Ben Sawyer: Digitalmill, Inc. & Serious Games Initiative Peter Smith: University of Central Florida, RETRO

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Serious Games Taxonomy Ben Sawyer: Digitalmill, Inc. & Serious Games Initiative Peter Smith: University of Central Florida, RETRO Lab

Work in Progress

Registration is now open! www.gamesforhealth.org May 8-9, 2008 Baltimore, MD

Pre-Conference Workshops : May 7 Virtual Worlds & Health Games AccessibilityWork Day in Progress

Work in Progress

• Justiﬁcation for Developing a Taxonomy • Background Investigation & Related Taxonomy Work • Serious Games Taxonomy Details • Putting the Taxonomy to Work • Next Steps Work in Progress

Work in Progress

• Get All Serious Games Parties on Same Page • Erase Various Myths About Serious Games • Provide Snapshot for Current State of Serious Games Industry • Find Where R & D is Lacking • Create Foundation for Future Efforts & Organizing Work in Progress

Work in Progress

• Educational Games • Immersive Learning • Simulation Simulations • Virtual Reality • Social Impact Games • Alternative Purpose • Persuasive Games Games • Games for Change • Edutainment • Games for Good • Digital Game-Based • Synthetic Learning Learning Environments • Game-Based “X” Work in Progress

“Too Often Serious Games is Defined Only as That Which the Definer Does!” - Sawyer, 2007 “Most Labels Define a Specific Output Ignoring The Larger Possibility Space For Serious Games. This Implies The Possibility Space for Serious Games Only Equals That Specific Label.” - Smith & Sawyer February 2008 Work in Progress

Pre-cursor Purpose & Comparative Advantage Example(s)

1. Improve accessibility to simulation by merging in game approaches to visuals, interface, rules of play, and Game-Based Simulation ﬁdelity of model such that the impact of exposure to the simulation can be multiplied Virtual U

1. Improve accessibility to model by merging in game approaches to visuals, interface, rules of play, and Game-Based Model ﬁdelity such that the impact of exposure to the model can be multiplied. 2. Draw upon techniques for Bridge Build, Sims modeling systems with little actual data that game developers excel at. 1. Use visual technologies and techniques from games to create new forms of visualization and more Game-Based Visualization accessible versions of visualization 2. Allow for higher levels of interactive visualization where user actions Holt Forestry might affect resulting visualization 1. Non standard but highly symbiotic interface design produced often for games applied to other Doom Linux applications. 2. Approach of making interaction with application “fun” using concepts from gaming (e.g. Game-Based Interface discovery, visual rewards, easter eggs, etc.) often associated with games 3. Re-skinning non-game software & Seriousity software processes to established game interfaces/interface patterns CTVEE/DARPA

1. Any application which derives its output through gameplay 2. Applications which take on game-like Game-Based Application interface/interaction qualities to accomplish tasks “Funware” 1. Use of tools or game/game engines created for videogaming to output some other piece of media 2. The Game-Based Authoring process of creating another tangible output as a result of gameplay or use of a videogame Electroplankton 1. Use of tools or game/game engines created for videogaming to output some other piece of media 2. The Game-Based Production process of creating another tangible output as a result of gameplay or use of a videogame Machinima

Game-Based Messaging | 1. Using games to transmit a message, advertise a product/service, market a product 2. Relating to people Advertising | Marketing through association with videogames for purposes of marketing 1. Add gameplay to enhance motivation to train, or effectiveness of content transfer, behavior change, or Game-Based Training speciﬁc goal of training Binary Game Game-Based Education | 1. Using gameplay to enhance motivation to learn, engage education, or to enhance effectiveness of content Learning transferWork or other speciﬁc learning outcomein Progress

Pre-Cursors Alternative Names Popularity*

Game-Based Education Game-Based Learning, Edutainment, 10,943,370 Learning Games

Game-Based Production Game-Based Authoring, Machinima 3,190,010

Game-Based Simulation Game-Based Simulator, Simulation 2,480,860 Game

Game-Based Messaging Game-Based Advertising, Game-Based 470,620 Marketing, Advergaming

