In a follow-up blog post to the prior Training 4-1-1 Part 1 which addressed measuring training support I thought it important to post further proven statistics on learning outcomes from learning games. These stats are encouraging evidence that serious games do make a real difference.
The below statistical references are from the Kauffman Foundation in the Kauffman Thoughtbook 2009 excerpt.
Can We Prove It?
What proof do we have that any or all of this is true, that games can produce
superior learning outcomes? Well, the proof is precious little because the field is
so new, but at least it is positive. Witness these games:
• Supercharged! [electrostatics]—a 28 percent increase in learning outcomes
over lecture (K. Squire et al, 2004).
• Geography Explorer [geology]—a 15 to 40 percent increase in learning
outcomes over lecture (P. McClean et al, 2001).
• Virtual Cell [cell biology]—a 30 to 63 percent improvement in learning
outcomes over lecture (ibid).
• Dimenxian [algebra]—an average increase of one test grade (e.g., from B to
A) for most kids, up to three grades for underachieving kids (N. Etuk, 2006).
• River City [ecology, scientific inquiry]—a 370 percent increase in test
scores over lecture for D students; a 14 percent increase in test scores over
lecture for B students (D. Ketelhut, 2007).
• NIU Torcs [numerical methods]—twice as much time spent by gameplaying
kids on their homework, much more highly detailed concept
maps (B. Coller, 2006).
Hold onto your seats, we are going to take a ride to review where The Gaming & Simulation Industry has been and what the future holds. Gaming is serious business both economically and socially. Consumers spend $25 billion a year on video games and game components and there are an estimated 800 million gamers worldwide.
The use of gaming and simulation for training and learning purposes is becoming ever more prevalent, over the past 10 years Visual Purple has seen a lot of technological changes and all in a good way. Our training simulation worlds and technology continue to advance rapidly as does most technology. Buy an iPhone today and a newer model comes out tomorrow…
Venture Beat announced last month that Game and Virtual World Fundings reached $936.8 million in 2008.
Nielsen Games’ just released that Second Life was the second top PC game title in the month of March and SL users logged in a average of 760 minutes per week of seat time. Point is virtual worlds now have traction!
According to Virtual Worlds News: “The data is obtained by monitoring Web and application activity from 180,000 homes in the U.S. In online PC games, Second Life is second only to World of Warcraft. The obvious problem many Second Life users would have with the data is that it’s typically considered a virtual world, not a game, but the sheer popularity is impressive.”
New World Notes adds that Second Life has been in the top ten of Nielsen’s ratings before while Massively points out that the virtual world is also topping out over popular social networks like Facebook and Myspace. Second Life saw an average use time of 760 minutes each week, even higher for individuals than the more popular World of Warcraft, though the MMOG saw a significantly higher overall usage.
Serious Gaming is being embraced by many ranging from the United States Military to Fortune 500 Corporations. More and more real world applications have been brought to the table to make them a relevant choice in today’s technologically advanced world. I am extremely excited about the future of serious simulations and virtual worlds.
Proven to be more effective than traditional training methods, Serious Gaming (SG) has many unique advantages. It’s not a new concept- it has been around for awhile dating as far back as 1977 when Clark Abt discussed the idea and used the term in his book, although it wasn’t directed to computers at that time.
By transforming traditional learning methods these highly experiential software applications simulate a real life experience without all of the inherent risks involved, allowing the player to develop real-life skills and knowledge all in a cost-effective and controlled environment. What about games for education?-you may ask… clear benefits of engagement and learning intensity have been proven in the educational arena as well.
Serious Games for Education branch out into three main types:
• Game-based Learning
• Edu-tainment
• Edu-market
Conservative studies suggest that one will retain 25% of what they hear, 50% when writing it down and between 75 to 80% by doing something hands on. We believe in the “Learn by Doing” mantra.
The Serious Games market is growing fueled by better technology, innovative instructional design approaches and compelling titles…not to mention the gargantuan demographic shift to twenty-something folks who embrace games and “get it.”
Serious Games (otherwise known as “SGs”) are meant to train or otherwise educate players, while being engaging. Serious Games Simulations are designed to have the same look and feel of a game, but include non-game events and/or processes. These types of games are specially targeted to government and business sectors for training purposes. While training segments vary for Serious Game applications, the military, corporate and educational arenas are all adopters of this technology/methodology. This rapidly growing industry originally began within the non-government sector and has continued to expand from there. And now the development of “Serious Virtual Worlds” to support training and learning is on fire. It’s more than a game…
Wikipedia Definition A serious game is a term used to refer to a software or hardware application developed with game technology and game design principles for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. Serious games include games used for educational, persuasive, political, or health purposes.
