Serious Gaming

Software assets are key output of the RAGE project and they can be used by applied game developers to enhance the pedagogical and educational value of their games. These software assets cover a broad spectrum of functionalities – from player analytics including emotion detection to intelligent adaptation and social gamification. In order to facilitate integration and interoperability, all of these assets adhere to a common model, which describes their properties through a set of metadata. In this paper the RAGE asset model and asset metadata model is presented, capturing the detail of assets and their potential usage within three distinct dimensions – technological, gaming and pedagogical. The paper highlights key issues and challenges in constructing the RAGE asset and asset metadata model and details the process and design of a flexible metadata editor that facilitates both adaptation and improvement of the asset metadata model.

Digital games are an important class of eHealth interventions in diabetes, made possible by the Internet and a good range of affordable mobile devices (eg, mobile phones and tablets) available to consumers these days. Gamifying disease management can help children, adolescents, and adults with diabetes to better cope with their lifelong condition. Gamification and social in-game components are used to motivate players/patients and positively change their behavior and lifestyle. In this paper, we start by presenting the main challenges facing people with diabetes-children/adolescents and adults-from a clinical perspective, followed by three short illustrative examples of mobile and desktop game apps and platforms designed by Ayogo Health, Inc. (Vancouver, BC, Canada) for type 1 diabetes (one example) and type 2 diabetes (two examples). The games target different age groups with different needs-children with type 1 diabetes versus adults with type 2 diabetes. The paper is not meant to be an exhaustive review of all digital game offerings available for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but rather to serve as a taster of a few of the game genres on offer today for both types of diabetes, with a brief discussion of (1) some of the underpinning psychological mechanisms of gamified digital interventions and platforms as self-management adherence tools, and more, in diabetes, and (2) some of the hypothesized potential benefits that might be gained from their routine use by people with diabetes. More research evidence from full-scale evaluation studies is needed and expected in the near future that will quantify, qualify, and establish the evidence base concerning this gamification potential, such as what works in each age group/patient type, what does not, and under which settings and criteria.

Japan is a super-aging society, one marked by a steadily silvering population and shrinking birthrates. Social effects range from a decline in intergenerational homes to new tensions between the generations as elders delay retirement or return to work. Towards improving relations between the generations, two versions of an inclusive, intergenerational game employing "shared action," or time-movement synchrony, were developed: a finger-based version inspired by medical exercise technology from gerontology and a smart shoe-based version as a familiar form factor. A series of three exploratory studies were conducted with young Japanese adults and elders. Findings suggest that the foot version was most suitable overall and reveal initial, complex effects of age and gender on empathy measures that can inform affective computing initiatives within and beyond the cultural milieu of modern Japan.

This  paper  examines  the  development  of  a  business  simulation  game
for training and education in the area of supply chain management. The paper be-
gins  by identifying  the need  for  an  apparatus  that  could  be  used  in  many disci-
plines, minimising the learning time with regard to the simulator with reasonable
parameterisation, followed by a brief conclusion about the available games. Fidel-
ity and embodied experiences are needs that are effectively detected in the design
process, demonstrating the relevance of these aspects. One topic of interest is that
the effects of the main functions of management (marketing, finance, and produc-
tion) were minimised in this game to make decisions on logistics with higher rele-
vance. This paper describes the process that was used to design the simulator and
draws the first  conclusions about  interface,  usability,  technical  functionality and
potential adoption in an educational context.

This presentation was designed for the EU's Joint Research Centre Knowledge for Growth (KfG) Unit. It provides an overview of recent foresight gaming projects undertaken by CPPFS and HRCFS in Hawaii, Singapore, Tonga, Macedonia, and Iceland.

Abstract

In Digital Game-Based Learning (2007), Marc Prensky defines the generation as " digital natives " , who spent time using computers and smart-devices and grew up mostly in a human-computer interaction. In addition, Prensky claims that that interaction changed the way of cognition and learning of digital natives by presenting information in a visual-based information network, allowing students to gather data by hyperlinking this information, and rewarding them as a response to their performance. On the contrary, the conventional education system presents a stable, text-dominant information stream which disregards the needs of pupils.Consequently, Prensky suggests that the conventional education system should be adapted to the evolution of digital natives as recent learners. Moreover, he states that the digital game-based learning approach and video games are significant opportunities for this adaptation process and recent research and experimental studies approve the idea of using video game for educational purposes. This research aims to develop a virtual learning environment to facilitate and motivate the learning of landscape construction and grading topics by performing tasks in a video game-like environment. For that purpose, a three-dimensional virtual environment was set up using the OpenSimulator software. Afterwards, a learning scenario was created in accordance with the curriculum of these topics and simulated in this virtual environment by using 2D and 3D visual representations of tex-tual information. The learning scenario was based on a series of tasks beginning with introductory missions and progressively getting more difficult and requiring more specific information to assist students in developing their knowledge and skills. Moreover, a feedback module was programmed for simulating the effects of their decisions and providing essential information and guidance to students for producing and optimizing solutions in encountered problems. In conclusion, an experimental study was conducted to measure the instructional and motivational effects of the proposed virtual learning environment with 16 undergraduate students as part of " Landscape Construction 1 " course in Istanbul Technical University. The findings showed that the proposed virtual learning environment increased the learning motivation of subjects and raised the learning rate of subjects by 53.14 percent.

