Serious games: a definition

In this moment I'm reading the excellent book "Design and use of serious games". In this text I found a very objective and didactic definition of this kind of game. In the words of Kankaanranta and Neittaanmäki (2009, p.21) we can define serious games as

games that engage the user, and contribute to the achievement of a defined purpose other than pure entertainment (whether or not the user is consciously aware of it). A game’s purpose may be formulated by the game’s designer or by the user her/himself, which means that also a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) game, used for non-entertainment purposes, may be considered a serious game. The desired purpose, i.e. a serious game, can be achieved through a spectrum ranging from the mere utilization of game technology for non-entertainment purposes to development of specifically designed games for some non-entertainment purpose or the use and/or adaptation of commercial games for non-entertainment purposes. We also propose that any combination of the above would constitute a feasible way to achieve the desired effect

This idea helps us think games beyond entertainment. It is certainly an inspiration to understand games as tools in the areas of education, health and business training. Let's think about it and discuss.

#GoGamers

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Reference:

KANKAANRANTA, Marja; NEITTAANMÄKI, Pekka (Eds.). Design and use of serious games. Jyväskylä: Springer, 2009.