Serious gaming for health benefits is moving out of the realm of being potentially interesting, and the authors are starting to see a growing maturity in the field. This study of six serious gaming... Show More

Serious gaming for health benefits is moving out of the realm of being potentially interesting, and the authors are starting to see a growing maturity in the field. This study of six serious gaming projects based either wholly or partly in Denmark investigates the changes taking place in the healthcare area based on experiences with serious gaming projects, the likely development of the field, and the lessons which have been learned in the area of designing to overcome barriers which exist at various levels and throughout the delivery chain. This is done from the perspective of developers and service providers, primarily using interview and game analysis techniques. The results indicate a growing maturity amongst service providers in a number of key areas, such as understanding of the most appropriate uses of games, designing for usability, and a better understanding of the process of making a successful game for health. There is a clear expectation that games will continue to diversify and penetrate the health space, while at the same time many are looking to developments in the United States as a primary driver for uptake in Europe. There are high hopes for the mobile/app area, and a number of interesting cross-disciplinary initiatives are identified.

The purpose of this paper is to present a series of observations made by researchers and educators on the integration of serious games in the educational experience of users with intellectual... Show More

The purpose of this paper is to present a series of observations made by researchers and educators on the integration of serious games in the educational experience of users with intellectual disabilities (ID). Data were gathered from four different studies and different games were used, in order to identify a successful model of games based learning application. Moreover, results that highlight the motivational importance of playful integration towards the promotion of self determination in students with ID, will be presented. According to the authors’ findings, special education can be benefited from the successful integration of digital games in the educational scenario, creating a safe and personalized educational environment for the students, as well as a valuable motivational tool for the educator - especially when the educator takes a threefold role, able to support a hybrid model of digital and non digital play. Trying to assist the educational efforts of special education teachers, the authors will present the results of a series of case studies and applications, the role of the educator, as well as practical considerations that resulted in the sketch of a model of playful game-based learning integration.

With the increasing potential for gaming hardware and peripherals to support biometrics, their application within the games industry for software and design should be considered. This paper assesses... Show More

With the increasing potential for gaming hardware and peripherals to support biometrics, their application within the games industry for software and design should be considered. This paper assesses the ability to use a form of biometric measurement, heart rate, in real-time to improve the challenge and enjoyment of a game by catering it to individuals of varying ability. While the findings of this study are valuable to game developers interested in providing additional dimensions to gameplay and testing, they may also be useful for those researching medical or therapeutic applications for games. The results suggest that although the tested game was inherently challenging and enjoyable, the adaptive affective gameplay was not altering the game enough to induce strong physiological or emotional responses from participants. Biofeedback games lend themselves to medical applications, but adaptive affective games can be used to respond sympathetically to the player without requiring direct control of physiological responses as a form of input.

The development of a gendered identity is a process that both boys and girls navigate to construct ideas about the men and women they will become. There is little research on this process for men... Show More

The development of a gendered identity is a process that both boys and girls navigate to construct ideas about the men and women they will become. There is little research on this process for men with intellectual disabilities (ID). This study aimed to explore the ideas that teenage boys with ID develop while thinking about the men they will become. Twenty one boys with ID took part in a group discussion of images of men performing various activities. Individual boys were then interviewed about the men they wished to become. These data were then analysed to generate themes about contemporary self-understanding. Analysis of the considerable talk about computer games revealed two themes: Games as permissive spaces to try out ideas; Games as space to embody second hand masculinity. These findings raise interesting issues regarding the boys’ developing identities and masculinity. Their involvement in gaming may offer the opportunity for boys to question both desirable and undesirable aspects of masculine identity.

International evidence indicates that the number of females involved in video-gaming is increasing. Within the context of this increase, there is a need to explore the experiences of this group of... Show More

International evidence indicates that the number of females involved in video-gaming is increasing. Within the context of this increase, there is a need to explore the experiences of this group of gamers in detail. This study explored female experiences of playing video-games. Data were collected from an online discussion forum dedicated to video-gaming; the sample comprised of posts drawn from 409 discussion threads. Thematic analysis of the discussions suggests that gaming is a key element of the female gamers’ identity, with females discussing the integration of gaming into their daily lives on a number of different levels. Similar to previous research, social elements of gaming are highlighted with simultaneous difficulties with online interaction emphasised. These themes are discussed in relation to relevant research in the area, along with recommendations for future research and consideration of possible explanations for the themes observed.