Özet
Marc Prensky, Digital Game-Based Learning (2007) kitabında bilgisayar teknolojileri ve akıllı ci-hazları kullanarak ve yoğun olarak bilgisayar-insan etkileşimi içerisinde büyüyen nesli " sayısal yerliler " (digital natives) olarak tanımlamaktadır. Prensky, bu neslin bilgisayar arayüzü ile kur-dukları etkileşimin beyin ve algı yapısının yanı sıra, bireylerin öğrenme yollarını tümüyle değiş-tirdiğini belirtmiştir. Bu değişimin neticesinde, bu neslin yazılı bilgiden ziyade görselleştirilmiş bilgiyi okuyarak, bilgi ağları arasında köprüler yardımıyla seçimler doğrultusunda ilerleyerek ve öğrenme sürecinde ödüllendirilerek öğrenmeye yatkın olduklarını belirtmiştir. Ayrıca, yazı odaklı bilginin baskın olduğu, durağan ve öğrencinin pasif rol aldığı mevcut eğitim sisteminin bu neslin ihtiyaçlarına cevap veremediğini ve bu değişime uyum sağlamasının gerekliliğini savunmuştur. Bu araştırmanın amacı, peyzaj mimarlığı eğitim müfredatında yer alan peyzaj konstrüksiyonu ve tesviye konularının öğrenimini teşvik eden ve kolaylaştıran işbirlikçi çalışmaya elverişli bir sanal öğrenme ortamı oluşturmaktır. Bu amaçla, OpenSimulator yazılımı kullanılarak bir üç boyutlu sanal ortam kurulmuştur. Sanal ortam içerisinde, peyzaj mimarlığı eğitiminde önemli role sa-hip peyzaj konstrüksiyonu ve tesviye konularının öğrenilmesini kolaylaştırmak amacıyla eğitim müfredatı bilgilerinin iki ve üç boyutlu görsel temsilleri oluşturulmuştur. Ardından, öğrencile-rin öğrenme sürecindeki hakimiyetinin arttırılması ve öğrenime teşvik edilmesi amacıyla eğitim müfredatı basit ve göreceli tanımlamalardan başlayarak kademeli olarak zorlaşan oyun-tabanlı görevlere dönüştürülmüştür. Bu sayede öğrencilerin karmaşık kavram ve problemleri algılamak için yeterli bilgi ve beceri birikimini kazanmaları amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırmanın diğer bir amacı da, öğrencileri konu hakkında bilgilendirip, ardından bilgi düzeyini ölçmekten ziyade, öğrenci-lere gerekli uzmanlık alanı hakkında sağlam bir bilgi yapısı oluşturmaktır. Bu amaçla, öğrenciler sanal ortamda verilen görevleri tamamlarken, verdikleri kararlara ilişkin geribildirimler aracı-lığıyla hem bilgilendirilmekte hem de çözüm önerisi geliştirme veya iyileştirme sürecinde öğ-rencilere rehberlik eden bir modül programlanmıştır. Son olarak, araştırma kapsamında geliş-tirilen model önerisinin güdüsel ve öğretici etkilerini değerlendirmek amacıyla İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi'nde peyzaj konstrüksiyonu 1 dersi kapsamında lisans düzeyindeki 16 öğrencinin gönüllü katılımı ile bir deneysel çalışma yürütülmüştür. Bulgular doğrultusunda, tez kapsamın-da geliştirilen model önerisi katılımcıların sorularını doğru yanıtlama ortalamasını 53,14% art-tırmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Peyzaj mimarlığı eğitimi, bilgisayar destekli eğitim, sanal öğrenme ortamları, oyun-tabanlı öğrenme.

