Game-based Simulation Research Articles

Cognitive and metacognitive support in learning with a serious game about demographic change

The goal of this experiment was to investigate the impact of metacognitive training, and metacognitive and cognitive prompting, in a game-based simulation related to demographic change. The work here is based on supporting learning with serious games by scaffolding students’ self-regulated learning by fostering metacognition in constructivist learning environments. The impact of metacognitive training, and/or cognitive and metacognitive prompting, on learning outcomes and cognitive load was analyzed. A pre- and post-test assessing knowledge acquisition, metacognitive behavior, and cognitive load were applied. The learning environment was a game-based simulation of a small village that was confronted with different problems related to demographic change. Learners were tasked with developing sustainable solutions to keep the village prospering. With regard to knowledge acquisition, metacognitive and cognitive prompting proved effective, while direct metacognitive training only had a minor effect. The expected interaction effect did not turn out to be statistically significant, nor did the results show a reduction of cognitive load through direct or indirect metacognitive and cognitive support. Taken together, outcomes suggest here that game-based learning with simulations can be supported by direct and indirect metacognitive and cognitive support.

Combining virtualization and containerization to support interactive games and simulations on the cloud

Interactive training through the use of game-based and virtual software simulators pose challenges on traditional networks of computing assets. A variety of organizations and domains, including the entertainment industry, energy and financial sectors, military, and video gaming, have turned to high performance computing (HPC) as a powerful enough platform to run these interactive simulations. This work explores the feasibility of extending a traditional HPC environment into a cloud-based service that is capable of supporting multiple simultaneous interactive simulations, while continuing to solve compute-intensive tasks. The goal of this work is to extend the scope of software that can be applied to an HPC environment while preserving performance efficacy.To accomplish the proposed HPC goal, this work investigates four HPC load-balancing techniques through virtualization, software containers, and clustering to simultaneously and optimally analyze, schedule, and execute game-based simulation applications. Our experimentation compares these different techniques for performance and to determine the feasibility of extending HPC capability. The selection of which deployment technique to employ should depend on the availability of cluster resources, the number of competing software jobs, and the type of software to be scheduled.

Using Game of Thrones to Teach International Relations

ABSTRACTDespite the known benefits of long-term, game-based simulations they remain underutilized in Political Science classrooms. Simulations used are typically designed to reinforce a concept and are short-lived, lasting one or two class sessions; rarely are entire courses designed around a single simulation. Creating real-world conditions in which students operate often requires the development of distinct cultures and shared experiences that only long-term interactions can generate. These long-term interactions create a community where the past interactions of players matter when making decisions about future action. Long-term role-playing also gives students a forum to fully immerse themselves in the material resulting in deeper content comprehension. This article presents a framework for using a long-term, game-based simulation based on the popular television show Game of Thrones. The simulation uses an active learning approach to help students understand a variety of topics related to International Relations and related fields. The article concludes with a discussion on how the simulation can be modified to fit a variety of non-Political Science courses as well as provides the framework for an experimental design to test the effectiveness of the simulation.

Hybrid Augmented Reality for Participatory Learning: The Hidden Efficacy of Multi-User Game-Based Simulation

The goal for this research is to articulate and test a new hybrid Augmented Reality (AR) environment for conceptual understanding. From the theoretical lens of embodied interaction, we have designed a multi-user participatory simulation called ARfrac t where visitors in a science museum can learn about complex scientific concepts on the refraction of light through full-body immersion using optical see-through AR glasses, projection-based AR, and gesture technology. In particular, we developed two different types of simulations for ARfract , namely a game-based simulation and a non-game simulation to explore how the order of different AR simulations influences the perceived usability, user behaviors, learning experiences, and learning outcomes. For the experiment, 10 dyads were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions: 1) the game-to-non-game condition and 2) the non-game-to-game condition. The results indicate that the learners who experienced the game-based simulation before the non-game simulation performed better than did the other group with the reversed experience order. This paper also reports the usability, user behaviors, and learning experience issues regarding the affordances of hybrid AR technologies. The major contribution of this proof-of concept research is that it articulates our understanding of how particular configurations (i.e., order) of the emerging technologies (i.e., hybrid Augmented Reality systems) and its use can lead to different learning outcomes.