Game-Based Training Game-Based Trainer 12,390

Game-Based Application 8,630

Game-Based Visualization Game Visualization 3,980

Game-Based Interface Game Like Interface, Game-Based UI 3,500

Game-Based Model 3,380 *Popularity Based on NumberWork of Google Hits. in Progress Ben Sawyer = 59,200 Peter Smith = 970,000

Tool Appropriation Use of Game Production Tool for Production of Non-Game Content Machinima

Hardware Use of Uniquely Game Hardware for Delivery of Other Service or Folding@Home Appropriation Content Style

Engine Appropriation Use of Game Engine for Production of Non-Game Application Holt Forestry Visualization

Game For X Game with Non-Entertainment Goals As Most Desired Outcome America’s Army

Embedded Messaging Entertainment Games with Third-Party Embedded Non-Entertainment SimCity Societies and/or Action Messaging/Action Goals

Technology Derivative Hardware & Software Output Direct from Games Network 3D Game Engines Appropriation “Fun Ware” : Applications with Technique User Interface or Design Technique Appropriated from Games for Game Like User Interface Appropriation Non-Game Purpose Properties Appropriation of Talent Due to Game Development Expertise for Talent Appropriation Park Design by Keita Takahashi Non-game Application Need

Use of game cultural and visual cues as a means of reaching a particular Volvo Commercial w/Rallisport Cultural Appropriation gamer-orientedWork audience for branding in & messaging ProgressCoca-Cola / World of Warcraft

Work in Progress

Tens of Millions of Customers Tens of Millions of GPUs

Games 30+ Billion Alternative Revenues Serious Games Inputs

Global Culture Major Multicore Platforms DarwinianWork Business in Progress Environment

Research Game Studies Audience

Theories of Learning / Commercial Gaming Cognition

Academia Serious Games Technology Graphics / CHI

Social Networking/ Traditional MS&V Collaboration

Web 2.0 E-learning & Training Industry Work in Progress

Enterprise Non-Entertainment Users Retail

Modeling & Commercial E-Learning Simulation Serious

Instructors Education Game & Serious Games Serious COTS Software Developers Utilizers

Game Serious Stuff Commercial Marketing & Gamers Do Gaming Cultural Cues

Game Entertainment & Gamers Actual Game Inﬂuenced Work in Progress

Gamers Third Party Developers Technologies

Teaching Guides Curriculum Reset Wii Exergaming & Support Machinima Purpose Development Forums

Serious Non- COTS Modify Software PS3 CounterStrike Revolution Entertainment or Hardware (Neverwinter Nights) Folding@Home Modes of Play

Guitar Hero Sequencer Curriculum PowerGrid Augment Linux on PS3 Maps for WoW Development SmartBrainGames

Use of Serious Game COTS Microsoft ESP Serious Virgin XNA Creators Club | & Specialized Specialized or Games Development Indie Development Serious Game Work inSerious Progress Games Development Breakaway MOSBE

© 2008 Ben Sawyer & Peter Smith ● For more information please contact: [email protected] Tuesday, February 19, 2008 18 Games = Simulation + Media • Not local card game, board game night, D&D club from 1980's or that “role play” thing you did at ofﬁce last week • Games today means: SOFTWARE but with media conventions... • often a highly stylized • following speciﬁc expected conventions of its user-base • Today's games are about: • Computation/Moore's Law & Networking/Metcalfe’s Law • And Marshall McLuhan Work in Progress

Simulation Media Conventions Media Packet Tracer Federal Budget Game

Virtual U Bridge Builder

Simulation Governance & Model Conventions Game

Sim City Half-Life 2

MS Flight Every Day Shooter Simulator Work Gamein Progress

Work in Progress

• Game Misconceptions • Breadth of Game Design Patterns • Multiplayer • Serious Games Misconceptions • Broad Outputs vs. Speciﬁc Outputs • Hardware as well as Software • COTs Representation • Applicability of More Obscure Design Patterns Work in Progress

