There is a significant difference between these two technological learning mediators.
When and where should one use them?
It is my understanding that epistemic games have a narrower definition than serious games. Epistemic games are specifically concerned with developing knowledge through game-play and particularly in developing epistemic "frames" (Shaffer), whereas the "serious" epithet relates to the broader use of games than purely for entertainment. Epistemic games are typically online simulations that encourage a particular way of thinking about a problem that is particularly relevant to the profession in question. For example, in teaching risk and accident investigation, I have used simulated accidents and risk assessments to encourage students to develop the investigative and analytical problem-solving skills they will need in their practice. Hope this helps!
Hi Angel,
A colleague of mine, Professor Catherine Beavis (Griffith University), has just finished a major 3 year research project on Serious Games. She might be worth following.
Cheers, Kevin.
There is a possibility to use entertaintment games to learn different contents. I'm trying to use simple strategy videogames (tower defense) to teach maths. Work in progress, but it seems that playing a tower defense game is like solving a sequence of problems. Then, the definition of serious games is a bit more ambigous.
i think the serious games are conducive to learning and the others not.
There is enough evidence out there suggesting that entertainment games can be a learning platform; considering the amount of maths/logic that goes into such games, one can understand that using ent games for teaching maths would work (figure out the game and you've figured out the maths??). My overall take on it is that ent games provide incidental learning while serious games intend learning (i.e. serious game developers have, or at least should have, thought about the required cognitive, motor skill or affective transfer taking place).
I think we're dwindling off the epistemic vs serious games question :)
I agree, playing entertaintment games there are some kind of learning, no intentional. But I guess that a pedagogical plan could transform these games in serious games, because the teacher can guide students. If we talk about games that promote mathematical learning, these could be epistemological games, a subclass of serious games.
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