Resumen: El artículo aborda el problema de la banalización con la que a veces se percibe el uso de técnicas e instrumentos gamificados en educación, desde una triple perspectiva: banalización de las técnicas en sí, banalización del objeto de estudio y banalización del proceso discente.

Business trade is a very complex process and maritime students should acknowledge this complexity and understand various different components of the process and the interactions among them. Considering this complexity, teaching college students about the international trade can be a demanding and expansive process within the traditional learning context. Developments in instructional strategies helped educators to enhance learning environments with games and simulations providing students with enduring and in-depth learning experiences. The learning experiences included realistic trade scenario allowing students to simulate the process and explore possible results of their actions during the game. The conversations used during the game were derived from real business environment helping students to realize how their classroom learning was connected to actual international trade environment during this activity. The purpose of this research was to observe the effects of business simulation game on maritime business students' understanding of international trade process. The study design was a single group experimental and participants were consisted of 59 undergraduate maritime business school students studying in two Turkish universities. The data was collected through a Business Trade Simulation scale designed for this study. The results of the study illustrated that international trade game enhanced participants' knowledge and skills about international trade and students' motivation toward the game as well.

(in press). In S. Tettegah & W. (D.) Huang. Emotions, Technology, and Games. New York: Elsevier. (Will be freely available for download through open access in October, 2015).
ABSTRACT.
Summary
This case study challenges the assumption that successful game-based learning requires flow experience. Analysis of player logs of gameplay behavior and self-reports of subjective experience (the experience sampling method adapted as the Flowometer with self-perceptions categorized through the channel model as flow, arousal, anxiety, worry, apathy, intrinsic motivation, boredom, routine expertise, control) establish that challenge often exceeds skill during the type of inquiry-based learning that occurs when instructional games scaffold player discovery and application of targeted concepts. This pattern persists when integrated game dashboards allow players to define and achieve expertise. The analysis follows three players during their trajectories toward expertise while playing the online instructional video game Selene: A Lunar Construction GaME: an undergraduate female (USA Midwest university) before and after she achieved an “aha!” learning moment, and two Spanish (non-USA, female and male, 15-year-old) players who used the game and dashboard to achieve expert status for targeted planetary geology concepts achieved by only 1% of Selene players (players = 3882). Theory and data suggest perceived experience during game-based learning (states such as anxiety, worry, and arousal) might be conceptualized as eustress, which is known to accompany successful adaptation.

How may we find new and engaging solutions for access to, and the application of, digital photo archives? Digitized collections continue to be relatively unused and unexploited, despite formidable investments over several decades. Innovation in design and implementation could open the way to a plethora of new techniques for the display and dissemination of digitized resources. In this paper, we explore some new and potentially valuable techniques to enhance use of digitized historical photographs by combining (mobile) Augmented Reality (AR) with elements of gameplay (gamification). To make the design practical, we drew from features found in common 'analogue' games such as the jigsaw puzzle and the 'Hot & Cold' game. In addition to this experimental design for a ‘Photo Positioning Puzzle’, the application includes a dynamic 3D–reconstruction of an historic city square (Raekoja Plats in Old Narva, Estonia), as well as an information layer for access to background information, including additional historical photos and online resources. The system has been tested and assessed by users on location. Our conclusion is that the presented ‘Photo Positioning Puzzle’ and its integration with other forms of mobile AR functionality was successful, and should have general value and suitability for additional historical places with corresponding photo collections and archived documentation.

In this chapter, the author presents a theoretical model for the study of how persuasive messages can be conveyed through digital games. The objective of developing this new theoretical model is to make visible how persuasiveness can be structured within digital games and to help identify specific aspects of persuasive games that might not be obvious to the naked eye, by giving them order and intelligibility. This model may facilitate the study and implementation of persuasive strategies within advergames from a new and specific perspective. In the first part of the chapter, the author justifies the reasons why the author has chosen to work with a theoretical model. In the second part, the author describes the three characteristics that define these theoretical models and present the new theoretical model as well as a visual representation of it.

This paper presents a study called the Energy Battle, a game aimed at encouraging home occupants to save energy. Twenty student-households were provided with direct feedback and an online platform with energy feedback over time, ranking of the competing teams, tips and a game. The study showed that the game context strongly influenced the motivation to save energy. Overall, savings averaged 24%, with the highest savings level at 45%. Directly after completion of the Energy Battle, energy consumption increased among most of the households, although consumption levels tended to stay below the baseline measurement level taken before the Energy Battle. Follow-up interviews indicated that some of the behaviours developed in the game had transformed into habits. A game such as the Energy Battle appears to provide a powerful means to stimulate energy saving in the short term. The potential to achieve long term effects appears possible, however further research is required to understand long-term implications for an Energy Battle game.

