Gastles Annissa All
Serious Interactivity In Games
1. Serious Games
Digital game =
…a rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different
outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence
the outcome, the player feels attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the
activity are optional and negotiable
(Juul, 2003, p. 5)
Before we discuss why digital games are considered a good medium for instruction, we
will firstly introduce related terms to position digital-game based learning and why we did
not choose other similar concepts, such as serious games. Digital game-based learning
can be considered a form of
- edutainment or entertainment education: referring to the usage of
entertainment media such as television to serve an educational purpose
- An example of edutainment is the children’s TV show Sesame Street. DGBL
can also be considered a subcategory of e-learning, which refers to
“…technology-based learning in which learning materials are delivered
electronically to remote learners via a computer network” (Zhang, Zhao,
Zhou, & Nunamaker Jr, 2004, p. 2).
- DGBL can also be considered a subcategory of serious games, which is a
more broader term that has applications outside the field of education,
such as games for health, therapy or games made with job recruitment
purposes.
- Game-based learning (without the qualifier ‘digital’) is also a broader term
and can also refer to learning by means of board games.
- Classical edutainment games refer to a series of educational games that
have made their appearance in the 1990s (e.g., Where in the world is
Carmen Sandiego?).
- Lastly, Classical entertainment games can also be used for educational
purposes. This is often referred to as Commercial of the Shelf games or
, COTS (Stewart et al., 2013). Figure 1 provides a schematic overview of Digital
Game-Based Learning and similar instructional media concepts
2. Serious Games vs Gamification:
3. Digital Game- Based Learning (DGBL)
Cognitive learning outcomes consists of three categories:
verbal/encoded knowledge, knowledge organization and cognitive strategies.
1. Verbal/encoded knowledge refers to knowledge that is transferred through the
written or spoken word (Gagne, 1984; Kraiger et al., 1993). Verbal knowledge can
refer to declarative knowledge (i.e., information about what), procedural
knowledge (i.e., information about how) and strategic knowledge (i.e., information
about which, when and why).
2. Knowledge organization refers to the way knowledge is structured in the mind
and is also referred to as mental models. When for instance, a problem needs to be
Serious Interactivity In Games
1. Serious Games
Digital game =
…a rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different
outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence
the outcome, the player feels attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the
activity are optional and negotiable
(Juul, 2003, p. 5)
Before we discuss why digital games are considered a good medium for instruction, we
will firstly introduce related terms to position digital-game based learning and why we did
not choose other similar concepts, such as serious games. Digital game-based learning
can be considered a form of
- edutainment or entertainment education: referring to the usage of
entertainment media such as television to serve an educational purpose
- An example of edutainment is the children’s TV show Sesame Street. DGBL
can also be considered a subcategory of e-learning, which refers to
“…technology-based learning in which learning materials are delivered
electronically to remote learners via a computer network” (Zhang, Zhao,
Zhou, & Nunamaker Jr, 2004, p. 2).
- DGBL can also be considered a subcategory of serious games, which is a
more broader term that has applications outside the field of education,
such as games for health, therapy or games made with job recruitment
purposes.
- Game-based learning (without the qualifier ‘digital’) is also a broader term
and can also refer to learning by means of board games.
- Classical edutainment games refer to a series of educational games that
have made their appearance in the 1990s (e.g., Where in the world is
Carmen Sandiego?).
- Lastly, Classical entertainment games can also be used for educational
purposes. This is often referred to as Commercial of the Shelf games or
, COTS (Stewart et al., 2013). Figure 1 provides a schematic overview of Digital
Game-Based Learning and similar instructional media concepts
2. Serious Games vs Gamification:
3. Digital Game- Based Learning (DGBL)
Cognitive learning outcomes consists of three categories:
verbal/encoded knowledge, knowledge organization and cognitive strategies.
1. Verbal/encoded knowledge refers to knowledge that is transferred through the
written or spoken word (Gagne, 1984; Kraiger et al., 1993). Verbal knowledge can
refer to declarative knowledge (i.e., information about what), procedural
knowledge (i.e., information about how) and strategic knowledge (i.e., information
about which, when and why).
2. Knowledge organization refers to the way knowledge is structured in the mind
and is also referred to as mental models. When for instance, a problem needs to be