Detecting and Addressing Frustration in a Serious Game for Military Training

Tutoring systems that are sensitive to affect show considerable promise for enhancing student learning experiences. Creating successful affective responses requires considerable effort both to detect student affect and to design appropriate responses to affect. Recent work has suggested that affect detection is more effective when both physical sensors and interaction logs are used, and that context-sensitive design of affective feedback is necessary to enhance engagement and improve learning. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive report on a multi-part study that integrates detection, validation, and intervention into a unified approach. This paper examines the creation of both sensor-based and interaction-based detectors of student affect, producing successful detectors of student affect. In addition, it reports results from an investigation of motivational feedback messages designed to address student frustration, and investigates whether linking these interventions to detectors improves outcomes. Our results are mixed, finding that self-efficacy enhancing interventions based on interaction-based affect detectors enhance outcomes in one of two experiments investigating affective interventions. This work is conducted in the context of the GIFT framework for intelligent tutoring, and the TC3Sim game-based simulation that provides training for first responder skills.

Competence-based and game-based capacity development for sustainable water management in Germany

Sustainable water management is one of humanity’s most important challenges—today and in the future. Germany does not face a significant water shortage problem, but it has three main challenges: protection of water quality, ensuring public water supply and public wastewater disposal, and protecting the public and infrastructure from floods. Capacity development is a key issue to overcome the challenges of water resources in any country including Germany. Engineers, technicians, and mechanics need to upgrade their knowledge on a regular basis to deal with the complex management and rapid technological developments. In order to create efficient training schemes, the Vocational Training Working Group of Global Water Partnership (GWP), part of the GWP Capacity Development Task Force, has worked on the definition of fundamental job profiles for the Water and Sanitation Sector (WASS). To cover all technical functions of the industrial water cycle, it was necessary to identify around thirty occupations. Then, a competence-based training approach was adopted. Additionally, an assessment approach was also developed based on comparing the level of competence of the workers to a standard level of competence for each job. The RWTH Aachen University with its partners have developed another game-based approach (SeCom2.0) based on serious gaming technology to enable water professionals dealing with flood risk management to be trained on different flood situations in a virtual environment. SeCom2.0 has three main components that are connected by a database layer. In addition to the serious games component, there is a collaboration component and a learning management system. For nearly 100 members from the flood competence centre (HochwasserKompetenzCentrum) in Cologne, Germany gave input to simulate the real flooding scenarios, and the learners will have to deal with a flood scenario by protecting the city in a given time and using a given resources and tools. This work concluded that both competence-based and game-based approaches could be significantly improved by blending both approaches. This will improve the process of training; for example, the competence-based approach can be enriched by using game-based simulation by introducing the trainees to a simulation of different technologies in water utilities. This can save resources and money and enrich the training. More importantly is modifying the game-based approach using the approach of competence-based to focus on specific competencies and to make use of the competence standards in its assessment component. The first section of this introduces and categorizes water challenges in Germany. In the second and third section, the two approaches are introduced in details. The competence-based approach is introduced to the WASS while the games-based to the flood risk management. Finally, a conclusion and recommendations are illustrated.

Elements Explaining Learning Clinical Reasoning Using Simulation Games

This article presents the findings on which elements in a game-based simulation affect learning clinical reasoning in nursing education. By using engaging gaming elements in virtual simulations and integrating the clinical reasoning process into game mechanics, games can enhance learning clinical reasoning and offer meaningful learning experiences. The study was designed to explore how nursing students experience gaming and learning when playing a simulation game, as well as which gaming elements explain learning clinical reasoning. The data was collected by questionnaire from nursing students (N = 166) in autumn 2014 over thirteen gaming sessions. The findings showed that usability, application of nursing knowledge, and exploration have the most impact on learning clinical reasoning when playing simulation games. Findings also revealed that authentic patient-related experiences, feedback, and reflection have an indirect effect on learning clinical reasoning. Based on these results, more efficient simulation games to improve clinical reasoning may be developed.

Virtual gaming to develop students' pediatric nursing skills: A usability test

BackgroundAs competition for specialty clinical placements increases, there is an urgent need to create safe, stimulating, alternative learning environments for students. ObjectiveTo address that clinical gap, our team developed a virtual game-based simulation to help nursing students develop their pediatric nursing skills. DesignA usability study was conducted using the Technology Acceptance Model as a research framework. Setting and ParticipantsThe study was conducted at a community college and included nursing students, nursing faculty/clinicians and two gaming experts. MethodsThe two experts evaluated the game using a heuristic checklist after playing the game. Participants engaged in a think-aloud activity while playing the game and completed a survey and interview based on the Technology Acceptance Model to explore ease of use and utility of the game. ResultsWe found a high degree of user satisfaction with the game. Students reported that they had learned about pediatric care, they had become immersed in the game and they were keen to keep playing. Several design changes were recommended. ConclusionUsability testing is critical in the early stages of simulation development and the study provided useful direction for the development team in the next stage of game development.