Interest in using digital games for formal education has steadily increased in the past decades. When it comes to actual use, however, the uptake of games in the classroom remains limited. Using a contextual approach, the possible influence of factors on a school (N = 60) and teacher (N = 409) level are analyzed. Findings indicate that there is no effect of factors on the school level whereas on a teacher level, a model is tested, explaining 68% of the variance in behavioral intention, in which curriculum-relatedness and previous experience function as crucial determinants of the adoption intention. These findings add to previous research on adoption determinants related to digital games in formal education. Furthermore, they provide insight into the relations between different adoption determinants and their association with behavioral intention.

The increasing prevalence of the internet in the lives of young children implies a change in the way information is accessed, selected, valued and consumed. Information transferred online differs from information disseminated through traditional media in content and composition as well as the associated user experience. Current circumstances of Internet use amongst children can lead to information obesity, defined by Andrew Whitworth as "a failure to convert information into knowledge and thus use it to sustain our minds, bodies, lives and communities". (Whitworth qtd. in Brown, 168)

Objective: Competitive exercise games are popular in areas like rehabilitation and weight loss due to their positive effects on motivation. However, it is unclear whether a human opponent is necessary, as the same benefits may be achievable with a ''human-like'' computer-controlled opponent or a human who talks to the player without playing the game. Our objective was to compare four opponent types in a competitive exercise game: a simple computer opponent, ''human-like'' computer opponent, human opponent, and a simple computer opponent accompanied by a player-selected human who chats with the player. Materials and Methods: Sixteen participants (3 women, 24.4-7.7 years old) played a competitive arm exercise game in the above four conditions. Exercise intensity was measured with inertial sensors, and four motivation scales were measured with the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. After playing, participants answered several questions regarding their preferences. Results: The human opponent was the favorite for 14 of 16 participants and resulted in the highest interest/ enjoyment and exercise intensity. All participants preferred the human opponent over the computer opponent accompanied by a human companion. Finally, 12 of 16 participants preferred the ''human-like'' computer opponent over the simple one. Conclusion: Our results have two implications for competitive exercise games. First, they indicate that developing computer-controlled opponents with more human-like behavior is worthwhile, but that the best results are achieved with human opponents. Second, social interaction without in-game interaction does not provide an enjoyable, intense experience. However, our results should be verified with different target populations for exercise games.

Video games represent one of the most popular forms of digital entertainment , but people who are blind or visually impaired end up having restricted access to these games. Discussions about digital accessibility and inclusion often end up leaving this question aside, in favor of some discourse considered more "utilitarian" or "productivist". However, video games have a relevant role in contemporary culture and can bring cognitive, motivational, emotional , and social benefits, as well as contribute to the well-being of their players. Audiogames are a specific type of digital game that have sound and sometimes tactile stimuli as their central element, rather than visual graphics. Thus, audiogames can create atmosphere, mechanics, and unique gameplay, while making digital entertainment more accessible to people with all levels of vision. It is also necessary to consider (and charge) the need for other types of digital games to comply with accessibility guidelines and to guarantee the right to play for everyone. Digital games that promote universal design and that are capable of captivating their players can ensure that people with different levels of vision can interact, collaborate, and even compete on equal terms with the same game-a situation that can not always be observed in other everyday situations.

Metaphorics in Polish political browser games pictures the browser games in the development process. The Reader learns about them as the metaphors of the political processes taking place in Poland in the years 2005-2013. The applications analyzed in this elaboration contain scenarios visualizing the processes, their reasons, courses and consequences. They also picture the role played in them by political actors, resembling the real-life politicians, imaged in the game’s world, or the so-called typical heroes – politicians seen as generalized characters that cannot be given names or surnames. The browser games of this type are not developments featuring contents that the Reader would find in manuals dwelling on political theory and political systems. No one will become a political scientist even after playing dozens of games. They provide a moving commentary by the Internet community on the current situation at a given time and place and to the realities of the life of individuals and societies.


