Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
simULaTiOn in seriOUs Games
The simulations in serious games fall somewhere between scientific and entertain-
ment simulation, depending on the purpose of the game. A game that intends to
persuade will skew its mechanics to make its point, as
PeaceMaker
did. An edu-
cational game will make an effort to represent its subject matter correctly, as a
professional flight simulator does.
In entertainment games, we often abstract out details that aren't fun. This is why
entertainment war games never deal with the logistics of transporting food and
fuel to the battlefront or transporting the wounded to hospitals, because they're
not as much fun as the strategy and tactics of combat. But a serious game that
genuinely intends to educate people about the logistical challenges of warfare cannot
afford to completely ignore these aspects and needs to instead find a way to include
them. This can create a conflict between keeping the game fun and sending the cor-
rect message.
NOTE
if you are hired
to develop a serious
game, you will probably
work with someone
called a
subject-matter
expert.
This will be a
person who knows the
subject very well but
probably doesn't know
much about game
design. You will have
to work with him or
her to combine your
expertise to create an
accurate, informative,
and engaging game.
This can require much
more compromise
and diplomacy than
entertainment game
design does.
To resolve this problem, design your serious game
directly around
the subject that
you want to teach, and abstract out other areas even if they would be more fun in
an entertainment product. To design a serious game about logistics, research the
economics, challenges, and actions associated with logistics, and build mechanics
to simulate them. Eliminate or simplify the combat so that, while it may affect the
game, the player does not participate in it. Concentrate on making logistical chal-
lenges enjoyable in their own right, choosing game mechanics that complement
this focus, and make the subject accessible to the player without distracting him
with other issues.
Also, just because your mechanics must simulate your subject matter accurately in
a serious game, it does not mean that they must simulate everything else accurately
too.
Serious
does not mean
serious about everything.
It's perfectly acceptable to make a
game about logistics with cartoon physics (and cartoon graphics, for that matter) as
long as your simulation still teaches the core principles correctly.
It is almost always a mistake to start designing a serious game by trying to copy an
existing entertainment game. Build your mechanics and gameplay around your sub-
ject matter.
Analogous Simulation
An inventory is an example of an analogous simulation. Ever since
Adventure
(1976),
video games have included an inventory. The game allows the player's character
to pick up objects and carry them around. The player manages these objects in the
game's inventory screen. For design purposes or physical memory reasons, most
games use some means to restrict the number of things that the character can carry.
The game may limit the player to a fixed number of items, or it may assign a weight
value to each item and restrict the player to a certain total load.