Google Maps Games Interactive Fiction Systems MUDs SimCountry Sensor Based Games PBEM Clients

ARGs Simple Augmented Reality DiceWars Runescape Augmented Advanced Card Games ESP Game/Crowd Sourcing

Audio Only Games Ajax-Based Games Habbo Hotel Whyville Webkinz / Neopets Flickr Games

Passively Multiplayer Fantasy Sports Mass Balance Dope Wars Incident Commander GeoLocation Games

Work in ProgressFlickr Games

Action Story Strategy

Hunting Dating Dance/Rhythm Anime Adventures Puzzle Games EyeToy Interactive Fiction “3 in a Row” Party MUDs Brain Games Exergaming ARGs Serious Games

Augmented Reality

Ephemeral Games

Work in Progress

You can’t have a serious Serious Games Taxonomy without developing a taxonomy of all games

Work in Progress

Massive Massive Multiplayer Multiplayer Multiplayer Multiplayer Opponents Tournament (Shareded) (Grid)

No. of Players 1-4 8-64 1000-10,000 Everyone

Player Hosted Via Provider or P2P Provider Only Provider Only Server? Third Party Hosted

In classroom Most FPS games Most MMPs use Other MMPs group games use ﬁt this approach this approach use this approach Notes this approach

Making History America’s Army Lunar Quest Second Life

Social Networks Name ARGs Web MMP Play By Email Games Social Network API How Played Message Boards, Etc. Turn Based File Attached to Client Compliant Application SmartyPants World Without Oil Example Sim Country Scrabble EA | Blueprint Work in Progress

Access to Hardware Robust API hardware Reuse

Controllers + XNA Xbox 360 XNA Controller Creators Club

Linux Installable Controller Playstation 3 Controllers GCC OpenSource APIs System Browser

Controllers Wii None Controller & Web Browser

Homebrew Third Party Tools DS Unofﬁcial Development + Browser Browser Homebrew Browser Development + PSP Video Unofﬁcial Browser + Media Audio Work in ProgressPlayback + Skype

Work in Progress

Games for Games for Games for Games for Games as Advergames Science and Production Health Training Education Work Research

Public Health Government & Education & Data Collection / Strategic & Policy Public Diplomacy, Political Games Employee Training Inform Public NGO Mass Casualty Planning Planning Opinion Research Response

Rehabilitation & Recruitment & Soldier/Support School House Wargames / War planning & Command & Defense Wellness Propaganda Training Education planning weapons research Control

Public Health Games for Patient Public Health Training Games Biotech Cybertherapy / Policy & Social Education and Visualization & Response Healthcare for Health manufacturing & Exergaming Awareness Disease Epidemiology Planning & Professionals design Campaigns Management Logistics

Advertising, Marketing & Advertising marketing with Product Product Use Opinion Research Machinima Opinion Research Communications Treatment games, product Information placement

Train teachers / Computer P2P Learning Inform about Social Issue Teaching Distance Education Train workforce Learning Science & Constructivism diseases/risks Games Learning skills Recruitment Documentary?

Employee Health Customer Continuing Advertising / Command & Corporate Information & Education & Employee Training Education & Strategic Planning visualization Control Wellness Awareness Certiﬁcation

Process Occupational Sales & Workforce Nano/Bio-tech Command & Industry Employee Training Optimization Safety Recruitment Education Design Control Work in ProgressSimulation

Games for Games for Games for Games for Games as Advergames Science and Production Health Training Education Work Research

Public Health Data Collection / Government & Education & Mass Strategic & Policy Public Diplomacy, Political Games Employee Training Inform Public Planning / NGO Casualty Planning Opinion Research Visualization Response

Combat Medicine, Recruitment & Soldier/Support School House Wargames / War planning & Command & Defense Rehabilitation & Messaging Training Education planning weapons research Control Wellness Public Health Games for Patient Biotech Public Health Training Games Cybertherapy / Policy & Social Education and Visualization & manufacturing & Response Healthcare for Health Exergaming Awareness Disease Epidemiology design Planning & Professionals Campaigns Management (Folding@Home) Logistics Advertising, Marketing & Advertising marketing with Product Communication Product Use Opinion Research Machinima Opinion Research Treatment games, product Information s placement

