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higher the transfer of learning [5]. Furthermore, learning is contingent on being able
to link new information to existing prior knowledge in the long term memory [6] and
while encountering an alien environment may foster curiosity, it may consequently be
inefficient for learning, as the player is unable to integrate newly obtained game
knowledge with prior knowledge obtained in the real world. From this one could ar-
gue that it is cognitively sound to have games with familiar, real world settings,
though perhaps at the expense of engagement.
Conversely, the fantasy and curiosity that a game's fantasy setting affords, is also
important for learning. It leads to more engagement with the learning material [4, 7],
as well as more cognitive effort [8]. In previous research on serious games design, it
was found that the inclusion of unexpected surprises in the narrative improved cogni-
tive effort and subsequently deep comprehension of the instructional material, though
not motivation [9]. Conversely, in other research the introduction of a curiosity induc-
ing intervention led to more engagement, but not learning [10]. However, neither was
focused on stimulating fantasy. Perhaps most critically, a game without fantasy is
“simply an abstract context—a simulation of reality” [11]. Play occurs when someone
steps into 'the magic circle', a place where disbelief is suspended and the player be-
comes immersed in an imaginary world [12]. Without some kind of fantasy that en-
gages a player's imagination, play may not arise, and the serious game is less a game,
and more training.
According to Schell, every game rests on four pillars: aesthetics, mechanics, tech-
nology and narrative [13]. For this research we tried to answer the question whether
the aesthetics of a serious game should be familiar (i.e. corresponding with the real
world), or a fantasy setting, in order to optimally stimulate learning and engagement.
For this, we created four versions of an existing strategic decision-making (SDM)
game, a picture of which can be seen in Figure 1.
The game was designed to train experts to make decisions based on incomplete or
conflicting data and subsequently provide insight into their own decision-making
process [14]. In the game, the player was confronted with a scenario about an impor-
tant person that went missing. As the head of a crisis team, the player is tasked to
make decisions based on advice that is provided by a number of experts in his or her
team. In a 2x2 design, both the visual aesthetics and the story setting were either fa-
miliar or fantasy. The mechanics, technology and plot were kept the same.
Fig. 1.
Strategic Decision-Making game. Image and game courtesy of T-Xchange.