The Effects of Exercise-Induced Heat Stress on Cognitive Function Assessed Using Serious Game Technology.

Firefighting requires adequate cognition under heat stress to accurately make decisions, remain vigilant, and remember important locations within the fire scene. With emerging advancements in game technology, occupations such as the fire service have the potential to provide assessment and training tools using game-based simulations. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess aspects of cognitive function while exposed to exercise-induced heat stress using a serious game that simulates the task-level activities of an individual firefighter. METHODS: Ten male firefighters (height: 177.9 ± 1.7 cm, body mass: 89.8 ± 2.3 kg, percent body fat: 17.8 ± 1.6%, VO2peak: 44.5 ± 2.0 ml.kg-1.min-1) with a mean age of 39.4 ± 3.0 years and 15.3 ± 1.8 years of service participated in the study. Core temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate were continuously monitored and 5 mL.kg-1 of water was ingested throughout the protocol. Firefighters walked on a motorized treadmill at 4.5 km.h-1 and 2.5% grade, in a climate chamber controlled at 35 °C and 50% relative humidity for 74.4 ± 5.0 min. Cognitive function was tested using the Firefighter Task-Level serious game (FFTL), a computerized simulation of a two-story residential house fire. The FFTL was designed to incorporate 5 scenes in order to have participants complete them at differing levels of Tcore: i) scene 1 (cog 1, initial Tcore), ii) scene 2 (cog 2, 37.9°C), iii) scene 3 (cog 3, 38.2°C), iv) scene 4 (cog 4, 38.5°C), and v) scene 5 (cog 5, 37.8°C) following active cooling recovery. RESULTS: Post-hoc analyses indicated that the time to search the 2 rooms at cog 4 (61.1 ± 4.6 s) was significantly longer than room 3 (35.0 ± 5.4 s) at cog 3 but not different than room 1 or 2. Cog 5 showed a significant decrease in memory recall relative to cog 1 (-19.8 ± 6.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that performance was not impaired during an exercise-induced heat stress protocol assessed using a serious game but room search time was prolonged at 38.5°C (cog 4). However, following an active cooling recovery regimen, memory recall was impaired compared to initial performance. The presence of long-term memory impairments may be troubling for subsequent incidents or during fire scene investigation following the emergency. This research was supported by the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba.

Ethics teaching in rehabilitation: results of a pan-Canadian workshop with occupational and physical therapy educators

Purpose: Ethical practice is an essential competency for occupational and physical therapists. However, rehabilitation educators have few points of reference for choosing appropriate pedagogical and evaluation methods related to ethics. The objectives of this study were to: (1) identify priority content to cover in ethics teaching in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) programmes and (2) explore useful and innovative teaching and evaluation methods.Method: Data for this qualitative descriptive study were collected during a 1-d knowledge exchange workshop focused on ethics teaching in rehabilitation.Results: Twenty-three educators from 11 OT and 11 PT Canadian programmes participated in the workshop. They highlighted the importance of teaching foundational theoretical/philosophical approaches and grounding this teaching in concrete examples drawn from rehabilitation practice. A wide range of teaching methods was identified, such as videos, blogs, game-based simulations and role-play. For evaluation, participants used written assignments, exams, objective structured clinical examinations and reflective journals. The inclusion of opportunities for student self-evaluation was viewed as important.Conclusion: The CREW Day provided ethics educators the opportunity to share knowledge and begin creating a community of practice. This space for dialogue could be expanded to international rehabilitation ethics educators, to facilitate a broader network for sharing of tacit and experiential knowledge.Implications for RehabilitationAccording to the study participants, rehabilitation ethics education should include learning about foundational knowledge related to ethical theory; be grounded in examples and cases drawn from clinical rehabilitation practice; and contribute to building professional competencies such as self-knowledge and critical thinking in students.Regardless of the methods used by occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) educators for teaching and evaluation, the value of creating spaces that support open discussion for students (e.g. protected discussion time in class, peer-discussions with the help of a facilitator, use of a web discussion forum) was consistently identified as an important facet.Educators from OT and PT programmes should work with various professionals involved in OT and PT student training across the curricula (e.g. clinical preceptors, other educators) to extend discussions of how ethics can be better integrated into the curriculum outside of sessions specifically focused on ethics.The CREW Day workshop was the first opportunity for Canadian rehabilitation ethics educators to meet and discuss their approaches to teaching and evaluating ethics for OT and PT students. Including international rehabilitation ethics educators in this dialogue could positively expand on this initial dialogue by facilitating the sharing of tacit and experiential knowledge amongst a larger and more diverse group of ethics educators.