W Metaforyce polskich politycznych gier przeglądarkowych przedstawiam gry przeglądarkowe w procesie rozwojowym. Czytelnik poznaje je jako metafory procesów politycznych zachodzących w Polsce w latach 2005-2013. Aplikacje analizowane w tej książce zawierają scenariusze wizualizujące owe procesy, ich przyczyny, przebieg i konsekwencje. Obrazują też rolę, jaką odgrywają w nich aktorzy polityczni przypominający realnie istniejących polityków, odwzorowywanych w świecie gry, albo tzw. bohaterów typu – polityków postrzeganych jako postaci uogólnione, których nie sposób nazwać rzeczywistymi imionami i nazwiskami. Gry przeglądarkowe tego rodzaju nie są jednak wytworami zawierającymi treści, które Czytelnik znajdzie w podręcznikach traktujących o teorii polityki czy o systemach politycznych. Po ukończeniu kilku, a nawet kilkudziesięciu gier nie stanie się politologiem. Są to bowiem poruszające świadomość komentarze społeczności internetowej do aktualnej w danym czasie i miejscu sytuacji i do realiów życia jednostek i społeczeństw.

To have sustainable societies, we need to accelerate the energy transition towards clean energy solutions, however, awareness and understanding of the process is still limited, especially among young people. In addition, the topic has mainly been approached from an engineering angle, ignoring the social challenges: lack of public support for solar farms and large wind turbines could stop the need to act. An optimal balance considering the point of view from all parties involved is out of sight without a focus on social structures and a dialogue among all parties. In this context, universities have a critical role to play: these institutions build capacity through the development of new knowledge, new understanding and new insights, and can therefore provide effective solutions to complex societal challenges. In search of innovative approaches to reach young people, whose communicative paradigm has become more interactive and participatory, the use of serious gaming in formal education is gaining attention among scholars and practitioners: they can foster skills and abilities, contribute to content development of complex issues by integrating insights from different disciplines, and permit learning experiences that are not possible in real life. In this paper, we introduce "We-Energy Game", which aims to create understanding on the urgency and complexities in the provision of affordable energy from renewable sources for an entire town. During the game, players negotiate, from their respective roles, which energy source they want to employ and on which location, with the goal to make a village or city energy neutral. Then, we present findings from a pre-test and posttest completed by a hundred university students in The Netherlands to analyze the effects of the game on players awareness and understanding. Results reveal positive outcomes on awareness, as well as understanding of the complexity of energy transition and the importance (and difficulty) of collaboration among stakeholders.

The adoption and the effectiveness of game-based learning depend largely on the acceptance by classroom teachers, as they can be considered the true change agents of the schools. Therefore, we need to understand teachers' perceptions and beliefs that underlie their decision-making processes. The present study focuses on the factors that influence the acceptance of commercial video games as learning tools in the classroom. A model for describing the acceptance and predicting the uptake of commercial games by secondary school teachers is suggested. Based on data gathered from 505 teachers, the model is tested and evaluated. The results are then linked to previous research in the domains of technology acceptance and game-based learning.

This paper it is offered as a roadmap and guide to the researchers and game developers approaching brain-controlled game. It reviews advancement made to date in this area considering the approach, techniques, tools and methods used to play games via a brain computer interface and address some of the challenges that such systems need to overcome to be able to replace the traditions input method

Simulation and gaming have emerged as promising tools in the context of crisis management, providing dynamic environments for education and research. In 1997, the Journal of Contingencies
and Crisis Management devoted a special issue to simulation and gaming; this article reviews developments in crisis management simulation and gaming published in the journal since. Following the framework used in Faria et. al’s (2009) review of simulation and gaming in the business context, this article is structured to provide a brief history of crisis management simulations and games, and the changing technology employed in their development and use. Further, the changes in why they are used and the current state of crisis management simulation and gaming are also discussed. Finally, research gaps and areas for future research are proposed.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of research and pedagogical experimentation relating to the uses of technology in second and foreign language education. The majority of this research has usefully described and examined the efficacy of in-class and directly classroom-related uses of technology. Many important and consistently corroborated findings have emerged from this literature (for recent reviews, see Chun, 2008; Kern, 2006; Kern, Ware, & Warschauer, 2004; Thorne, 2008a; Thorne & Payne, 2005). This article broadens the scope of inquiry to include second and foreign language-related uses of technology that extend into the interstitial spaces between instructed L2 contexts and entirely out-of-school, non-institutional realms of freely chosen digital engagement. Two demographically and sociologically significant phenomena are examined in detail; the first focuses on participation in Internet interest communities such as fan fiction and virtual diaspora community spaces; the second describes a continuum of 3-D graphically rendered virtual environments and online games. A review of research in each of these areas reveals extended periods of language socialization into sophisticated communicative practices and demonstrates the salience of creative expression and language use as tools for identity development and management. In the final section of the article, we suggest a number of possibilities for synergistically uniting the analytic rigor of instructed L2 education with the immediacy and vibrancy of language use in digital vernacular contexts.

