The Smartkuber Case Study: Lessons Learned from the Development of an Augmented Reality Serious Game for Cognitive Screening

Despite the growing popularity and widespread use of serious games, the development of effective serious games is difficult, requiring an appropriate balance between game design and instructional design. Although there are fundamental differences between games developed purely for entertainment compared to those developed for “serious” purposes, there are currently no standard development tools specifically intended for serious game design and development available that encourage developers to follow a set of best practices. Rather, developers of serious games often rely on existing game engines and frameworks that are specific to entertainment-based game development. Given the availability of a large number of game engines and frameworks, deciding on which one to use to develop a serious game may be difficult, yet the choice of engine or framework can play a significant role in the development process. In this paper we present the results of a literature review that examined the frameworks and game engines that are used to develop serious games. We provide a list of the most commonly used frameworks and game engines and summarize their features. Knowledge of the frameworks and game engines that are most popular and details regarding why they are popular may prove to be useful to serious games developers seeking such tools. The chapter ends with a brief discussion regarding a framework that is currently being developed specifically for the development of serious games. Through consultation with the potential users of the framework (serious games developers), the framework aims to strike a balance between ease of use and functionality, while providing the user with the necessary options and tools to ideally develop effective serious games.

The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained increased attention since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022. Following the popularity and wide application, several generative AI (GAI or GenAI) tools have been released, with capabilities of generating novel content such as text, images, audio, and video. Previous research has noted both opportunities and limitations with GAI for various fields. One field with high potential impact is the game industry and the subfield of serious games, where the purpose of the game extends that of pure entertainment. GAI could play an important role for design and development of serious games, where design teams are typically smaller (compared with big commercial games), and competences in game mechanics, graphics and other game resources can be limited. This paper explores the opportunities and limitations of GAI tools to support development of serious games. This is done through the development of a serious game, based on the author’s PhD thesis, where various GAI tools are used to generate game content such as in-game dialogue, graphics, and audio. Development of the game artefact, which is named ‘Computer Programming in Schools’, follows the process of a design science research (DSR) project where emphasis is placed on the design in one iteration of development. The author’s experiences of utilizing GAI tools during the development of the game were recorded in a researcher diary, together with screenshots and images from the game. In this paper, these experiences are discussed and compared to related research in order to seek the most salient opportunities and limitations for GAI to support design and development of serious games. The paper provides several hands-on examples of design and development of a serious game with GAI tools and concludes with a set of recommendations for the future use of GAI in game development.

Serious games are developed with the purpose of bestowing a benefit on the user. That benefit could be related to the user's health, education, safety or efficiency. We propose that the mechanism that the game employs to achieve such a benefit should be identified as the key to the development of a successful serious game. We introduce a paradigm for the design and development of serious games as benefit delivery systems. We suggest that the paradigm can apply to all applications and genres of serious game. Three serious games for health are employed as case studies of developing a serious game as a benefit delivery system. Recommendations are then made for the adoption of the paradigm for serious gaming in general.

Nowadays the development of serious games for rehabilitation therapy is gaining popularity thanks to the motivational advantages of this type of computer software. Consequently, the need for a process framework for the development of this category of software applications has become more evident. The final goal is to guarantee that these software products are developed and validated following a systematic and coherent approach that supports the development of reliable serious games. In this work we introduce a design proposal for a methodological framework for the development of serious games for motor rehabilitation therapy.

With the drop in the price of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) devices, which have been widely used in the medical sector, the development of serious BCI-based games has been accelerated. However, developers involved with the development of these games have found it difficult to acquire brain- and brain-wave-related knowledge. This paper defines templates that are necessary for developing BCI contents and proposes a method for developing BCI contents; the definition of the knowledge is based on templates. We present an example of a BCI-based game that has been developed using the proposed method. Since technical knowledge required for the development of serious games has been defined on the basis of templates, a developer can concentrate on the task of developing games.

BackgroundThe complications of type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be delayed or prevented in children with T1D who receive proper self-management education. Smartphone-based serious games are increasingly being used as an effective tool for teaching self-management. When developing a serious game, it is important that the development process be user-centered. Traditionally, different face-to-face methods have been used when children participate in the development process. However, face-to-face data collection is not always feasible. In such situations, distance communication can be used when developing a serious game.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to develop a user-centered smartphone-based serious game that teaches self-management focused on carbohydrate intake in children aged 8-14 years with T1D using distance communication in both the development and evaluation of the game.MethodsThe development and evaluation of a smartphone-based serious game prototype was inspired by the Lean principles, and a user-centered approach was applied. The development process included 1 expert interview and design workshops with children with T1D. On the basis of the interview and design workshop results, a serious game prototype was developed using Microsoft PowerPoint. The evaluation of the serious game prototype included an interview with a dietitian and a playtest with children with T1D. All data were collected using distance communication.ResultsA user-centered smartphone-based serious game prototype was developed and evaluated. The expert interview with the dietitian formed the basis for the learning outcomes in the game. Four children and their parents contributed to the preferences, needs, requirements, and ideas for selected parts of the game design. The dietitian evaluated the prototype positively and validated its content and accuracy. The serious game prototype was well-received by the children and their parents during the playtest. The serious game prototype was perceived as a useful and engaging way to learn. However, the difficulty level was not appropriate, and the information was too basic for participants who had been diagnosed over a year ago. The use of digital communication platforms did not cause any problems.ConclusionsThe smartphone-based serious game prototype has the potential to be a useful and attractive tool for teaching disease self-management. The use of distance communication proved to be a useful approach in the development of a serious game.

