Serious games are also known as immersive learning simulations, digital game-based learning, gaming simulations. They have been used in military and emergency services training for some time and new games are being developed in healthcare and many other sectors.

How do serious games promote learning?

Research on the effectiveness of serious games as a learning tool shows that when a game is designed with learning outcomes in mind, players while enjoying the game acquire knowledge and master new skills. Mary Jo Dondlinger(1) in a review of recent literature on the subject notes that serious games "require strategizing, hypothesis testing, or problem-solving, usually with higher order thinking rather than rote memorization or simple comprehension".

Why use serious games?

For the employer the benefits are multiple. The first to develop and use serious games were the military. The benefits were obvious. Soldiers could practice manoeuvres in a realistic but simulated environment without getting hurt and until they were perfect. Savings on resources was also a bonus.

The environment in which the game takes place can be made as realistic as possible and the player can experience situations that could not happen in real life without horrendous consequences. The player can learn from his mistakes without putting life or business in danger.

For the employee the benefits are pure enjoyment of the game and a training certificate at the end of it.

1)Journal of Applied Educational Technology, Volume 4, Number 1 Spring/Summer 2007