The Ten Commandments of Serious GamesFor the past six years, I have been involved in the creation of serious games. The purpose of serious games is not to entertain, but to instruct, or to prepare – or both. A serious game whose players do not find it in some way compelling will be of little value to either the players or those who created it. This “genre,” for want of a better term, is expanding rapidly, and many people (such as my own core team) who are making these games are seasoned professionals with years of experience in the commercial gaming industry.

Why do we do it? Well, apart from the obvious value of earning an income, the people I know who have chosen to work on serious games, do it because they feel that they can help to make games that will not only make a difference in somebody’s life – they may also help to save lives.

A couple of years ago, I did a presentation on this subject, based upon my experience with games for the military, the Federal government, and (currently) for a network of hospitals, for an event at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Here is a simplified version of that presentation entitled “The Ten Commandments of Serious Games.”

What is a Serious Game?

“A serious game is an application developed with game software technology and game design principles for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment.” -- I. M. Wiki

Successful Serious Games…

Model real-world and environments.o “Model” and “simulate” are not the same thing; often a simple model is more

accurate than a very detailed simulation. Produce credible real-world results.

o Testable and verifiable, in some fashion (sometimes just anecdotal).o Sometimes these are unexpected, and occasionally the real world itself defies

credibility. Help train users to do their jobs better. Can lead to new, more successful methods of operation.

Unsuccessful Serious Games…

Do not meet the needs of the client. Focus on irrelevant areas. Focus too much on “fun,” not simulation of reality OR THE REVERSE focus too much

on "simulation," and are not compelling to users.o A fun game is not necessary a good tool for learning.o If they don’t want to play, they aren’t going to learn.

And now, without further ado, here are my Ten Commandments of Serious Games:

I. Know Thy Friends Learn their language. Visit them often. Read what they read. Find good subject matter experts (SMEs), either from among your clients or elsewhere.

II. Never Forget Thy MissionYou are creating a game – but lives may depend on your product. This is both a responsibility and, hopefully, a source of pride to you and to your team.

III. Be Mindful of the Effects of Thy WordsDepending upon the client:

Your products are compelling, not “fun.” It’s a simulation, not a “game.”

Etc. – learn to use their terminology, not only in the game -- I mean simulation -- but also in your daily discussions with your clients.

IV. Remember the Real Experts By the time you finish a commercial product, you typically know far more than the

average user will ever know. By the time you finish a serious game, you know a fraction of what your end users know.

You will never be a real expert in their field, but you have to convince them you are! Research is a must.

V. Don’t give Thy Clients what They Want -- give Them what They can Afford”I want a game that looks and plays like Command and Conquer.”

“For nine million dollars more, we can give you Command and Conquer.”

(Me vs. my National Institute of Justice Project Director, at a conference on school safety, when we were creating a product that had an initial budget of $180,000)

VI. Don’t give Thy Clients what They Want -- give Them what They NeedThe hospital wanted a 3-D FPS (First-Person Surgeon) to help train hospital staff how to respond to a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI).

With the budget and time available, they needed a hospital management tool, not an entire virtual hospital with hundreds of NPCs and a huge amount of art. This would have worked far better with a 2-D map (P.S. They got what they wanted, but time and money ran out).

VII. Do Thy HomeworkResearch – ongoing till the end of the project – is critical. Over the course of your development cycle, things are sure to change. You have to keep up with the changes, because your SMEs probably won’t always remember to tell you.

VIII. Open Doors = Open DoorsOne successful project, no matter how small, can lead to more projects, and to more potential clients as well. Government agencies and the military, in particular, want to work with people they know they can trust. And the reverse is just as true – one bad job won’t cost you just that client, but probably all of the other government agencies they work with as well.

IX. It’s Only Trivia if You Don’t Know it!Many government contracts – in the U.S. at least – say that your final product belongs to them. This often includes all relevant tools and technology.

Some projects will have difficult requirements. You have to be sure you know these things!

Secret clearances or higher for some or all team members. U.S. citizenship for all team members. One or more team members required to be onsite for part or all of the project.

X. Thou Shalt Take Nothing for GrantedYour clients will be educated and very smart – but surprisingly ignorant as well, in some areas.

”It says here to put in the (we meant IP!) address of the host, but I keep typing Bob’s name, and nothing happens.” -- An actual quote from a highly regarded former police chief, during a playtest session of the NIJ product, Incident Commander.

The Bottom LineIt is not a question of whether simulation and game-based tools will be used in education and training, but whether they will be used well. The need exists, and will grow, and where there is need, there will be funding. Where there is funding there will be “profitunities.”