Process Occupational Sales & Workforce Nano/Bio-tech Command & Industry Employee Training Optimization Safety Recruitment Education Design Control Work in ProgressSimulation

Professional Research / Public Personal Practice Academia Health

Exergaming Patient Public Health Data Collection Preventative Stress Communication Messaging

Pain Distraction Rehabitainment CyberPsychology Virtual Humans First Responders Therapeutic Disease Management Disease Management

Assessment Self-Ranking Measurement Inducement Interface/Visualization

First Aide Skills / Training Recruitment Management Sims Educational Medical Information

Informatics PHR EMR Visualization Epidemiology Work in Progress

Using Games Game Association

In Game Placement Out of Game Placement Marketing with Games Standalone Games in Ads Advergame Billboards Integrated Outside Field Interstitial Event Product Tie-In Gameplay of View Marketing

Slusho Playboy the Game Portals Coca Cola w/ EA Sports 500 Branding Coke Studios FIFA Soccer Xbox Live Cloverﬁeld Mansion ie. Kongregate Warcraft at Talladega Game

Massive In Doritos Old Spice Movie Yaris Racing Axe Body Volvo w/ MTV Gamers Product Game Product Unlock the Achievement Licensed On Xbox Live Spray Rallisport Ball Placement Xbox Design on Xbox Live Games Contest

Darfur Is Second Life Issue Free Rice Dying Relay for Life

Candidate Ping Time Take Back Political Second Life Labor Party Illinois Islands Ad

Massive in Catch The Teenage Mom Penny Arcade PSA Game Stay in Sperm Ad ESRB School Ads

British Military US Army Recruitm America’s Intelligence Recruitment Gamer Army Game PS2 America’s ent Army Agency in Ads on Game Targeted TV Experience Army QuakeWork Wars inPortals ProgressAd

Employee Occupational Elementary Skills Health & Orientation Awareness Communications Skills Safety Wellness

Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task

Informal

Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive

Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task

Formal

Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive

Adapted from Bureau of Labor Statistics : http://www.bls.gov/ept/home.htm#trainingWork in Progress

Employee Occupational Elementary Skills Health & Orientation Awareness Communications Skills Safety Wellness

Persuasive Games U. Wisconsin DDR in Cold Stone Cisco Binary Game Malaria Safety Ofﬁces : Generation Fit Creamery Informal Rosser Surgery America’s Army Skills w/Games

Coast Guard : Persuasive Games Dominos Pizza DOJ Ethics Game Shield of Cisco Subnetting Freedom Formal EtcEdutainment Virtual Heroes Virtual U Alcoa SafeDock Hilton Hotels

Adapted from Bureau of Labor Statistics : http://www.bls.gov/ept/home.htm#trainingWork in Progress

Production / Professional & Computer Clerical & Sales & Customer Service Related Management Manufacturing / Technical Skills Training Administrative Relations Training Construction

Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task

Informal

Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive

Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task Single Task

Formal

Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive Comprehensive

Adapted from Bureau of Labor Statistics : http://www.bls.gov/ept/home.htm#trainingWork in Progress

Production / Professional & Computer Clerical & Sales & Customer Service Related Management Manufacturing / Technical Skills Training Administrative Releations Training Construction

Cold Stone Cisco Binary Game Creamery Informal Team Training in Multiplayer Games

Adaptive ACLS Thinking & Legacy Interactive Leadership Formal Best Buy Virtual Leader Pulse!! Hilton Hotels Verizon

Adapted from Bureau of Labor Statistics : http://www.bls.gov/ept/home.htm#trainingWork in Progress

Traditional Edutainment Serious Games as Serious Games “Re-envisioned as Edutainment” “Re-envisioned (non commercial) Repurposed Edutainment” COTs (commercial)

