Understanding players’ diverse visual recognition and preferences, especially in cross-cultural contexts, is critical for the creation of effective serious games. This study aimed to examine how varying levels of fidelity affect players' visual recognition, preference, and overall experience in serious gaming, using a mixed-method case study in the Bhaktapur district, Kathmandu, Nepal. Forty-four participants, aged 13 to 16 years, were enrolled in an A/B gameplay test. Fourteen students participated in in-depth interviews, thirty-six completed a questionnaire, and twenty-two provided valid telemetry data. We found that higher fidelity led to more positive affect, higher familiarity, better recognition, stronger preference, and positive emotional response from players. However, challenges were encountered regarding the identification of local food items. This highlights the key role of visual literacy, as adolescents are more influenced by familiar media than by real-life experiences. Effective visual communication in serious games should consider individual differences and the playing environment.

Active mobility, such as biking, faces a common challenge in Swedish municipalities due to the lack of adequate lighting during the dark winter months. Insufficient lighting infrastructure hinders individuals from choosing bicycles, despite the presence of well-maintained bike paths and a willingness to cycle. To address this issue, a project has been undertaken in the Swedish municipality of Skara for an alternative lighting solution using drones. A series of tests have been conducted based on drone prototypes developed for the selected bike paths. Participants were invited to cycle in darkness illuminated by drone lighting and share their mobility preferences and perception. This paper summarizes the users’ perception of drone lighting as an alternative to fixed lighting on bike paths, with a special focus on the impact on travel habits and the perceived sense of security and comfort. Most participants were regular cyclists who cited bad weather, time, and darkness as significant factors that deterred them from using bicycles more frequently, reducing their sense of security. With drone lighting, the participants appreciated the illumination’s moonlight-like quality and its ability to enhance their sense of security by illuminating the surroundings. On the technology side, they gave feedback on reducing the drone’s sound and addressing lighting stability issues. In summary, the test results showcase the potential of drone lighting as a viable alternative to traditional fixed lighting infrastructure, offering improved traffic safety, sense of security, and comfort. The results show the feasibility and effectiveness of this innovative approach, supporting transformation towards active and sustainable mobility, particularly in regions facing lighting challenges.

The task of integrating games into an educational setting is a demanding one, and integrating games as a harmonious part of a bigger ecosystem of learning requires teachers to orchestrate a myriad of complex organizational resources. Historically, research on digital game‑based learning has focused heavily on the coupling between game designs, previously established learning principles, student engagement, and learning outcomes much to the expense of understanding how games function in their int ended educational contexts and how they impact the working processes of teachers. Given the significant investments of time and resources teachers need to make in order to conduct game‑based learning activities, the foci of past research is problematic as it obfuscates some of the pressing realities that highly affect games viability as tools for teaching and learning. This paper aims to highlight the demands that the implementation and use of an educational game in formal educational settings puts on te achers working processes and skillsets. The paper is based on two case studies in which a researcher collaborated with K‑12 teachers to use MinecraftEdu (TeacherGaming LLC, 2012) as a classroom activity over a five‑month long period. By documenting bot h the working processes involved in implementing the game into the classroom environment, as well as the execution of the actual game‑based classroom activities, the studies identified a wide variety roles that a teacher needs to take on if they are to ma ke games a central part of a school curriculum. Ultimately, the paper highlights the importance of understanding the constraints under which teachers work, and argues that a better understanding of the contexts in which games are to be used, and the roles teachers play during game‑based learning scenarios, is a necessary foundation for improving games viability as educational tools.

While there is a wealth of studies on the subject of serious games, the same cannot be said on the issue of teaching with games, especially in game-based learning settings with adult learners. Over the years, most research in this area has been focused on the 'active substance(s)' of games for learning, focusing mainly on characteristics of games, but often failing to take the whole context of game-based learning into consideration, such as the role(s) of the teacher. However, the past two or three years has seen a shift in focus from merely the game as an isolated artefact, to also include more discussions on how games can successfully be integrated into an educational setting, as well as challenges as pitfalls of which instructors need to be aware. This paper aims to outline the contemporary research on instructor-led serious gaming and its implications for the design of serious gaming environments.

This paper examines what roles teachers need to take on when attempting to integrate and use computer games in their educational environments. The task of integrating games into an educational sett ...

