Serious Games, List of Games/Simulators
quad damage
Serious Games
Hello Polycount, do you think we could have a Serious Games Category? Its a growing area of the market and no other forums cover the subject area. It would be great to hear more about these products and up and coming developments.
Are there any Serious Games forums you may know off and can you post links to any Serious Games please.
I am currently writing a research proposal and as part of my literature review I am talking about Serious Games. If any of you could give me links to games/simulators or anything similar that has an edutainment overtone to it I would really appreciate it.
It could be military simulators, corporate training, educational, government, healthcare and so on
These are examples of the kind of subject mater I am looking for.
Nasa- Eyes on the solar System
http://eyes.nasa.gov/launch2.html?do...ts/msl/edl.xml
Google Earth
http://www.google.com/earth/index.html
The Elements
http://periodictable.com/ipad/
The Solar System, Explore Your Back Yard
http://www.explorethesolarsystem.com...ar_System.html
[ame="
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPwDyUp0YAc&feature=player_embedded"]The Solar System - Explore your backyard - YouTube[/ame]
Hello Polycount, do you think we could have a Serious Games Category? Its a growing area of the market and no other forums cover the subject area. It would be great to hear more about these products and up and coming developments.
Are there any Serious Games forums you may know off and can you post links to any Serious Games please.
I am currently writing a research proposal and as part of my literature review I am talking about Serious Games. If any of you could give me links to games/simulators or anything similar that has an edutainment overtone to it I would really appreciate it.
It could be military simulators, corporate training, educational, government, healthcare and so on
These are examples of the kind of subject mater I am looking for.
Nasa- Eyes on the solar System
http://eyes.nasa.gov/launch2.html?do...ts/msl/edl.xml
Google Earth
http://www.google.com/earth/index.html
The Elements
http://periodictable.com/ipad/
The Solar System, Explore Your Back Yard
http://www.explorethesolarsystem.com...ar_System.html
[ame="
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPwDyUp0YAc&feature=player_embedded"]The Solar System - Explore your backyard - YouTube[/ame]
Replies
http://www.americasarmy.com/
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/ltp/games/moonbasealpha/index.html
Heres a few examples of some that I have came across though.
Moon Base Alpha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv6RbEOlqRo
Good luck finding any video where its taken seriously though..pretty much everybody plays it just so they can say "I'm JOHN MADDEN, JOHN MADDEN, UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"
The Day the earth shook.
http://www.state.il.us/iema/EarthquakeGame/Welcome.html
A pretty badly done one made for FEMA.
Also the guys that did Arma/operation flashpoint have a spinoff company that uses the arma engine for military sim stuff. Not sure if youll be able to try it or not though.
http://products.bisimulations.com/
They do simulation/training "games" ranging from flight training to agricultural livestock sims. Bunch of videos on there and info you might find helpful.
Good luck!
They bought the old MS Flight Simulator codebase / IP and have repurposed it.
Crytek was looking into the military sim stuff as well a while back, there are a few vids floating online.
There are a lot of oil and gas simulators popping up lately too, ROV sims, etc (that's what I do now.) vShip, VMAX, Transocean, etc. Even much bigger O and G companies like NOV, Cameron and Schilling Robotics have their own teams developing sims.
It's not accurate either. They aren't games. Sure you might occasionally have products that you develop for that are more 'gamey' but for the most part what simulation company clients are looking for is very far removed from being a game. Especially with the military, a few times we would hear "that looks too gamey, they won't take it seriously as training." They use the same technology as gaming, but they are very much simulations. It can be pretty limiting at times, and definitely was more in the past, but at least in the past few years more sim companies are at least using actual commercial game engines, or the equivalent thereof. Let me tell you how much fun it is working in an "engine" that had no lighting, no normal or spec maps, no nothing...and being told to make it look as realistic as possible, lol.
Agricultural/agrar simulator 2012 Historical Farming
http://www.agrar-simulator.de/
[ame="
What we have been working over at RSG for the past month in Unity. Its currently on display for people to play at The Sydney Customs House.
"Carkit" a racing game to teach highschool students stuff about physics.
http://gate.gameresearch.nl/UserFiles/File/GATE%20magazine/PilotEducationCarkit.pdf
"Crisis Management" a "game" to help mayors handle crisis's better.
http://gate.gameresearch.nl/UserFiles/File/GATE%20magazine/PilotSafety.pdf
But yeah, like said before, these games haven't been released publicly.
According to Dr Minhua Ma, Serious Games and Edutainment Applications, Springer 2011, Page 3
The recent emergence of serious games as a branch of video games has introduced the concept of games design for a serious purpose other than pure entertainment.
Serious Games is a bit like an "Oxymoron" a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in cruel kindness or to make haste slowly.
Could you update the first post as they get added? Would make it alot easier when people search for this again.
It's diminutive of the other games that aren't considered 'serious.'
The only games that aren't serious are ones where the creator doesn't take it seriously. Which I would say are quite rare.
Games are a business, a passion, and they take a whole lot of effort. It sure all sounds serious to me.
