Rich Internet Publications & Serious Games

Esther van der Drift & Koen Ekelschot

Research question

How can we enhance scientific publications in the field of social sciences through the use of

serious games?

Relevance

Games…• are more engaging and fun than e.g. video/images• help build practical and intellectual skills (Sheff, 1994)• increase problem solving abilities, inductive skills, quick thinking, and more (Sheff, 1994)• have a positive influence on intelligence (Van Schie & Wiegman, 1997)

Current state of research

Non existent?•Plenty of research on serious games for children’s education…•But we couldn’t find any attempts of combining scientific publications with serious games.

Approach

• Defining games– Game elements– Types of serious games– Indicators in games

• Research in social sciences– Cultural anthropology– Sociology– Educational theory– Pedagogy– Psychology

Approach

• Possibilities for serious games– Indicators in research– Examples of games

• Using serious games in publications– The creation of games (+demo!)– Integrating games in publications

Demo

• Games should elucidate the contents of a paper and impart knowledge to the reader

• Challenges should be used with care• Problem solving is a strong indicator a publication is

‘gameable’• Cognitive psychology is very suitable for

enhancement through games; articles from other disciplines need to be analyzed individually

Conclusions

• Toolkits for developing games aren’t widespread; but there are a few suitable ones out there

• Games should be integrated in the text of the paper to keep the reader focused

Conclusions

Discussion & Questions