future of serious games and immersive technologies

Immersive Technology Strategieswww.davidwortley.com

Fun ‘n Serious Games 2011

The Future of Serious Games and Immersive Technologies

David Wortley FRSA


Topics

Definition and role of Serious Games and Immersive Technologies

Example Features and Applications Disruptive Technologies Future Challenges and Trends Technology and Society


Definition and Role of Serious Games and Immersive Technologies


Serious games have been defined as games whose primary purpose is not entertainment but which have been developed for a potentially serious benefit or

outcome. It might also include entertainment games that have been intentionally re-purposed to deliver

serious outcomes

This definition is not always helpful because it does not reflect or embrace the full range or potential of

technologies which create or use immersive experiences to deliver serious benefits. These

applications may not use gameplay at all.


Most Popular Games are Serious

Games generate passion, excitement, commitment, loyalty, belonging, awareness,

support and action


Games are Immersive Experiences

They usually Involve Challenges, Rules, Rewards, Physical and Virtual Worlds, Social Networks, Personal

Development and Commercial Exploitation


Serious Games are NOT New

Games have always been an essential and ubiquitous part of life


Games are Our Personal Choice

Games are where we choose to spend our discretionary time, attention and finances which makes them very

important commercially and developmentally


The Secret of SuccessAttractivenessAccessibilityAffordability

Does it interest/excite me ?Is it easy to access ?Can I afford the time, attention and money ?


Attractive, Accessible, Affordable

Immersive technologies focusing on attractiveness (engagement), accessibility (no barriers) and

affordability (cost and time)


Some Statistics Games industry is bigger than movie and music industry 180 million active gamers in the USA playing on average

13 hours per week China 200m, India 105m, Europe 100m, Russia 10m One million people played Red Redemption’s Climate

Change Game 100k people played Floodsim in first 6 weeks World Crisis games are very popular e.g. World without

Oil, Evoke, Lost Joules, Innocentive (crowd sourcing)


Immersive Technologies

Games Virtual Worlds Social Networks

Immersive Technologies provide an attractive, accessible and affordable space in which to devote

our discretionary time, attention and money


The Importance of Immersive Technologies

Immersive Technologies are hugely important because of three main factors – commercial potential, societal disruption and

technological innovation


Example Features and Applications


Ticking all the Boxes

Immersive Technologies have not only created huge market potential but have driven innovations across all

sectors


Driving Innovation

3D rendering, image processing, broadband speed, collaboration tools, networking, artificial intelligence,

pattern recognition are all driven by Immersive Technology features


Learning through Games

Watch, copy, get feedback, iterate and share


Incubating Creativity

Bringing Science and Art together


Solving Complex Problems

Collaboration under Pressure


Harnessing Local Talent

Empowering citizens and employees


Building Knowledge Networks

Windows help – Get a friend to help you over the internetAsk experts and other Windows users !!


Building Relationships

Using Artificial Intelligence, Geo-location, and Profiling to build new partnerships and knowledge networks


Building Community

Intel’s Planet Blue is an internal social network


Connecting the Physical & Virtual

Building new ways to learn and collaborate


Preparing for the unexpected

Simulating emergency or combat scenarios


Hosting Virtual and Hybrid Events


What are the Key Features ?

Personalisation / relevance Interface and UbiquityCost in time and moneyAbility to control / shapeRichness of experienceChallenge / motivation Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards


Disruptive Technologies


Why are Immersive Technologies Disruptive ?


A Fantastic Time in History


Disruptive Communications Technologies

The internet is different in its scope and impact on businessand society to any previous disruptive technology


The 21st century is an unprecedented period in human history full of new challenges and

opportunities created by low cost on demand and ubiquitous access to both global

knowledge and powerful publishing tools.


The Prosumer

The prosumer effect is unique in our history


The Prosumer Phenomenon

Digital Media Technologies empower individuals in ways previously unknown in

mankind’s history


The Attention Economy

Capturing and retaining attention and loyalty are critical in today’s digital media society


Future Challenges and Trends


We are in largely uncharted waters and technologies which engage, influence,

educate and above all create and sustain relationships will be critical.


The Skills Challenge

Successful Immersive technologies need multiple disciplines


Common Language ?

Experts speak in different languages


Expectations

End users expect console quality action and gameplay


Expectations

Clients expect value for money and modest costs


Likely Solution

Software which has embedded expertise and resources and partners to provide pedagogical and storytelling

skills


Immersive Technologies and EducationDriven by developments in immersive technologies, education is undergoing a revolution :-

We are entering the era of the portable lifelong personal coach / mentor facilitated by a transformed relationship between humans and technology


What will this mean in practice ?

Personalised learning Intelligent persistent lifelong profiling Collaborative peer to peer learning Learning by discovery Virtual worlds linked to real world data Tutor/Mentor/Coach tools for content Learning communities Serious Games linked to societal issues


Sophisticated Personalisation

Visualisation and Fidelity


Simulations linked to real data


Build your own Training Scenarios


New Interface Devices

Brain wave controllers



Motion / Voice Controllers



Sensor interfaces modelled on real life elementswww.birthplay.com


New Applications – Interactive Movies

Using Sensor interfaces to control learning activities


New Applications - Gamification

Gamification is being applied into many different areas such as brand development and Recruitment

and assessment


Technology and Society



Is technology replacing human beings in the knowledge economy ?



Knowledge Professionals train for many years to deliver their skills and knowledge more efficiently, and effectively



The internet and digital media delivers current information and knowledge faster, more efficiently, and

on demandbut what is missing ?



Human beings use intelligence, judgement, sensitivity, emotions, empathy and experience to deliver unique and

personal experiences – differentiating us from machines


Machines and Humans

Power, speed, efficiency, accuracy, stamina,

capacity, availability, inflexibility

Judgement, sensitivity, care, humanity, fallibility,

creativity, versatility


Humanising Technology

To love and be loved vs devoid of emotion Treated as individual vs one size fits all Easy to get on with vs unnatural interfaces Be remembered vs blank pages To discover new things vs repeat existing things To be understood vs Memorisation of facts To be Connected vs Self sufficiency Motivated and challenged vs Repetition To create new things vs standard responses

Human Needs Machine Features


Are Immersive Applications Humanising Technology ?

Delivering more control over our lives, our world andour relationships – giving us access to a global network – building personalised relationship with our technologies


Humanising Technology

We are developing immersive technologies that recognise our voice, our actions and our preferences

to deliver personalised experiences


Relationship with Technology

For thousands of years mankind used its intelligence and skill to harness the potential of machines



Many of us were born into a world in which machines and technology had no intelligence



Today intelligence is embedded into our almost everything - sensing us, learning from us, gaining power

to shape our lives


Gadgets to God Book

Charting our changing relationship with technology from human intelligence and skill controlling machines to machine intelligence and skill controlling humans


Questions


Fun ‘n Serious Games 2011

The Future of Serious Games and Immersive Technologies

David Wortley FRSA