Now, to rename it, I think to call them games at all may be a bit of a misnomer. They aren't played to be played, it seems, but rather, played to reenact, or simulate. So why not "Simulation software" or "Reenactment software" or something?
"Interactive simulation software" can be shortened to ISS for people who like that sort of thing. And, I suppose they could still be considered a genre of gaming, were that the name.
Truth be told, I'm not good at coming up with labels, but I do know a bad one when I see it, haha.
"Simulation Software" is what every company I've worked for has called it. I have never heard the words "Serious Games" used at work.
[ame="
http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/
Heh, "serious games", I think, is mostly just a buzzword used in place of "simulation" to ward off the associated thoughts of tedious hours spent learning cluttered UIs and dealing with buggy software...
It's "serious" because that way it doesn't have to be as fun, as cool looking, or as functional as real games. It's "games" because it's not as detailed as a simulation, it's supposed to be more intuitive than a simulation, and because that's what the business development people like to call it :poly108:.
I think the idea probably started off innocent enough, but then they realized how hard it is to actually make something fun... Not to mention fun AND educational AND that makes it through the budget, the SMEs, and all of the people who never play games but who are trying to design one.
Not that all "serious games" are bad games, and for the most part, they do what they were intended to do: be an interactive teaching tool... They're just usually not really games. Much of the time they're simply glorified decision trees... At least in my experience... Just my two cents though.
I would disagree with this as one of the main aspects of 'serious' games is that they are more functional than traditional games. The difference is that where they choose to function is typically not seen or appreciated by the average gamer and that is fine. I wouldn't play the stuff we make in my off time, but I would recommend it to train someone that was going to ship off to Afghanistan.
One thing that I feel always gets lost on people is that serious games don't need to be fun. Sure, we would want to make something that holds someones attention but when the trainer is about how to not get your ass blown off by an IED, I don't know what to tell you. It's not like we're going to put in a quick time event or something.
Things that set the mood in traditional games are lost on trainers as we need to present things as real as possible so to not be counter productive to training. A badass guitar riff isn't going to start wailing right before you walk into an ambush and most the 'fun' things you find in CoD or some other games don't carry over well in regards to realism.
Can u ellaborate what do you mean with "less features", because from my experience (I also currently work on serious game) the game developed by the company have much2 more features than the mainstream game like COD or battlefield (not as pretty, true).
something like setting mission for sky diving, scuba dive, amputation, uav or crazier shit like sandstorm, etc.
Just thought I would show you all this, might help.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game
A serious game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion, and politics.
blitz games has a 'serious games' devision doing work for the NHS etc
( don't mind about how Robbaz play, it still a simulator game)
That sounds nice. Maybe I've just been playing the wrong serious games. Now that I think about it, that part of my argument sucks anyway because some of the best games lack tons of features.
So it's not a bad thing necessarily, but what I also meant was that they aren't as detailed [as in they generally don't have as many options] as a simulation. Basically, I was trying to say why I thought they might call them games instead of sims.
I was thinking of, for example, MS Flight simulator vs whatever its "serious game" counterpart would be, assuming the 'game' would be less meticulously detailed since it was called a 'game' instead of a 'sim', because, at least in my mind, games are supposed to be more intuitive and sims can be as complicated as you want as long as every detail is as close to real life as it can be.
like flight simulators like MS flight simulator, Il-2 sturmovik, DCS, Falcon 4 and rise of flight.
Ground combat simulators like ArmA and VBS, and combat missions.
naval combat simulators like dangerous waters and silent hunter series.
tank simulators like steel beasts, steel fury/steel armor.
a simulator isn't "light" entertainment. sims cater to people who wonder what it would be like to actually fly for example the russian KA-50 black shark helicopter.
while graphically a simulator might be limited, they outdo their prettier cousins by far with the detail in which individual systems in vehicles are modeled.
take for example this video of the startup sequence of the black shark in DCS: black shark:
[ame="
Falcon 4 and DCS would be so-called "study sims" where the learning curve is exceptionally steep, usually days or even weeks before you're able to grasp the concept and play. Falcon 4 for example, comes with a manual as thick as a phonebook. on the other hand sims tend to have exceptional longevity. i know people who have regularly played Steel beasts for the past 10 years.
people who play simulators, are usually ex-military, ex-pilots, or casual people usually in their 40s to mid-50s.
oh btw, website that reviews simulator games:
http://simhq.com/
I am at 21 thousand words on my research paper today, only 5-6 thousand more and I'm done..... well I will have a few months of tightening it up.
I just need to get my Unity 3D medical simulator looking good through a web browser and I'm done.
