Serious Games or Serious Trouble
Abstract The Term “Serious Game” generally refers to gaming technology which is used for purposes other than entertainment. The rational for doing this is apparent when viewing the stunning visual imagery of a $50 dollar game compared to that of a multi-million dollar simulation. It is very appealing to leverage off the mass market budgets of computer games. This has spawned a number of gaming based development environments that can be used to create professional simulations.
This then raises a series of questions. Where exactly is gaming technology being used in the simulation industry? What are the differences between a serious game and a professional simulator? How can companies tasked with creating professional simulations for training best use gaming technology?
This paper will discuss some fundamental differences in game software architectures compared to professional simulator architectures. This paper is based upon experiences in developing applications using proprietary simulation and rendering engines as well as using tools such as VBS2 and Delta 3D. Some of the top down design considerations will be explored. These need to be determined up front prior to deciding if a game based solution is feasible. Technical areas will include, Artificial Intelligence, after action review, coordinate systems, interpolation, networking, and digital asset creation.
1. OVERVIEW Serious games and the application of gaming technology for use in the simulation industry is currently a very hot topic; discussed at great lengths at industry forums. There is no denying the visual quality of the average game can be visually stunning – particularly when compared to some high price simulators.
If the application of gaming technology is really a paradigm shift for the simulation industry then there would be an assumption that it is being used in a host of current programs. However, while gaming related computer hardware such as video cards has widely
This then raises a series of questions. Where exactly is gaming technology being used in the simulation industry? What are the differences between a serious game and a professional simulator? How can companies tasked with creating professional simulations for training best use gaming technology?
This paper will discuss some fundamental differences in game software architectures compared to professional simulator architectures. This paper is based upon experiences in developing applications using proprietary simulation and rendering engines as well as using tools such as VBS2 and Delta 3D. Some of the top down design considerations will be explored. These need to be determined up front prior to deciding if a game based solution is feasible. Technical areas will include, Artificial Intelligence, after action review, coordinate systems, interpolation, networking, and digital asset creation.
1. OVERVIEW Serious games and the application of gaming technology for use in the simulation industry is currently a very hot topic; discussed at great lengths at industry forums. There is no denying the visual quality of the average game can be visually stunning – particularly when compared to some high price simulators.
If the application of gaming technology is really a paradigm shift for the simulation industry then there would be an assumption that it is being used in a host of current programs. However, while gaming related computer hardware such as video cards has widely