What are serious games? They are not simply for entertainment but are designed with the specific aim of training, educating, or teaching. They leverage the playful aspects of gaming to enhance education, combining enjoyment with learning. In essence, serious games are intended to educate through entertainment. After all, games have always been a vital source of learning for humans, playing a crucial role in personal development.
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Why serious games?
The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has enabled the simulation of complex cognitive, psychological, emotional, and social phenomena. Consequently, by the early 2000s, the importance of investing in innovative learning and teaching methods became increasingly apparent.
Much like researchers replicate reality using computer simulations, children, adults, and even older individuals can now explore virtual environments to develop skills and acquire knowledge. Within this digital transformation, serious games have emerged—not just to entertain, but also to enable experimentation, learning, and skill acquisition.
Benefits
Serious games are widely applied in education due to their numerous benefits:
- introduce innovative ways of communication;
- allow the tracking of correct answers;
- include obstacles and challenges;
- present various types of environments;
- tell stories, whether fictional or factual;
- foster interaction among players;
- enable near-total immersion in the game;
- assign specific roles and objectives;
- simulate real-world challenges and long-term goals, unlike traditional training methods.
Serious game types
Serious games replicate realistic scenarios, helping players to develop analytical and spatial skills while enhancing problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
To better understand their potential, let’s explore the main types of serious games.
Training and simulations
The primary objective of serious games is to train the body. A well-known example is Just Dance, which involves movement and coordination.
Similarly, shared screen exercise games, or simulations for military and medical training, replicate emergency scenarios to provide hands-on experiences.
Education
Educational serious games teach concepts and skills in an engaging manner. Covering subjects such as history, science, and mathematics, these games are suitable for formal education (schools and universities) as well as informal learning environments (corporate training or home use).
Healthcare
In the healthcare sector, serious games are used to promote healthy behaviours, educate patients, prevent illnesses, and train medical staff.
Examples include games that assist patients in managing diabetes, combating depression, or improving mental health and physical activity.
HR
Serious games designed for HR purposes aim to improve soft skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork within organisations. These are often used by CEOs, managers, and other executives to hone problem-solving and conflict-resolution techniques.
Decision making
These games help players develop analytical, problem-solving, planning, and evaluation skills. They are commonly used in corporate settings or by public and private administrations to navigate complex scenarios and test strategies.
How do serious games work?
Each game has its unique characteristics, but one common denominator is interactivity. Interactivity and entertainment are fundamental elements of any game, serious or otherwise.
The term “serious” does not imply something boring; instead, it denotes games that, while not solely focused on entertainment, impart valuable lessons. Serious games use multimedia content to facilitate learning and skill-building.
They embody the concept of learning by doing, further enhanced by features such as scores, virtual rewards, medals, and badges (a gamification element).
In summary, a serious game:
- evokes emotions, creating stronger, more lasting memories;
- enables the acquisition of skills that enhance know-how;
- provides experiences that would otherwise be impractical or dangerous in real life due to time, cost, or risk constraints.
Serious game, gamification and game-based learning: differences
A classic mistake is to confuse serious games, gamification and game-based learning. These are related concepts, but let’s go in order: the first aims at education, training and teaching trying to entertain; the second consists of the use of mechanisms typical of gaming and, in particular, of videogames (points, levels, prizes, virtual goods, rankings) to make potential customers more engaged in the services offered; the third represents a form of learning implemented through games (also analogue games) or videogames.
Serious game
Serious games develop selective attention, enable strategic decision-making, and are utilised by diverse sectors such as businesses, hospitals, and public administrations.
They often feature cartoon-style visuals and combine play and educational elements to deliver an enjoyable, engaging experience.
Gamification
Primarily aimed at businesses, gamification focuses on enhancing processes and achieving goals such as:
- a more stimulating working environment;
- a higher degree of engagement;
- the improvement of employees' mnemonic skills;
- greater attractiveness for Generation Z.
Game based learning
Game based learning requires the creation of highly complex platforms. We are talking about SCORM and e-learning: the first is a reference model in the world of education; the second, also known as distance learning (DL), is the set of hardware and software technologies aimed at enriching traditional learning processes with innovative formulas.
Game based learning offers a more experiential reward (learning while having fun), gamification more tangible (assigning prizes, scores, awarding badges and gadgets), serious games more formative (acquiring new skills while playing). The common denominator of all three remains the game.
Examples of game-based learning are both escape rooms (analogue games) and serious games themselves (serious video games aimed at learning).
5 examples of serious games
Developed by VITECO for the University of Eastern Piedmont (UEP), REAction S. G. dives you into a single player simulation experience. In a few clicks, you will become a nurse or social worker. You will have to preserve the health of patients and save their lives.
Browse the map, ask the right questions, fill out the paperwork, choose and use the most appropriate care tools, make the call and perform the final debriefing. REAaction S. G. is simple, intuitive and downloadable.
Designed for online learning, REAaction S. G. simulates the professional skills of nurses and social workers, focusing on the health needs of the individual and the community.
Key features:
- 5 ultra realistic scenarios;
- 2 convincing playable characters;
- first person view with WASD movement for a more immersive experience;
- customised settings.