Cheers, Neil
and i feel obligated to tell you about a racing sim i worked on along with some other people here: http://www.game-stockcar.com.br/
Making possible the Touch Press vision are a team with diverse talents that include backgrounds in TV production, software development, print publishing and interactive design. Partnership with other organisations is at the heart of Touch Presss publishing strategy. To date ten of the companys iPad titles have been selected by Apple as Editors Choice or App of the Week on the iTunes App Stores in the US, UK and worldwide."
http://www.touchpress.com/
The Elements: A Visual Exploration, 2012
http://periodictable.com/ipad/
[vv]69304634[/vv]
http://video.unity3d.com/video/7402585/unity-serious-games-reel
http://www.intelligent.net/news/press-releases/us-army-use-first-ever-fully-immersive-virtual-simulation-training-american
[ame="
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYUrbOvzlsQ#t=55
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
The Human Interfaces group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is part of the organization that is responsible for the software and operations of our missions including the Curiosity Mars Rover that landed recently. We've managed to combine our love of video games with our work at NASA by leading a series of projects focused on the application of video game technologies to controlling robots and to creating entertaining experiences that share NASA's missions with the world.
Real Visual
http://www.real-visual.com/
Real Visual develops real time simulations in 3D, creating highly realistic and effective training / serious gaming technology which can be published on a wide range of platforms including PC, Mac, iOS, Android and web browsers
VIZERRA
http://vizerra.com/
VIZERRA was founded in 2008 and works in serious games and large-scale visual communications fields. The company has developed own software platform to create and view interactive, realistic 3D worlds that enable easy collaboration for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), urban/city planning, industrial, product design and virtual tourism industries.
CliniSpace
http://www.clinispace.com/
CliniSpace offers the next generation of training environments for healthcare professionals immersive, authentic, 3D virtual environments that replicate the familiar surroundings of daily work. Logging into these environments, learners encounter realistic scenarios and problems. They practice alone and in teams, learning to make decisions, to communicate effectively, and to recover safely from errors.
Heartwood 3D
http://hwd3d.com/
Heartwood empowers companies and organizations to Build, Operate, Maintain and Market their products by deploying 3D Interactive Training and 3D Interactive Marketing experiences anytime, anywhere, on any platform - Web, PC, Mobile and Tablets.
Serious Games Interactive
http://www.seriousgames.dk/
Serious Games Interactive is an award-winning, research-based developer of games, simulations and virtual worlds. They offer a unique blend of competences within interactive experiences focusing on games and learning.
Designing Digitally, Inc.
http://www.designingdigitally.com/
Designing Digitally, Inc. is an award-winning full-service provider of interactive and engaging E-Learning, 3D Training Simulation, Virtual World and Web Design and Development services .
Booz Allen Hamilton
http://www.boozallen.com/
Booz Allen Hamilton's Interactive Media Solutions team blends the Analytics capabilities in rapid prototyping, web/mobile development, game development and design, animation, and 3D modeling with Creative Solutions expertise in graphic/web design, video production, multimedia, and brand strategy to provide clients with novel approaches to solving their most difficult problems.
E-Semble
http://www.e-semble.com/
E-Semble, is a company from The Netherlands that has been successful in the safety and security field for over 12 years. E-Semble chose Unity as the heart of their serious gaming platform because of its performance
Vienna University The Interactive and Multimedia Systems
https://www.ims.tuwien.ac.at/
The Interactive and Multimedia Systems group works intensively on virtual and augmented reality and multimedia processing. The fundamental virtual reality research especially focus on (optical) tracking and motion capture, 3D interaction including locomotion, virtual rehabilitation, high quality rendering for AR/VR and handheld augmented reality.
Daden
http://www.daden.co.uk/
Daden is an immersive learning and visualization company based in Birmingham UK. With funding from BAE Systems Investment in Innovation program Daden have been developing two Unity based applications, Datascape and Securescape.
NOAA
http://www.noaa.gov/
At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) we leverage the power of Unity create powerful interactives for science analysis, education, and outreach. One of our products named TerraViz is a multi-platform data visualization tool.
I have also heard people calling them Applied Games.
Separate Sub_Area of Serious Games, but since I haven't seen any mentions.
http://www.gamesforchange.org/
"serious game, not serious game you tell me?"
"probably not serious?.."
"honk hoooonk! eurotrucker 2 GOTY!!!.. or just serious?.."
We actually do not focus on simulation games. Most of our games help with the rehabilitation process. for example:
http://www.grendel-games.com/index.php/products/serious-games/50-seriousgames-gryphonrider
Another (different) example is our game "underground" which offers a fun entertainment game that's also capable of training laparoscopic surgery motor skills.
http://www.grendel-games.com/index.php/products/serious-games/32-underground
Most of the time we dont use the phrase "serious games", instead we call them "Seriously entertaining". I didn't read the whole thread yet (saw it in my break) so I will be reading more tonight. good to see this topic on polycount!
'Simulators' doesn't cover the load, as you've also got things that aid in rehabilitation, mental well-being, education...
Charger: I respect Grendel Games, but 'seriously entertaining' sounds awful
I understand what you're saying, but it's far too similar to a parent trying to get their kid to eat Broccoli: 'Oh, it's so yummy! Look at me eating! Hmmmmm, so good!'.
It was a shame I didn't get to try Underground at Indigo, it was always so crowded!