Les jeux en ligne se prêtent particulièrement à une utilisation comme outil d'apprentissage dans certaines matières qui demandent du temps et de la répétition. Ils permettent en effet des interactions avec d'autres, la simulation de situations concrètes, des actions situées en contexte, et une implication dans une vie communautaire incitant à demeurer durablement dans l'espace de jeu et à accepter d'y affronter les difficultés, même répétitives. L'application des jeux en ligne à l'enseignement et à l'apprentissage des langues, apprentissage qui requiert du temps et des interactions, s'est de ce fait développée ces dernières années. L'article présente les plus significatifs de ces jeux en ligne, dans le domaine plus particulier de l'apprentissage du français langue étrangère. Il souligne que la plupart de ces applications sont limitées par leur usage parcimonieux des potentialités des technologies de réseau: faible recours à l'image et à la vidéo, peu ou pas d'interactions entre joueurs, objectifs d'apprentissage trop explicites annulant l'intérêt ludique recherché, approches pédagogiques fondées sur des exercices fermés, etc. Il présente a contrario un concept de jeu vidéo en ligne massivement multi-joueurs pour l'apprentissage des langues, dont Zon (Michigan State University) et Thélème (Université de Strasbourg/CNRS/Almédia) sont les premiers exemples, et qui recourt simultanément à l'ensemble des ressorts du jeu en ligne: interactivité, immersion, simulation et ludicité. L'intérêt de ces jeux soulève cependant des questions liées aux conflits de modèles qu'ils soulèvent: modèles d'apprentissage, modèles de l'acteur-apprenant et de l'acteur-enseignant, modèles sociaux sous-jacents (systèmes de valeurs). Il y a donc un décalage entre l'intérêt théorique et le succès pratique que ces jeux rencontrent sur leur marché.

Lien vers l'article : http://www.eonautes.com/publications/SchmollL-2011-UsagesEducatifs.pdf

This paper examines the correspondences between the magical codes of the Renaissance wizard and the virtual “magic” produced by the coding of modern computer
wizards, who use the information inherent in symbolic, programming language—their own form
of incantations—to program systems that embody impressive aspects of human cognitive capabilities and, often, formidable physical power. Coding is the primary tool of modern
scientists and gamers who try to make digital artifacts, and coded incantations that derive from occult knowledge are the first methods that Renaissance scientists resorted to when trying to
create and control their artificial servants and intelligent artifacts. This coded correspondence between words and reality goes beyond metaphor in the realm of artificial servants and artifacts
in both the modern and early modern periods. In the case of the sixteenth century legends of the golem, for instance, the Cabalistic combinations of the Hebrew alphabet and the various secret names of God that its creator chanted literally made flesh out of earth. In the modern world, the special codes comprised of algorithmic combinations of words, numbers, and symbols that
today’s computer specialists type into their machines actually weave together the fabric of virtual worlds and creatures like bots and, in some modern systems theory and in the world of science
fiction, have the potential to create full-fledged human simulacra, such as the robots in Asimov’s I, Robot, and the avatars in online games.

Live-action role-play (larp) has been named a “new performative art,” an immersive experience, and an educational tool, but it is much more: A playground of intermingling social and cultural realities, a door to new worlds. This paper offers an introduction to larp, its transcultural history, and its disruptive and creative possibilities, as well as key aspects, such as immersion. It sets the theoretical frame for the game “Staying Alive,” in which the researchers and also the audience engage in a shared “mimetic evocation of ‘real-life experience.’” Many aspects of “everydayness” can be called “collateral realities,” realities that are done implicitly, unintentionally, such as nations, cultures, time, or distinctions of subject and object, or of presenter and audience; realities that could be different. Taking performativity seriously, larp can be a tool to step outside of a Euro-American commonsense ontology and its singular reality “out there” by playing with collateral realities and making their production explicit. During a larp, players (“larpers”) consciously undo objects and meanings, space, and even their very bodies to creatively weave new material-semiotic fabrics. They become cultural mediators between a world-that-supposedly-just-is and its partially connected others, in which Japaneseness or Chineseness may fade and Elvishness is translated into a reality. With a global player base, larping is not only a practice of intersubjective or cultural negotiations but also of intra-subjective mediation of cultural realities.

Referencia: Alfonso Méndiz, "Los serious games: Una alternativa a los juegos educativos"; en: E. Martínez Rodrigo (coord.) Interactividad digital. Nuevas estrategias en educación y comunicación, Madrid, EOS Universitaria, 2008, ISBN: 978-84-9727-292-6, pp. 183-202.