(see COTs Boggle) Work in Progress

General Adult University High School Middle School Elementary Pre-K Serious Games as “Re-envisioned Edutainment” (non commercial)

Serious Games as “Re-envisioned Edutainment” Driver Flight Project (commercial) Informal Flight Simulator Civ4 Zoo Tycoon PBS Kids Simulators Simulator Connect

Repurposed COTs

Traditional Edutainment Cisco Binary Making MIT/PBS GameStar Formal Virtual U Game History Labyrinth Mechanic Work in Progress

Data Data Collection Data Processing Visualization

Player Tracking GGNViz Forestry Folding @ Home on Research Statistics in Halo 3 Game PS3

Warhawk PS3 Google Image Landing Lights Park Development Dedicated Server Labeler in Second Life Farm

Work in Progress

Media Game Generation Mash-Ups

Audio Elektoplankton Remixed Audio

Graphics PGR Camera Mode Unreal Art

Video The Movies Machinima Work in Progress

Non- Direct Work to Play to Earnings Opinion Earnings Play Work Reward

Competitiv Online Casinos/ Predictions Professional Protest ARGs e Skills Gaming Markets Gamers

Personal Funds/Donation User Created Exercise Self Assessment Game Escorts Reward Reward Content

Seriousity/ Group Public Opinion Guild/Clan ??? Google Image Diplomacy Research Management Oriented Labeling

Gold Farming / Quasi Command & Character Activism ??? ??? Control Occupation Leveling Work in Progress

Grind, Managemen Protest & Exercise Rewards, & t Activism Commerce Sponsor or Team Up with Casual Wii-Games Level Up Support Virtual Friends Event

Personally Purchase In- Participate in DDR Join Guild Invested Game Items Virtual Event

Actively DDR Exercise Produce Organize Lead Guild Engaged Mode Income Virtual Event Work in Progress

Education Health Production Hardware

DDR Entertainment Civ4 The Movies Revolution PopCap Games Wiimote Hacks Repurposed 8-Bit Music (Neverwinter Nights) EyeToy

Making History Yourself Fitness Non- & BrainAge Sony Entertainment My Life Coach Machinimation Folding@Home @ Outset General PowerGrid Fitness Edutainment Wii Fit Work in Progress

Changed Modded Hardware Straight Up Orientation of Software Augmented Game

Yourself Fitness DDR Individuals Half-Life PowerGrid BrainAge Nascar 98 Initiated Architecture Fitness LifeCoach

Revolution Third Party SmartBrainGames Making History Civ4 (Neverwinter Prescribed (Biofeedback) Nights) Work in Progress

Teaching & Cognitive Visualization Education Health

Training & Sports Exercise Skills Pre-Viz

Production Psychology Architecture Work in Progress

Culture & Teach & Play Work Communicat Production Assist ion

Level 1 Freeplay Exercise Themselves Talk Media & Art

Events, Grind, Rewards, Competitions, Communities & Level 2 House Rules Aide Others & Commerce Conventions & Web Sites Cosplay

Level 3 Mastery Management Instruction Collecting Stuff

Protest & Mods Level 4 Competition Materials Comedy Activism & Software Work in Progress

Work in Progress

• Serious Games = Game Based Simulation • Serious Games = Games for Government Forsight & Public Policy • Serious Games = Broader Idea of What Games Can Be • Serious Games = A Description for a Broader Reapplication of Videogame Resources • Serious Games = A Broad but Better Deﬁned Reapplication of Videogames Work in Progress

Work in Progress

• Use This Taxonomy as Starting Point To Deﬁne Serious Games Moving Forward • Continued Discussion and Building Within the Community (Join the Mailing List) • Taxonomy Will Be Available on a Wiki, Linked to On seriousgames.org • Community Invited to Contribute to Serious WorkGames Taxonomy in Progress 2.0

• Please Fill Out Your Comment Cards • If You Liked the Presentation Please Give Cards to People At the Door • If You Did Not We Will Collect Those At the Front Work in Progress