Nursing students’ experiential learning processes using an online 3D simulation game

The growing use of game-based simulation in healthcare education reflects the opportunities afforded to learners by serious games, which simulate real-world situations and enable students to emulate the roles of healthcare professionals in a safe and engaging learning environment. As part of a design-based research project to design, test, and evaluate an online 3D simulation game for use in game-based simulation in healthcare education, the present study applied Kolb's experiential learning theory to investigate nursing students' experiential learning processes during a 3D simulation game. The data, collected from eight nursing students, comprised audio and video recordings from gaming sessions and focus group interviews. The results indicate that in 3D simulation game, patient-related experiences were supported by audiovisual authenticity, the authenticity of scenarios, and interactivity. Feedback triggered students to reflect on their own learning processes. Students conceptualised knowledge by applying nursing theory, and they internalised procedures that can be used in real life. They also had an opportunity to experiment by exploring and making decisions in the gaming environment. One of the main issues arising from these findings is that 3D simulation games used in game-based simulation should share familiar characteristics of leisure games to ensure an engaging learning experience.

Toward a Framework for Learning and Digital Games Research

Digital environments, serious games, video games, and game-based simulations continue to expand as foundations (e.g., Quest2Learn schools in New York City and Chicago) and adjuncts (e.g., River Cit...

Simulating the Interaction of a Renewable Portfolio Standard with Electricity and Carbon Markets

The authors ran a game-based simulation of an electricity market with both an RPS and a cap-and-trade market for greenhouse gas emissions allowances. High renewable energy shares reduced and shifted the output of thermal units and pushed down both electricity and carbon prices. The markets for renewable energy, carbon allowances, and spot and forward electricity interacted in complex ways that are relevant to the behavior of actual markets.

The instructional power of game-based learning and simulation in a K-12 school in the Tehran, Iran

Psychologists have often emphasized the need to incorporate games into the school curriculum as a way of providing with learners opportunities to develop in all aspects of the curriculum. Accordingly, these games offer learners an avenue to release their mental tension resulting from rigorous academic engagement. Previous studies have also indicated that the learning process can be made more enjoyable for learners, when games are incorporated into the learning process. This study examined the instructional power of game-based learning and simulation in a K-12 setting and sought to provide insight as to whether game-based learning would be an emphatic method that could be used for teaching and learning. Many scholars have argued that game-based learning stirs up a sense of motivation on the side of learners regarding their learning process. Therefore, this study explored the distinct features of game-based learning which learners consider to be interesting/absorbing. The findings of this study showed that the use of game-based learning as an instruction method is very effective in the teaching and learning process. It has the ability to engage and provoke learners' interests. Besides, its experimental nature allows learners to participate fully in the class work. This means that teachers need to design teaching content that incorporates games since the latter provide a practical learning approach which helps learners to memorize most of the content learn. The study also recommends that educators tasked with designing and developing the curriculum should emphasize the importance of instructional methods that allow teachers to incorporate games into the teaching content.

Supporting Student Veterans: Utilizing Game-Based Role-Plays with Virtual Humans to Build Military Cultural Competency and Helping Behaviors in Faculty and Staff

Veterans and military service members enter the classroom with valuable life and leadership experience; however, transitioning to student life represents unique challenges. Like the larger veteran population, student veterans may bring to campus the negative aftereffects of their combat experiences in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress, substance abuse, depression, and thoughts of suicide. To better support and retain the nation’s growing number of student veterans, higher-education institutions are beginning to train faculty and staff to more effectively understand and meet the needs of student veteran populations. This study examines the impact of a new and innovative game-based virtual training simulation where users role-play with emotionally responsive virtual student veterans to understand the unique value veterans bring to campus, the obstacles they face in their pursuit of a college degree, effective tactics for managing challenging conversations and the best practices for connecting student veterans exhibiting signs of psychological distress with appropriate support services. Longitudinal data showed significant (p

The Instructional Power of Game-Based Learning and Simulation in a K-12 school in the Tehran, Iran

Psychologists have often emphasized the need to incorporate games into the school curriculum as a way of providing with learners opportunities to develop in all aspects of the curriculum. Accordingly, these games offer learners an avenue to release their mental tension resulting from rigorous academic engagement. Previous studies have also indicated that the learning process can be made more enjoyable for learners, when games are incorporated into the learning process. This study examined the instructional power of game-based learning and simulation in a K-12 setting and sought to provide insight as to whether game-based learning would be an emphatic method that could be used for teaching and learning. Many scholars have argued that game-based learning stirs up a sense of motivation on the side of learners regarding their learning process. Therefore, this study explored the distinct features of game-based learning which learners consider to be interesting/absorbing. The findings of this study showed that the use of game-based learning as an instruction method is very effective in the teaching and learning process. It has the ability to engage and provoke learners' interests. Besides, its experimental nature allows learners to participate fully in the class work. This means that teachers need to design teaching content that incorporates games since the latter provide a practical learning approach which helps learners to memorize most of the content learn. The study also recommends that educators tasked with designing and developing the curriculum should emphasize the importance of instructional methods that allow teachers to incorporate games into the teaching content.

