Serious games are an emerging tool for raising cybersecurity awareness and training employees, including in organisations operating critical infrastructures (CI). However, the specific role of spatial game design –such as 2D user interface (UI) environments versus 3D first-person worlds – remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigate how the spatial dimension of a serious game influences learning outcomes, perceived immersion, and learner motivation in the CI context. We developed two conceptually and content-wise identical games: (1) a 2D UI-based card game and (2) a 3D first-person game set in a virtual hospital environment. In a between-subjects design (n = 159; 2D n = 77, 3D n = 82), participants completed a pre-test, played either the 2D or the 3D game, and responded to an immediate post-test and an EGameFlow-based questionnaire. A second knowledge post-test followed one week later. Our results show that both games improve cybersecurity knowledge, but we find no significant differences between the 2D and 3D versions in terms of knowledge gain, immersion, or motivation. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests for pre–post comparisons, Welch’s two-sample t-tests for between-group comparisons, and Cohen’s d for effect sizes.
The emergence of Artificial Intelligence dramatically changes the creative process of generating new ideas, which is called "ideation." The objective of this research is to study its impact on the "ideation" phase at the individual level. Ten students from Polytechnic schools participated in two activities that measured the characteristics of divergent-creative thinking: "fluency," "flexibility," and "originality." The first activity was Guilford's Alternative Uses Test, and the second was a creative storytelling technique. The students were divided into two groups, and one of the groups collaborated with ChatGPT. From the data analysis, it was found that in Guilford's test, Artificial Intelligence significantly enhances "fluency" and "flexibility" and considerably improves "originality." However, in the production of a creative text, the research showed no enhancement of the above characteristics. A possible cause is identified in the different degree of experience in creative writing among the students who collaborated with ChatGPT, and consequently in the different way they provided prompts. In conclusion, Artificial Intelligence can prove to be a valuable collaborator in the "ideation" phase, but its effectiveness depends on users' experience in prompting techniques.
Contemporary artistic research has successively integrated preoccupations with the experimentation of space and mobility, as well as collective interactions between participants in situations of proximity or remoteness. In the scientific field, an important part of spatial cognition study has recently turned towards understanding the collective aspects of spatial cognition, integrating an understanding of the acquisition of spatial knowledge and studying cognitive maps, as well as research on navigation and individual and collective memorization. In both cases, spatial behaviors and mental representations are fundamental focuses. Using CORES research combining artistic and scientific perspectives as an example, we clarify specific differences within a framework common to the arts and sciences. This article will develop three points: 1) Artistic and scientific research contexts, 2) Interactions between artistic and scientific perspectives, 3) Proposal of a 7-step joint arts and sciences research cycle. In so doing, this study aims to counter the divide between the artistic and scientific fields by demonstrating a shared creative dynamic.
