Game Studies: Gamification & the blockchain (Chapter 4: types of gamification: #2 the use of Serious Games with a gamification framework)

Today I like to talk about why I sometimes list the term serious game under the category of gamification - or as said in the headline as second type of gamification. I know that might sound wrong to you, but I try to explain the reason behind that. Actually the whole clue is about using serious games within a gamification framework and why this might make a big difference. 

First of all I like to state that the term serious game can be used without the context of gamification. A serious game is a digital, non digital or hybrid-game that was made with the aim to add a meaningful context/purpose to the game story or mechanics. 

Those games can be used for many different fields, but  mainly in education (the full spectrum - not limited to school education) or to raise awareness. 

Good (historic) examples are: Ludwig - a physics adventure game (screenshot above), Re-Mission - to raise awareness of cancer or global conflict palestine - a literacy game. Those three games are pioneers in the field of serious games and responsible for the terminology change from edu games to serious game. For me the difference is, that edu games often have a media disruption between the game play and the educational or test part and serious games are include both in one piece. Before the area of edu games (that at least tried to be good games) the learning-game genre consisted of "drill and practice" games like math-blaster on the Atari 

Serious games stand for playful learning, medium/long term learning success and highly motivated game mechanics. The formula to create a successful serious game can be defined as "learning goal = game goal" (Gee/Wagner 2008). 

So - I had to explain this first to finally come to the point for this short article:

The question is: What happens to serious games if they are used as part of a gamification process that the user does not take part in voluntarily? 

Serious games played intrinsic motivated, in the free time are of course games and not gamification,

but at the moment a teacher at school or a trainer at an adult education class starts to use those serious games compulsory for the students and puts it into a broader gamification framework a serious game transfers into a resource used within the gamification approach itself. 

So a serious game can be both a game (with a purpose)  following the principles that defines a game or a part of a gamification process. Here the term gamification stands in the foreground and the serious game might lose its game character. 

Some years ago I started to use the term gamified simulation for me this was/is maybe the next evolutionary step after serious games. I defined gamified simulation as a game based assessment, that is build upon real mechanics (at least abstract) and lead (at the end) to some sort of grading with a real world influence/consequence on the players life. 

However I am still happy with my explanation of a gamified simulation. (For some it might just be the famous chocolate covered broccoli - but as it exists it needs an explanation.)  But this covers the word simulation and serious games are not simulations, they might simulate something but the storyline, the graphics and so on are game like. 

That is why I need to find something between of serious games and gamification. For me it is important that serious games can be part of a gamification framework and in that case they transfer on their "essence of being" from a game to a resource withing the gamification process.

(the student has to play the physics game ludwig in classroom, he/she finishes a quest within the game Ludwig, he/she gets an achievement (outside the game from the teacher at the gamification tool), the number of achievements lead to good or bad grading)

I am more than open minded for discussions and looking forward to read your opinions. 

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