From Simulation to Imitation

Background We contend that a conceptual conflation of simulation and imitation persists at the heart of claims for the power of game-based simulations for learning. Recent changes in controller-technologies and gaming systems, we argue, make this conflation of concepts more readily apparent, and its significant educational implications more evident. Aim This article examines the evolution in controller technologies of imitation that support players’ embodied competence, rather than players’ ability to simulate such competence. Digital gameplay undergoes an epistemological shift when player and game interactions are no longer restricted to simulations of actions on a screen, but instead support embodied imitation as a central element of gameplay. We interrogate the distinctive meanings and affordances of simulation and imitation and offer a critical conceptual strategy for refining, and indeed redefining, what counts as learning in and from digital games. Method We draw upon actor-network theory to identify what is educationally significant about the digitally mediated learning ecologies enabled by imitation-based gaming consoles and controllers. Actor-network theory helps us discern relations between human actors and technical artifacts, illuminating the complex inter-dependencies and inter-actions of the socio-technical support networks too long overlooked in androcentric theories of human action and cognitive psychology. Conclusion By articulating distinctions between simulation and imitation, we show how imitative practices afforded by mimetic game controllers and next-generation motion-capture technologies offer a different picture of learning through playing digital games, and suggest novel and productive avenues for research and educational practice.

A Game-based Approach to Understand Human Factors in Supply Chains and Quality Management

Quality management is an important function for viable production networks. In order to qualify decision makers to understand the fundamental principles of quality management in production networks, a game-based simulation and learning environment is developed, which can furthermore be used to understand how human factors influence the quality of decisions in complex production networks. Previous studies have shown that underlying factors must exist, which predict the players’ performance. It is currently unexplored, which factors are contributing to high performance. To deeper investigate which human factors are critical for supply chain success and to further refine the quality management game a series of studies were examined. As expected, expertise had a great impact on performance, however contrary to the expectations cognitive skills had none. The refined decision dashboard, with seamlessly integrated self-adapting visualizations on key performance indicators, had a significant positive impact on game performance. The studies suggest that the developed game is a valuable contribution for the qualification of quality managers, as the quality of decision increased.

A Game-Based Simulation Utilizing Virtual Humans to Train Physicians to Screen and Manage the Care of Patients with Mental Health Disorders.

Every year, one in four American adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder, yet most of them go untreated, creating a significant public health challenge. This challenge is compounded by large-scale disasters, which can cause an influx of primary care patients presenting with physical symptoms that mask mental health disorders. Primary care providers (PCPs) are usually the first point of contact for those patients; thus there exist crucial opportunities to detect and address nonphysical disorders in primary care settings that would improve patient outcomes and quality of care. Unfortunately, many PCPs view mental health as separate from the services that they provide, and the majority of them have received little training during or after medical or nursing school about risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options. To help integrate behavioral health into primary care, Kognito Interactive developed "At-Risk in Primary Care," an online game-based simulation that integrates role-play conversations with virtual humans to train PCPs to screen patients for mental health disorders, perform brief behavioral interventions using motivational interviewing (MI), refer patients, and integrate behavioral health into their treatment while building patients' intrinsic motivation to adhere to it. Preliminary findings on the implementation of this game in New York City show significant increases in skill and motivation to screen patients, conduct behavioral interventions, and refer patients to specialized care. These results show the promise of innovative technology-based solutions to integrate mental health training in primary care.

Playing with Biology

Game-based medical simulations differ from other training modalities in that life processes must be simulated as part of the experience. Biological fidelity is the degree to which character anatomical appearance and physiology behavior are represented within a game or simulation. Methods to achieve physiological fidelity include computational physiology engines, complex state machines, simple state machines and kinetic models. Traditional games also employ health scores that can also be employed for medical gaming. The selection of technique to is dependent upon the goals of the simulation, the types of input expected of the user, the amount of development work possible and the level of fidelity required. Apparent biological fidelity, responsiveness to user inputs and the ability to correct mistakes is often more important than actual biological fidelity.