Two new trends in education: BYOD (bring your own device) and games and gamification are steadily being recognized and adopted by K12 and Higher Education practitioners. A team of faculty from two different countries, Bulgaria and the United States, is exploring the application of information and communication technologies in education. A jQuery-generated site for mobile devices is used by students to gamify their learning experience out of the classroom and in their professional field.
Students are using their mobile phones to access information through a mobile Web site and are expected to accomplish set of tasks, which reflect their knowledge of literature and procedures. Although Learning Management Systems (LMS), such as BlackBoard might offer mobile access, the stereotype of gamification with LMS remains bound to static students taking quiz on a desktop/laptop. A methodological change was sought from class-centered to experiential and project-oriented activities while the learning process is shifted from computer-based to mobile-based setting. 
The goal is to establish if a dynamic and mobile access to information and feedback and switching from a lecture-based teaching style to a more constructivist approach of will encourage students to build knowledge on their own while pursuing a game-like activity out in their working field.
The growing affordability and access to the Internet, as well as the global penetration of mobile devices across all ages have transformed e-learning into m-learning (mobile learning). Pedagogy and methodology respectively are in a process of change.  The traditional F2F (face-to-face) class is evolving into a hybrid classroom, a place where practices and achievements from e-learning and m-learning are increasingly absorbed and turned into a customary practice. There is a growing need to transform pedagogy from the traditional F2F classroom to learning and teaching practices reflecting student-centered, mobile-based, real-life, project-based environment with authentic, experiential and evidence based learning.

Existe a necessidade de que a distância da educação pela Internet seja cada vez menor, essa distância não se refere à física, mas a da familiaridade do professor e do aluno, tanto a familiaridade com a plataforma que se utiliza e seus meios para interagir um com o outro, como a familiaridade necessária para se construir a confiança entre os dois através das novas tecnologias. As novas tecnologias não são somente as novidades, mas para nós educadores são sim aquilo que já se incorporou a educação à distância e trouxe grandes possibilidades para o professor e para o aluno, um exemplo é o Moodle. São esses instrumentos que nos dão oportunidades de otimizar nosso trabalho educacional, devemos, portanto, usando as diversas formas de ver como se deve fazer a mediação da aprendizagem usando essa nova realidade, buscar aprender e assimilar essa situação que se nos impõe, quebrando paradigmas e construindo o futuro da educação a distância. Todos sabemos que o aluno entra em um curso a distância esperando ter um professor ensinando igualmente no curso presencial o que é uma ilusão. Mas os professores também continuam atuando como se as tecnologias já não estivessem tomado conta do cotidiano de todos os alunos. Assim a interatividade que a Internet promove pode não ser aproveitada da maneira eficiente, já por outro lado, a proximidade que a Internet promove pode ser um eficiente instrumento de contato e transmissão de conhecimento, para que isso se realize é necessário que o professor tenha em mente que são as relações humanas que constroem a confiança necessária para a transmissão de conhecimento.

This paper deliberates how gaming theory and technologies can be applied to historic architectural visualisation for educational use by museums and its pedagogical potentials. It presents a proposal for a pedagogical digital game, Pilgrim’s Peril: St Mary’s Abbey, based on a qualitative survey and the discussed issues throughout the paper on Serious Games, commercial games and digital learning methods. Issues such as authenticity, gamification, edutainment, place and narrative are also considered together with the social and cultural significance of fusing gaming with historic architectural visualisation.

There is a long history of using videogames in a therapeutic capacity including rehabilitation for stroke patients, people with traumatic brain injuries, burns victims, wheelchair users, Erb’s palsy sufferers, children undergoing chemotherapy, children with muscular dystrophy, autistic children and individuals looking to overcome real-life challenges (including symptoms of depression) and boost their wellbeing (including boosting life satisfaction, self-efficacy and social support). This paper
briefly and selectively examines a number of areas including: (1) videogames as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, (2) videogames as distractors in the role of pain management, (3) videogames
and cognitive rehabilitation, (4) videogames and the development of social and communication skills among the learning disabled, (5) videogames and impulsivity/attention deficit disorders, (6) videogames and therapeutic benefits in the elderly, (7) video games in psychotherapeutic settings, (8) videogames and health care, (9) videogames and anxiety disorders, and (10) videogames and
psychological wellbeing. It is concluded that there has been considerable success when games are specifically designed to address a specific problem or to teach a certain skill. However, generalizability
outside the game-playing situation remains an important consideration.

