‘We learn through play’: How video games are getting serious
‘We learn through play’: How video games are getting serious
‘We learn through play’: How video games are getting serious
April 10, 2022
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Summary
Australian computer developers are creating a new generation of "Serious games" that go beyond Mario and Minecraft, providing public health messaging, mental health support and awareness campaigns.
Serious games are being used widely including in adult education, public health messaging and testing, mental health support, and awareness campaigns.
In recognition of the accelerating trend, there has been a serious games category at the Australian Game Developer Awards since 2019.
Advertisement "Serious games mean a much wider market, both locally and internationally," Mr Curry said, "We know that the [federal] government and state governments at the moment are offering incentives and offsets to attract businesses and talent in Australia to do game development. That will be a multiplier when we look at serious games." A screenshot from Sound Scouts, a hearing test for ages 4 sponsored by the Australian Department of Health.
While some studios specialise in serious games, such as Chaos Theory Games, for others it is an additional business opportunity.
"If you test a five-year-old with that method, you get a lot of false positives, where you're told you have an issue and you don't because they stop concentrating." Mark McMahon, a professor in games & interactive design at Edith Cowan University, said the rise of serious games partly reflected the fact people have shorter attention spans.
Homegrown 'serious games' PlayED: lets teachers customise games.
Reference
Fitzsimmons, C. (2022, April 10). 'we learn through play': How video games are getting serious. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/video-games/we-learn-through-play-how-video-games-are-getting-serious-20220322-p5a6rx.html