This paper reports the feasibility of Elinor, a game-based system for stroke rehabilitation in the home. The Elinor prototype has been positively evaluated with respect to its usability, user acceptance and motivational factors as well as its rehabilitation effect. This paper reports the findings from the whole project. To summarize the results, we find that game factors can be used to enhance motivation for rehabilitation. We had positive results with respect to many of the rehabilitation measurements employed. For example, the assessment of motor and process skills was positive as were also the self-reported improvements in daily activities. Furthermore, it seems that an increased self-efficacy with respect to the belief that the treatment can have an effect is positive and expected to increase motivation to undergo necessary rehabilitation. The usability and perceived usefulness of the system were also positively evaluated and the subjects expressed a positive attitude towards the system as well as a belief in its usefulness.

Military organizations have a long history of using simulations, role-play, and games for training. This also encompasses good practices concerning how instructors utilize games and gaming behavior. Unfortunately, the work of instructors is rarely described explicitly in research relating to serious gaming. Decision makers also tend to have overconfidence in the pedagogical power of games and simulations, particularly where the instructor is taken out of the gaming loop. The authors propose a framework, the coaching cycle, that focuses on the roles of instructors. The roles include instructors acting as game players. The fact that the instructors take a more active part in all training activities will further improve learning. The coaching cycle integrates theories of experiential learning (where action precedes theory) and deliberate practice (where the trainee’s skill is constantly challenged by a coach). Incorporating a coaching-by-gaming perspective complicates, but also strengthens, the player-centered design approach to game development in that we need to take into account two different types of players: trainees and instructor. Furthermore, the authors argue that the coaching cycle allows for a shift of focus to a more thorough debriefing, because it implies that learning of theoretical material before simulation/game playing is kept to a minimum. This shift will increase the transfer of knowledge.

Military organizations have a long history of using simulations, role-play, and games for training. This also encompasses good practices concerning how instructors utilize games and gaming behavior. Unfortunately, the work of instructors is rarely described explicitly in research relating to serious gaming. Decision makers also tend to have overconfidence in the pedagogical power of games and simulations, particularly where the instructor is taken out of the gaming loop. The authors propose a framework, the coaching cycle, that focuses on the roles of instructors. The roles include instructors acting as game players. The fact that the instructors take a more active part in all training activities will further improve learning. The coaching cycle integrates theories of experiential learning (where action precedes theory) and deliberate practice (where the trainee's skill is constantly challenged by a coach). Incorporating a coaching-by-gaming perspective complicates, but also strengthens, the player-centered design approach to game development in that we need to take into account two different types of players: trainees and instructor. Furthermore, the authors argue that the coaching cycle allows for a shift of focus to a more thorough debriefing, because it implies that learning of theoretical material before simulation/game playing is kept to a minimum. This shift will increase the transfer of knowledge.

