Knowra Serious game Serious game A game designed primarily to support goals such as education, training, health, or public engagement, rather than entertainment alone. It uses game features to create an experience tied to those goals.
Game mechanics : Rules and interaction patterns that shape what players can do and what follows from their actions. Points, choices, and constraints turn the intended learning or training task into play.
Educational game : A game designed to teach or reinforce knowledge and skills. Education is one of the most common purposes for serious games.
The Art of Game Design : A book by Chris Crawford, first published in 1982, about the design of interactive games. Crawford’s work helped frame games as systems that could serve purposes beyond amusement.
Entertainment game : A game designed primarily to provide enjoyment and recreation. Its primary purpose differs, though entertainment games can also teach or inform.
Game-based learning effectiveness : The extent to which learning through games improves knowledge, skills, or performance. Evidence of learning gains determines whether a serious game succeeds educationally.
Experiential learning : Learning through direct experience, reflection, and the application of lessons to new situations. Serious games let players act, observe consequences, and reconsider their strategies.
Simulation training : Training that uses a simulated environment to let people practice tasks and decisions. Serious games can provide repeatable practice without real-world risk.
Serious Games Initiative : A project launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2002 to promote games for public policy and education. Its name helped popularize serious games as a distinct design and research area.
Gamification : The use of game-design elements in non-game activities or systems. Gamification adds game features to another activity; a serious game is itself a game.
Transfer of learning : The application of knowledge or skills learned in one setting to a different setting. A game’s lessons matter most when they carry over to real tasks.
Show all 25