Developed in 2008 by the University of Washington’s Game Science faculty and updated in 2020 in coincidence with the COVID-19 pandemic, Foldit is a free puzzle game in which players have the goal of folding protein structures in the most perfect way possible. The aim is to manipulate the three-dimensional structures of proteins to find the ones with the lowest energy.
And if you think having players solve a chemistry puzzle is a bit of a crazy idea, listen this: in 2011, a group of students managed, in less than 10 days, to decipher the crystal structure of Mason-Pfizer (HIV/AIDS) that had remained unsolved for over 15 years.
Thanks to Foldit, the developers were able to put the creativity of thousands of researchers and students at the service of medicine, speeding up time and cutting costs.
Can you recognise real news from fake news? Information Tower is a serious game financed by Google, Altroconsumo and promoted by Skuola.net. The aim is to give Generation Z members innovative tools so that they know how to recognise fake news. The game is very simple: the player is given a series of clues to declare if a news is true or false. Examples of clues are:
- the formatting of the text;
- the sources cited;
- the credibility of the site.
Information Tower is also playable from any device with a browser.
Minecraft is a popular open world videogame that allows you to explore virtual locations made up of Lego style blocks and interact with other players. In Minecraft, you can search for raw minerals, craft tools and objects, and build structures. The game, owned by Microsoft since 2014, is available on multiple platforms.
In its educational version, kids can:
- explore the pyramids and ancient Egypt;
- see a cell from the inside and discover the various organelles that make it up;
- visit the International Space Station (ISS);
- understand how a manufacturing plant works;
- visit an ancient city of the past.
Each map is free, but to play you need to buy a copy of the game at a cost of about ten euros. Minecraft is also a good way to spend time with your children.
In the healthcare field, the Apulia Region has financed the game TAKO DOJO, which aims to encourage the correct eating habits of young diabetics and improve their ability to self-manage the disease.
TAKO DOJO is inspired by Japanese tradition and culture that uses tako, small polyps that train in a gymnasium (called, in fact, dojo) to keep blood glucose levels under control.
Other VITECO games
Italian VITECO, the creator of REACtion S.G., has been involved in numerous edutainment projects. Here are more examples of serious games developed by VITECO (click or tap on the links to play them immediately):
- The Algebraic Garden – The Algebraic Garden is a jump-and-run style game. The player can jump over objects and run left or right.
- Building a City – Have you always wanted to plan villages, towns, etc.? Here is a series of tests prepared for you by the planning committee before they hired you!
- Deli Shop – It is available for both PC and smartphone (iOS and Android). Thanks to the game you learn maths while having fun! So do the maths well if you don't want to get fired!
- The Math Princess' Tower – Your goal is to free a princess who is in the 15th room on the third floor of a tower. Good luck!
- Moneybox – Here the player's task is to count how much money is in the piggy bank after each round. Euro coins come in and out continuously, over 10 rounds (1 level).
- Trip Europe – It is a video game available for both PCs and smartphones. Through this game you can travel around Europe and discover new scenarios.
How to evaluate the efficacy of a serious game
If you are thinking of developing a serious game, you must first evaluate its potential efficacy. The evaluation should be conducted during both the design and development phases.
This type of analysis aims to gather information and data on the progress of the game and many other aspects such as the quality of the level design, game mechanics, user interaction, etc. in order, of course, to optimise the product and make improvements to the user experience (UX).
Having said that, it is good to carry out various tests and follow these simple steps:
- usability testing. It serves to ensure that the user interface and game mechanics are intuitive and accessible;
- play testing. Involves target users during the development phase in order to gather feedback on gameplay, narrative and the overall experience;
- design iterations. Changes are made to the game based on the results of previous evaluations.
A second type of evaluation is called summative and is used to check the overall efficacy of the game once it has been completed and implemented. To do this type of analysis, one uses:
- pre and post publication tests. Users' knowledge and skills are measured before and after completion of the game;
- questionnaires and benefits. The efficacy of the game is evaluated and, in particular, one tries to understand if the goals set by the developers were achieved;
- analysis of gameplay data. All the gameplays collected are examined, including time spent in the game, player scores, etc.
- focus groups and interviews. One tries to understand, through conversations and interviews, if the serious game influenced the players' learning and improved their skills in some way.
Finally, the last type of evaluation is called long term. It can only be carried by ex post, when the game has already been enjoyed and is in the hands of the target audience. Thus, one keeps an eye on how the players apply the acquired skills in a real context and the degree of their depth.
The two most frequently used methods for carrying out long term analyses are:
- longitudinal studies. Studies that follow participants over an extended period of time with the aim of cross-referencing data collected before, after and during the use of serious games. This can help in identifying any changes in behaviour;
- control groups and comparative studies. Use of control groups, consisting of people who do not play serious games, to highlight any differences with those who have played them.
Make your serious game!
If you have made it this far, you will certainly have an idea of what serious games are, which categories they fall into, which are the most popular and which tests to run to check their efficacy. All you need now is a development team to take care of all this and help you realise your serious game! VITECO, a software house belonging to the JO Group cluster of companies, does this since 2004.
If you need a serious game, we will follow you through the entire process, ensuring that the game is as close to your vision as possible and in line with your objectives. For more information or to request a quote on the development of a serious game, please contact us by calling or filling out the contact form below.