onship
between
the
process
of
real
experience
and
educa6on.

27. Main costs
All the involved technologies are open source, and this will ensure the
alignment with European policies on the adoption of open source
technologies by the PA and a reduction of the implementation
costs.
Technical assistance will be guaranteed by CATTID and INESC after
the end of the project in the framework of ELANET Network.

28. Play the Demo!

29. Scenarios: Ontology
GS1 National & EU strategies GS2 Innovative Services
• MT1 Digital Local Agenda in Europa • MT4 New services opportunity and
and in the Country vision of citizen centric solutions
• MT2 European scenario on • MT5 Strategic management of ICT in
eGovernment the ICT organization strategy
• MT3 Local legislation on egovernment • MT 13 eInclusion
GS3 Governance and change GS4 DLA & Action Plans
management • MT10 Methodology for the
• MT6 Strategic management of Public implementation of DLA
Communication and innovative
instruments • MT11 DLA as strategic tool for
• MT7 Process analisys and Business management of innovation in
Process reengineering consortium of small municipalities
• MT8 Economic sustainability of
pubblic innovation • MT12 Quality Assurance of DLA and
• MT9 Project management and Mesurement of programme benefits
change management

30. Benefits of the Serious Game
In
this
context
experience
is
crucial.
Dewey
(Dewey,
1938)
states
the
importance
of
an
in6mate
rela6onship
between
the
process
of
real
experience
and
educa6on.
Speaking
of
skills
acquisi6on,
in
par6cular
soT
skills,
the
prac+ce
becomes
essen+al
for
the
forma+ve
process:
having
a
real
experience
about
each
object
of
interest
can
be
quite
complex,
especially
if
we
consider
the
amount
of
funds
and
resources
that
would
be
needed
to
recreate
all
the
situa6ons
that
we
want
to
experience
or
interact
with.