Utbredningen av kommunikations- och IT-verktyg (IKT) i samhallet influerar aven undervisningen inom hogre utbildning (se t.ex., Ala-Mutka, Punie & Redecker, 2008; Glenn, 2008). Olika larplattformar har utvecklats som mojliggor skilda former av interaktion mellan larare och studenter. En konsekvens av detta ar att andelen distansstudenter kraftigt okat de senaste aren. Forutom de mojligheter och begransningar som de nya tekniska verktygen erbjuder for natbaserat larande, behovs det aven nya kunskaper hos den undervisande universitetslararen och behovet av en god pedagogisk digital kompetens blir darmed aktuellt (EUT, 2006; Glenn, 2008; Krumsvik, 2008).Syftet med detta bidrag ar att delge andra universitetslarare som vill borja med eller vidareutveckla natbaserad undervisning vara praktiska erfarenheter och kunskaper for hur detta kan genomforas med utgangspunkt utifran pedagogisk digital kompetens.Utifran en fallstudie (Patton, 2002) har vi genom ett aktionsforskningsperspektiv identifierat fem framgangsfaktorer for utveckling av pedagogisk digital kompetens vid hogre studier:En gemensam pedagogisk grundsynTeamworkUndervisningskulturPositiv installning till teknikAdministrativa, pedagogiska och tekniska stodresurserDe identifierade framgangsfaktorerna presenteras med ett abduktivt upplagg. Vi utgar utifran vara praktiska erfarenheter och kopplar samman dessa med teorier och relevant litteratur inom omradet for varje framgangsfaktor.For att aktivt arbeta med att utveckla den digitala pedagogiska kompetensen ar det viktigt att inte enbart fokusera pa de tillgangliga tekniska verktygen, utan det ar viktigt att framhava i vilket sammanhang ett visst undervisningsmoment ingar i. Det ar valdigt latt att se lararen som en ensam individ som ska stodja studentens kunskapsutveckling under en kurs, men verkligheten ar nagot helt annat. En bra larare, enligt oss, ar en larare som kan se sin egen undervisning i ett storre sammanhang, t.ex. hur en kurs hanger ihop med andra kurser inom utbildningen eller hur den kopplar till en framtida yrkesroll. Pa sa satt har man storre mojlighet att motivera sina studenter till larande och i det storre perspektivet till ett kontinuerligt larande som fortgar under hela livet i dagens kunskapssamhalle. En fara med informationssamhallet ar att den tolkande och varderande formagan underskattas (Gardenfors, 2005) vilket vi anser har konsekvenser for hogre utbildning, som bor undvika att bega detta misstag genom att fokusera i alltfor stor grad pa IKT-losningar i sig, utan satsa storre resurser pa att stodja och utveckla studenternas larande och tolkande formaga av olika former av information och kallor. Med andra ord, fokusera mer pa innehallet an pa formen, och detta okar vikten av en god pedagogisk digital kompetens.ReferenserAla-Mutka, K., Punie, Y & Redecker, C. (2008) Digital competence for lifelong learning. JRC Technical Notes. Policy brief by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), part of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). Tillganglig pa http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC48708.TN.pdf [Hamtad: 2011-05-28].EUT (Europeiska unionens officiella tidning) (2006) L 394 10.Glenn, M. (2008) The future of higher education: How technology will shape learning. A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit.Gardenfors, P. (2005) Tankens vindlar: Om sprak, minne och berattande. Nora: Nya DoxaKrumsvik, R. J. (2008) Situated learning and teachers’ digital competence. Education and Information Technologies, 13, 279–290.Patton, M.Q. (2002) Qualitative research and evaluation methods. (3:e upplagan). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

A game-based learning environment is more than just a digital artefact. Factors such as where the game is played, how the learning experience is designed, the level of social interaction and so on, need to be considered when designing a game for learning or training. For instance, during gaming, the learners might physically leave the virtual environment to continue the gameplay in the physical environment. If the instructor wants to keep track of, for example, learning progress or game states, the gaming system needs to support these activities both in-game and outside the game, via different logging tools, e. g. video and voice recording. Military organisations have a long history of using games and simulations for training. This means that they have had the opportunity to develop and refine training practices that are both cost-effective and valuable for learning. However, these practices are largely based on instructors' own experiences rather than scientific studies. This study aims to describe game-based training practices in order to (1) extricate good practices that may be transferred as inspirational examples for others, and (2) identify areas for improvement. Empirical material was collected using observations and interviews and then analysed and categorised. Interpretations made from the analysis were later validated through a questionnaire survey with military personnel directly or indirectly involved in simulator-or game-based training. The analysis shows that a game-based training cycle consists mainly of four phases: preparation, introductory lecture, gameplay and debriefing. Although the systems used are advanced in that they log user activity and support quick changes to the scenario during gameplay, running a training session is highly demanding for the instructors. Offline tools (e. g. pen and paper) are commonly used when there is a lack of system support in a specific situation. The paper concludes with a list of system support features for different aspects of game-based training.

Denna rapport ar en avrapportering av projektet Spelbaserad simulering for insatsutbildning. Projektet syftar till att:Studera hur serious games kan forstarka larandemiljon i traning och utbildning ...

Military organisations have a long history of using games for training. Over the years, they have developed training practices involving role-play, simulations, puckstering and gaming. Most researc ...

In this paper we describe four player roles in game-based learning and training, namely student player, student author, teacher player and teacher author. By this, we want to emphasise the creative and collaborative nature of gameplay, such as in-game feedback, scenario creation and "puckstering", that put students and teachers, not on opposite sides of a spectrum, but as members of a community of practice with varying degrees of expertise. Using these four player roles as a basis for analysis, we have observed training sessions for vocational education within military and rescue contexts. The result is multifaceted insights into both the strengths and draw-backs of incorporating these roles into a serious game.

This paper presents an online training game for incident commanders to enact and create incident scenarios. The incident commander is the person in command on site when a rescue team is dispatched ...

The rapid development of information technology and the Internet has important academic implications, which in the long run will have far reaching consequences for teaching and learning on universi ...