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Project Member
Sara de Freitas
Project Partners
Vega Group,TruSim (Blitz Games)
Birkbeck, University of London,
University of Birmingham,
University of Sheffield
Project Details
Funder:†UK Department of Trade and Industry: Collaborative Research and Development
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Serious Games ñ Engaging Training Solutions
The aim of this DTI project is to investigate the application of skills and technology used in video games to create more effective training solutions. The partners that will deliver this project include UK's premier computer games company, TruSim (a division of Blitz Games), one of the UK's leading learning companies, VEGA Group PLC and three leading research universities, University of Birmingham, University of London and University of Sheffield including leading experts in game-based learning and human factors.
The DTI project continues until June 2009 and has the following objectives:
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To define an effective and efficient process for selecting and developing serious games;
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To publish significant research output related to serious games development that is seen to be innovative;
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To produce a minimum of three serious games prototypes for a minimum of three clients from different sectors each prototype addressing a learning need that helps solve a priority business problem. One of these prototypes will be a multiplayer game to address a team-based training need.†
We believe that there are a number of key research questions that need to be answered before cutting-edge video games technology becomes an effective learning tool.
We need to be sure that we preserve a sound pedagogic approach to the definition of the learning whilst we strive to embrace the engagement that the technology undoubtedly offers. We therefore merge the learning design process with the game design process.
We must also ensure that the technology that we use is appropriate to its target audience from the human factors design perspective and will conduct trials in this area. Our research team includes a number of stakeholders from the potential user community to access user feedback.
Finally, it is important that we are able to measure the effectiveness of games technology in delivering learning so that we can develop a set of processes that enable us to predict where, when and how games are the best solution.
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