Future directions in games for serious contexts: a conversation about transferability

Abstract

This chapter provides a conversation in form of an opinion piece about strategies commonly utilised in games that can be ‘transferred’ to Serious Games (SGs) and games for serious contexts. The aim of this chapter is to provide different perspectives and examples that are currently utilised by entertainment games that could be utilised in SG development. SGs are often developed for particular situations, and with that, the development process might be attached to specific stakeholders, becoming, most of the time, a ‘one-off’ product, which may limit the SG life cycle and game repurposing. This chapter brings three complementary perspectives to address future challenges and opportunities regarding emerging aspects of player agency and SG modification and transferability across different contexts. First, we discuss emergent possibilities, bringing examples from digital entertainment transferability. Second, we take into consideration ‘modding’ strategies to provide insights for SG modification and transferability, discussing the role of the ‘context’ in games development. Third, we demonstrate the importance of AI emotion modelling to inform better game design. To conclude, we respond to these ideas and provide suggestions for SG research and practice.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Vanissa Wanick: orcid.org/0000-0002-6367-1202

Catalogue record

Export record

Altmetrics