In this paper we discuss the use of video games in the treatment of Intellectual Disabilities and how they can be adapted to allow any patient to undergo a therapy in autonomy.

Intellectual Disability is a simple term that regroups various diseases which share similar symptoms under the same designation, but can express really differently. As a consequence, every disease can have very different treatments and needs can even vary from one patient to another. Furthermore, Intellectual Disabilities must not be confused with Mental Diseases and other psychical and psychological conditions. Even though there have been significant progress in addressing Intellectual Disabilities, as disabled people have been mistreated for a long time in the past, there are complex conditions that are still not well understood and research still has a long way to go to find efficient ways to treat these disabilities.

Video games can deliver various experiences as an entertainment medium but its versatility allows it to be used for other purposes. It can be used for educational purposes in all sorts of fields, and particularly in what we are focused on : Intellectual disability. As a consequence, many games have been designed over time to meet the need for information of parents and friends of disabled people, but also disabled people themselves. Moreover, researchers can take this concept one step further and design games entirely around the treatment of a specific intellectual disability in order to improve the patient's autonomy and quality of life. But video games as an entertainment can also serve a greater purpose than just being mindless entertainment. Therefore several designers made the choice to share a story in their games, aiming to sensibilize their audience to different conditions people could suffer from without ever giving up the fun or the commercial viability of their product.

However, what we are more focused on in this paper is the use of video games specifically designed for therapy, how to design them, how to use them and what make them effective. We observe that video games are often used in therapy because of their appealing effect on the patients, which encourage them to seek treatment and help keep them motivated. By nature, video games are also a very effective medium when it comes to learning because they bring fun into the teaching, and it is easy to adapt the experience to the user or to reproduce a precise situation. Moreover, by using cognitive remediation coupled with these games, the transfert effect on the patients is efficient.

With all this knowledge, what we aim to do is to create a therapeutic game that could be played in autonomy by children while teaching them various skills over their different sessions. Therefore the transition between therapy with a professional and the game therapy must be designed with care to be as relevant as possible, but also to make sure that there will be no downsides to this therapy. Indeed, we want to avoid any side effects by controlling the duration the player can play the game, but also its content by avoiding anything scary or shocking. Ultimately we want to create a world in which the players feel safe and free by allowing them to interact with the game world and run experimentations in the way they want to.

To design this kind of game playable in autonomy by children with Intellectual Disabilities, accessibility features are an absolute priority. Since Intellectual Disabilities can affect a wide range of cognitive skills, and are often accompanied by physical limitations for those who suffer from them, we must include as many accessibility features as we can think of. In this scenario, the design of the controls is a key step of the process, as they have to be simple and adaptable. But accessibility also affects the way the player perceives the game. As a consequence, it is crucial to design user interfaces around the needs of those who have troubles to read, write and select items. Finally a key accessibility feature revolves around the game design and the way the game will guide the player. Adopting a slow pace and guiding the player step by step is essential if we want to make the game efficient and engaging for the player.

In order to test these design ideas, we designed a therapeutic game to teach small talk to intellectually disabled children, to experiment with their tastes and choices in life and to gain autonomy overall. Inspired by games like Animal Crossing or The Sims, this game could be played by children everyday at home for a small amount of time in order to gain aptitudes day by day and build confidence at their own pace. What would be done differently from other therapeutic games is the complete autonomy of the players as they could play at home on any PC which is, according to our studies, the best platform to achieve our goal. In the future, the hypothesis we make must be proven by testing a prototype with disabled children. However this goal raises the question of the budget as creating a video game is a complex task that requires time and money. Furthermore, it is crucial to think about an efficient and persistent way to preserve and distribute this game to as many people as possible, which we found is a common problem among therapeutic video games.

The conclusion of this study shows the efficiency of therapeutic video games and the feasibility of therapeutic video games played in autonomy, but it is important to remind that video games are a complementary tool to therapy and can not replace the diagnosis and medical monitoring of a specialist.

In recent years, organizations have expended considerable effort and resources to develop and improve managers' leadership skills through various forms of play. I explore the role of play in leadership development processes. Drawing on theories of leader and leadership development and theories of play, I develop a conceptual framework, suggesting that play can contribute to different components of leader and leadership development processes (i.e., leadership identity, cognitive abilities, and behavioral skills). Furthermore, the role of creating safe play spaces in leadership development processes is highlighted. The discussion examines the implications and applications of play for leadership development processes, points to the dangers of misuse of play, and outlines directions for further empirical research.