Addiction and substance misuse are significant global public health issues, particularly among young people who exhibit higher rates of drug use compared to adults. Therefore, interventions targeting alcohol and drug use among youth are crucial for combating substance abuse and mitigating its long-term effects. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the development and evaluation of serious games to support prevention and treatment for substance use, reporting positive outcomes in terms of acceptability, usability, knowledge enhancement, and changes in attitudes and behaviors toward alcohol and drug consumption. However, to ensure effectiveness, serious games should be tailored to the context of the target population. This paper outlines the methodology for designing and developing a serious game focused on prevention, tailored explicitly to Mexican school-aged youth, particularly secondary and high school students aged 12 to 17. Through two pilot evaluations, we obtained promising results indicating high acceptability among participants and positive reception of the serious game, suggesting it as a promising tool for enhancing knowledge and promoting the prevention of substance and illicit drug use among adolescents in Mexico. Furthermore, we gained valuable insights into the game's design, which could serve as a basis for refining and enhancing the gaming experience not only for our game but also for other serious games in similar contexts.

Educational Game Development Approach to a Particular Case: The Donor's Evaluation

Objective: To describe the development and evaluation of a nurse-patient interactive serious game in improving nurses' self-efficacy and performances in teaching the correct inhaler technique. Materials and Methods: The technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework was applied to guide the development of the serious game. The learning effectiveness of the serious game was evaluated through a randomized controlled trial that involved 46 registered nurses. Participants in the experimental group were asked to teach the inhaler technique to a standardized patient using the serious game as a teaching tool, whereas participants in the control group were asked to provide their own usual teaching to a standardized patient without the serious game. The performances of both groups were assessed based on their feedback to a standardized patient who made several errors while demonstrating the inhaler technique. Self-efficacy levels of teaching the inhaler technique were examined before and after the intervention. Results: A significantly higher number of participants from the experimental group obtained perfect performance scores than those in the control group (65.21% vs. 21.74%, χ2 = 15.18, P < 0.01). The posttest self-efficacy mean scores for the experimental group improved significantly (P < 0.001) after the intervention, and significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to the posttest mean scores of the control group. Conclusion: The study provided evidence on the effectiveness of a serious game in improving the self-efficacy and immediate postintervention performances of nurses teaching the inhaler technique. This game provides a practical and accessible learning tool to help nurses ensure effective patient education.

Some activities related to the maintenance of power distribution networks can be performed without interrupting the flow of energy on the line. This kind of activity, referred to as "live line maintenance", imposes risks which have to be taken into account, especially those which may affect human lives. Thus, the training process is crucial to the safety of electricians and to the success of maintenance operations. In order to address these issues, a virtual environment can be used as a mechanism for improving knowledge acquisition and retention, enhancing the quality of the learning process during training. This paper discusses the development of a serious game for training of live line maintenance activities. Aspects of the developed software, its characteristics and functional model, in addition to the interactive devices adopted and technical strategies are presented. The goal is to describe an unprecedented platform which uses devices such as the Nintendo Wii Remote and 3D TV sets to provide a novel model of interaction and navigation. These models are based on some principles of pervasive computing.

The advances of the last decades in the fields of embedded intelligence, connectivity, production software and machinery are partially responsible for significant social and production changes. This thesis deals with aspects related to two different results of these advances: the need for training and information generated by productive changes related to the phenomenon of industry 4.0 and the opportunities related to the development of virtual learning applications made possible by the advancement of open software and development communities. This work reports the development of a serious game using free and/or open software and platforms to enable the creation of new educational tools with active learning principles and aimed at mediating knowledge for the transition towards industry 4.0. Therefore, as part of a binational research project signed between Brazil and Germany, a serious game was developed with learning objectives related to industry 4.0 where the player takes over a factory and makes production and improvement decisions to achieve a pre-defined objective. In addition to the development of the tool and the observations and conclusions resulting from the action research, the results of the applications and user responses conclusions, the theory developed regarding serious games, education and industry 4.0 are presented. As a result, although development costs and entry barriers have reduced recent developments, the participation of skilled programmers is still required to create this type of tool, with the cost of development time and the variety of technical skills required being one of the main barriers to scaling up. the creation and use of serious computer games. Besides that, the communication among members with different digital and gaming literacy has proven a greater challenge than it was initially expected.

