Schools, colleges and workplace training are about to get more entertaining with games replacing conventional methods of learning to make the process more engaging. A team of researchers from University of Warwick is driving the application of games in learning, engagement and research, and have designed a toolkit called ‘Serious Games Cookbook’, to support beginners (teachers, students, supervisors, etc) in using and designing serious games and act as a resource with detailed guidance.
Although called ‘serious games’, these are designed for more than mere entertainment. These games range from digital applications to physical board games, and are developed for learning, problem solving, raising awareness, research as well as stakeholder engagement — a potential in both schools, colleges and workplaces — with the key application for educating on sustainable development and climate change. Those who are new to the idea of ‘serious games’, the cookbook will be handy. It supports beginners — even specialists in their respective fields — who want to explore how to apply that knowledge within games.
The games have play goals, and selecting the most suitable game for these goals, and facilitating gameplay within a session. It also discusses crucial aspects of serious game design, covering content and themes, mechanics, player engagement, and strategies for influencing attitudes. The cookbook has parts that can be used as research tools even for the general public. These tools allow people to design their own games to simulate problems at hand to better understand how to arrive at solutions for those problems.