Overview
Serious Games is a term that was coined to describe games that were developed
for non-entertainment purposes and had the goal of persuading or educating users. While
these games have also been known as edutainment since the early days of games like Oregon
Trail (1971) it is only since the advent of political and training games that serious games
have come to the attention of the general public. These include the game used by the Howard
Dean presidential campaign and the U.S. Army’s first person shooter game, America’s
Army in 2004.
Within the last decade serious games research has led scholars to think about games in
both an educational and theoretical context. This research has also led some scholars to
challenge and stretch the definition of serious games. Where in the past, only serious
games have been used as tools of persuasion and education, most (if not all) video games,
on some level can be used in the same manner because of the rhetorical strategies that
are utilized in their creation.
In recent years we have seen new technologies becoming central to classrooms. Role playing
games, simulations, and virtual worlds are being used in English, science, and business
classes (just to name a few). These virtual spaces are ripe for student interaction and
collaboration. Current research interrogates not only the educational value of such games,
but also the ethical challenges that they bring to the fore.
For this reason, the Serious Games Research Forum brings together teachers and
scholars who study commercial games that have persuasive ability and serious games in the
more traditional sense. The participants are coming together to talk about issues of race
and gender in games and the creation of games; cognition, education, and literacy skills
and gaming practices; and the use of online virtual worlds as educational environments. |
