serious games past present and future

Serious Games Past, Present and Future

David WortleyDirector

Serious Games Institute

Where are we going ?Who is taking us there ?

Key Take Away Questions

Are video games technologies changing :-

- user capabilities and preferences

- who we learn from

- the way we teach/train

- what we need to teach

What are the implications for Society, Business and Education ?

Introduction to the SGI

Serious Games Institute (SGI)

“An international centre of excellence for the application of electronic games and virtual worlds to

serious social and economic issues (including learning)”

Type of Serious Games and their Objectives

Serious Games are NOT New

Games have always had serious uses and benefits

What Games do for usLearn about ourselvesLearn about othersLearn about the worldEncourage explorationChallenge usEngage our emotionsDevelop our skills

Today’s Serious GamesExample Game Objective / Outcome

Flight Simulator Motor skills, co-ordination

Floodsim Change awareness, attitude

Obesity Challenge Change behaviour, educate

Nano-science

Infiniteams

Increase understanding & engagement

Develop team building & collaboration

Tomorrow’s Serious Games

Intelligent profiling and customisation

Impact of Games Technologies on Society, Business and

Education

Digital Natives

Video Games are changing our relationshipwith technology

Predicting the Future

1949 2009

Predicting the Future

1949 2009

Predicting the Future

2000 2009

Predicting the Future

2000 2009

The Most Disruptive TechnologyDevelopments in History

The Agent for Change is Us

Our Needs and Expectations

What we demand from technology is

• Choice

• Flexibility

• Control

• Personalisation

• Experience

• Discovery

• Variety

• Engagement

Cost

Hassle

Burocracy

We are driving technology to provide

More control over our lives, our world andour relationships

and we are preparedto pay for it !!

A Simple IllustrationIn-flight Entertainment

Yesterday Today Tomorrow ?One size

fits allIntelligent

entertainment

Important Technology Trends which are having a big impact on Society, Business and Education

Personalisation

Applications will be personalised to and by the individual

Interfaces & Accessibility

Applications will be accessible through new ambient devices

Persistent Memory

User capabilities and experiences will be persistent across applications

Search & Discover

Applications will be more self-directed and based on discovery rather than knowledge

transfer

Data Visualisation

Applications will be enhanced by 3D data visualisation

Challenges & Rewards

Games methodologies bring challenges and rewards to applications

Creative Publishing

Creative technologies will support knowledge sharing and collaboration

What is Technology trying to achieve ?

• Treat me as an individual• Easy to get on with• Remember everything about me• Every day brings new discoveries• Help me to understand• Encourage & challenge me• Help me to express myself

My Computer Loves Me !!

Converging technologies aim to develop individual relationships and build communities

How will this impact Society, Business and Education?

Is Technology Changing Learners ?Traditionalist Boomer Gen X Gen Y

Training

Learning style

Communication

Problem-solving

Decision-making

Leadership style

Feedback

Technology use

Job changing

Classroom

The hard way

Top down

Hierarchical

Unwise

Team informed

Get out of the way

Unsure

Once per year

Sets me back

Seeks approval

Command & control

No news is good news

Uncomfortable

Too much and I’ll leave

Hub & spoke

Horizontal

Coach

Weekly/daily

Unable to work without it

Necessary Part of my daily routine

Unfathomable if not provided

On demand

Partner

Team decided

Collaborative

Collaborative

Collaborative & networked

Continuous & expected

Facilitated

Guarded

Team included

Independent

Independent

Required to keep me

The Multi-Tasking Generation

There is medical evidence to indicate that the brains of young people are becoming

increasingly “hard-wired” for multi-tasking - making them able to handle (and expect) multiple simultaneous information sources

and to make judgements on which sources to give attention to.

How can/should society respond to this ?

What’s different about Today ?

Who do we learn from ?Knowledge

ProfessionalsOur peers

Impact of Technology Teaching Methods

Collaborative LearningTeacher & Learner

Hierarchical Learning Networked Learning

Assimilation of existing knowledge

Discovery of new knowledge

Facts or Information Handling ?

What’s different about Today ?

Apart from teachers, students, how we teach and what we teach

Students becoming Teachers ?

Key Take Away Questions

Are video games technologies changing :-

- user capabilities and preferences

- who we learn from

- the way we teach/train

- what we need to teach

What are the implications for Society, Business and Education ?

Most Influential Technologies

Games Virtual Worlds SocialNetworks

Why are they Influential ?

• Treat me as an individual• Easy to get on with• Remember everything about me• Every day brings new discoveries• Help me to understand• Encourage & challenge me• Help me to express myself

Serious Games Past, Present and Future

David WortleyDirector

Serious Games Institute