This paper introduces the SHARE-IT project, which leverages serious games paradigm to motivate and engage children with autism diagnosis in interactive activities, based on the state-of-the-art autism intervention practices. The aim of SHARE-IT is to formulate, in partnership with schools, parents and industry, the requirements for a robust, intelligent and authorable environment for supporting children in exploring, practicing and acquiring social interaction skills. SHARE-IT focuses on two key challenges: (i) developing robust system architecture and implementation, able to support both continuing development of a serious game for children with autism and its real world use; and (ii) selecting appropriate technologies and techniques to allow for (a) multi-device and operating system deployment, (b) the development of an intelligent serious game for supporting social interaction while (c) allowing the flexibility for the environment to be authored by lay persons. SHARE-IT’s architecture is presented and several considerations of importance to enabling the engineering of an intelligent and authorable serious game are discussed. Examples of technologies developed to date are given throughout and a discussion of future challenges offered.

AimThis paper describes the steps of a protocol for developing and assessing a non-pharmacological intervention, specifically a Serious Game, with the goal of improving eight cognitive skills in adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Serious games that focus on one deficit and/or are restricted to one disorder have been developed to improve the cognitive skills of people with Intellectual Disabilities. There is a lack of a single tool that targets various cognitive skills as well as a broader spectrum of disorders.PurposeThe presentation of the protocol which describes the steps of developing a new Serious Game that will be evaluated in a randomised control trial intervention.Participants and MethodsThe protocol is divided into three stages: identification of cognitive deficits and development of the Serious Game, randomised control trial intervention- follow up assessment, and evaluation of the Serious Game by trainers and caregivers. The participants of the intervention are adults with Intellectual Disabilities.ResultsThe protocol’s results are expected to cover the development of a new Serious Game for specific cognitive functions of a mixed group of adults with Intellectual Disabilities, evaluating the structure and content of the game through neuropsychological assessments for participants and specific questionnaires for trainers and caregivers, evaluating the improvement of specific cognitive abilities in participants in the intervention; and measuring the possible improvement of the quality of life and social interaction of people with Intellectual Disabilities.ConclusionThis is the first study to develop a protocol and implement and assess this new Serious Game. This Serious Game is expected to assist people with Intellectual Disabilities in cognitive and social aspects.

The development of a serious game requires perfect knowledge of the learning domain to obtain the desired results. But it is also true that this may not be enough to develop a successful serious game. First of all, the player has to feel that he is playing a game where the learning is only a consequence of the playing actions. Otherwise, the game is viewed as boring and not as a fun activity and engaging. For example, the player can catch some items in the scenario and then separate them according to its type (i.e., recycle them). Thus, the main action for player is catching the items in the scenario where the recycle action is a second action, which is viewed as a consequence of the first action. Sometimes, the game design relies on a detailed approach based on the ideas of the developers because some educational content are difficult to integrate in the games, while maintaining the fun factor in the first place. In this paper we propose a new methodology of design and development of serious games that facilitates the integration of educational contents in the games. Furthermore, we present a serious game, called “Clean World”, created using this new methodology.

BackgroundOverall, 75% of health care practitioners are women, but half of all females do not play digital games of any kind. There is no consensus in the literature regarding optimal design elements to maximize the efficacy of serious games. To capitalize on the promise of serious games in health care education, it is important for instructional designers to understand the underlying learners’ values, attitudes, and beliefs that might motivate nongaming female health care preprofessional students to independently choose to persistently play serious games to mastery.ObjectiveSpecifically, the aim of this study was to seek answers to 2 questions. First, what values, attitudes, and beliefs contribute to the nongaming behaviors of 12th-grade female emerging health care preprofessionals? Second, how do the values, attitudes, and beliefs of 12th-grade female emerging health care preprofessionals align with important design features of serious games?MethodsIn this study, a learner analysis was conducted using semistructured interviews with 8 12th-grade college-bound female health science students to better understand learners’ values, attitudes, and beliefs to inform the design and development of a serious game. These interviewees represented a diverse subset of the female emerging health care preprofessionals who self-identified themselves as not playing games at all, not very often, or infrequently.ResultsThe findings suggest that the study participants exhibited a complex fusion of desire for both accomplishment and affiliation. The participants were all independent, competitive, and prosocial leaders. They thought strategically and consciously self-limited their leisure time to achieve personally meaningful long-term goals. They embraced overcoming expected failures and aimed to achieve relevant high-stakes wins in all academic, athletic, extracurricular, and leisure activities they valued while consciously avoiding what they considered to be non–goal-oriented activities.ConclusionsThe results of this study reinforce the need for a robust learner analysis to identify the multifaceted behavioral characteristics of targeted learners before the design and development of serious games. The common characteristics of the 12th-grade female health science students in this study suggest that they will choose to invest their limited leisure time playing a personally meaningful, preprofessionally authentic serious game if the collective design elements are aligned with the students’ self-conceptualization of their present or future selves.