So the Frankfurter Buch Messe is trying to get a bit of momentum with an idea where people publish ideas on what is to come, and then people’s comments counts as points towards winning an Ipad. I already have one Ipad and will probably buy 1-2 more in Spain in two weeks, but nevertheless check it out here.
Playing History – The Plague wins first Prize
We recently won first place in a competition for learning games. Lets hope this is the beginning of a beautiful journey for Playing History.
Posted in News.
– July 19, 2010
Why can’t game-based learning be more like this..
Usually I am not too impressed with either children titles or learning games, but some times there are small nuggets. And although this one is in Danish I am sure you can find other translation, and get the feel for it by trying it on. The game is not innovative its just so well executed, which always is hard to deed. The game is for quite small children – be sure to check out the frogs behind the curtain in the bath tub. In Danish its called ‘Lille og Stor‘ (Little & Big).
Posted in Examples.
– July 16, 2010
Microsoft office as a game
Quite an interesting presentation about gamifying Microsoft office. Check it out at SlideShare.
Posted in Examples.
– July 13, 2010
Danish Education Ministry on the Beat
The Danish Education Ministry have a tradition where influential educational people pass each other a question (stafet) in relation to challenges in the educational system. This time I got it in relation to Game-Based learning, which there came a nice little piece out of . Check it on Education Ministry Site.
Posted in Discussion GBL, News.
– June 25, 2010
Gamefication 2
So it seems that indeed the trend is strong. Now Google seems to be picking up on the trend with the talk below by Ben Sawyer, and Google working to natively run Unity3D (and similar) in Chrome .
Also there are some interesting thoughts on Urgent Evoke that is an ARG. I tried it and found it too difficult for my taste, but take a look at this well thought through evaluation of the project by Rex Brynen. It seems that the WBI is getting into the area and at Serious Games Interactive we had some really interesting talks about the potential, which they made a small video from.
Posted in Discussion GBL, News.
– June 24, 2010
Gamefication
Lately, it seems that game-based learning is trying to make a new push in going beyond entertainment. I have been running into a lot of projects that want to involve games in health and construction sector, but practically all other business areas as well.
What is interesting is that I think we may be coming to a point where the developers and buyers are getting closer to understanding each other. Instead of thinking about game-based learning as a real game it has become a good compromise to think in a game-like product. So, you will actually have applications, processes and products that you enhance by using game elements. This can both be game mechanics and graphics, which depends very much on the actual application.
The game-lile approach is in contrast to previously where you would often build things from the ground up – trying to make it as a real game, which is of course triggy with the budgets out there. In many ways I think this is a sign of the area maturing, and it will be really interesting to see what happens. Also, because it opens a way for subject matters experts to easier understand what games are and can be in there own area. This should cater for innovational thinking, where the game-based learning people. don’t come up with good ideas but rather the subject matters experts are enabled by the game-based learning people.
Currently, we are examining ways of thinking about knowledge management, innovation processes, change management and internal communication in companies not as games, but rather to enrich them with a few twists (Less is more). We already have a few cases but would like to take it to the next level – hopefully, we will be able to get some forward seeking companies.
Posted in Business, Discussion GBL.
– June 22, 2010
All quiet on the West Front
So things been quiet lately here, too quiet. As is usually the case no news are good news. Indeed, I have been way too busy trying to joggle new strategic initiatives, some ambitious client projects, hiring new people and getting a research paper out the door. What is always interesting when hiring new people is that you get a glimpse at what is going on in other areas of the industry. I was also fortunate enough to participate in Innogate, a seminar on serious games and talking to a master student who was trying to find out what the prospects were for the Danish games industry.
All in all it leads to a lot of thinking of what one can do – so many options so little time. The old talk about partnership, sharing technology, networking etc. keeps coming up in these contexts. However, even if I often try to seek out these things out it seems it often don’t really materialize. I find that its amazingly hard to find these win-win partnerships, research projects or alliances that really work. We have had our share of attempts, and will continue.
One thing that I am particular frustrated with is that we are involved in numerous research projects, and even if it creates some value it never really gets to the point where I want it to. Maybe I am just unrealistic but I think a lot of the time it relates to the fact that the university world defines the research projects more than the commercial partner. Even if for example EU are very much into the whole ‘make it a commercial viable and interesting project’ it seems it never really materialize in these projects. It becomes too much lip-serving to research agendas, research communities and strange deliverables promised in a early application stage with imperfect knowledge (+ all the other general stuff arising from running long term projects with many partners with ill defined roles).
So I am really thinking about how we can get more value out of these projects, and help drive the area forward. I think that one of the tricks are to be more realistic, down-to-earth and humble. I have read more than a few research applications (especially for EU) that just didn’t make any sense but was a ‘ton’ of long words with unclear meaning to everyone (perhaps except the three researchers that were experts in the area). From now on my first question will be what is the exit-strategy for a research project.
Posted in Research.
– June 1, 2010
Innogate – last seminar (Danish, Copenhagen)
For the Danish speaking part of this blog who is around 1/3 there is an interesting seminar coming up in a few days about serious games. You can learn more about the program here.
Posted in Talks.
– May 21, 2010
Museums, learning & games (Brede værk)
I found time to visit Brede Værk which is a new ambitious Danish exhibition about the industrilisation in Denmark. In many ways its a relly strong concept, but when visiting it is still missing something, and have some of the problems that are often aimed at including digital technology in museums. Interestingly, it has two very distint ways of using digital technology which each have their own challenges.
The exhibition is built with an interactive ticket system so when you start up you select a character you will follow through the exhibition. When you come to a new area in the exhibition you put in your card, and get the selected character’s perspective on the situation. The story and exhibition beyond that is pretty linear but it actually works quite well, and show that there is a potential for pushing the exhibition through a narrative and make it more meaningful and easy to relate to.
The biggest problem is that you end up looking more on the video screens that the actual exhibition artefacts, which is of course one of the big criticism often levelled us digitale technology. In reality you could really have seen the video anywhere and got an almost similar experience. Although you have some artefacts in the background – they become little more than distant background as they are not closely integrated into the videos and the narrative.
The other part of the exhibition that really use digital technology is a machine factory where you are sitting at the assembly line and must put together items in competition with other, and with world events influencing this. The concept is really strong, the visitors engaged and very hands-on experience. I am sure all visitors will remember this experience afterwards The challenge with this game is that is requires a lot of visitors to really work and that the game is a bit too complex. Furthermore, even if the museum experience is embedded in this experience it still becomes somewhat external. The assembly line feels more like Vietnam today than Denmark 200 years ago. So here the artifacts are not background but they become too much like the present. On the other hand the experience of being at an assembly line is conveyed extremely well.
Posted in Discussion GBL, Examples, Reviews.
– May 10, 2010
