Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB A construction kit to create a serious game according to your needs. Depending on your needs, a core game can be extended and adapted to your needs, learning objectives and application domain. Your existing learning content in your learning management systems (LMS) or other learning applications can be easily integrated.
core – Serious Game Framework
Challenge
Serious games, and especially those that follow the digital game-based learning concept, are time-consuming to create. Once developed, they cannot be reused in other contexts; each application and learning purpose requires its own, new game - which costs time and money.
Existing learning content from training systems, learning platforms or simulators in schools or companies can usually not be integrated, but must be reproduced in the game at great expense.
Another challenge in the development of serious games is the communication with game developers. For each part of the development, such as the development of the story, the creation of graphic assets, sound, music, GUIs, etc., a separate expert is usually needed, to whom the idea of the game must be explained anew. This makes communication time-consuming and these experts are also subject to the fluctuations of the market.
Solution
Core is a framework with which serious games can be developed on the basis of a core structure and tailored to individual needs, learning objectives and application domains according to a modular concept.The core element provides finished game mechanics. Depending on the requirements, the other elements can be added, adapted and extended. These elements include, for example, existing training courses that can be integrated into Core as missions.
Your benefit
Save work by easily integrating existing content from your learning systems. The content does not have to be newly created or rebuilt for the game.
In addition, we can serve as a link during implementation to the game developer experts involved. I.e. you do not have to worry about the communication and organization of the individual areas (graphics, sound, programming, etc.).
Saving money through the modular concept: depending on your budget, the elements can be flexibly adapted. In the simplest case, you only need to insert the tasks (missions) into your application field to get a fully-fledged and convincing serious game without any further effort.
If you already have a game based on the Core framework, you don't need to create a new game for a new learning or application domain; swapping out the missions would be enough.
Tabbed contents
Construction kit concept
The central element, i.e. the core structure, is the so-called GameLoop. These general gameplay and game mechanics remain essentially the same for each use case. The other elements Storytelling (if needed, a story is told in the chosen setting to give more context for the execution of missions), Setting (defining the game world), Missions (tasks from the application domain to achieve the learning goals) and Gamification (achievements and rewards for further motivational support) are only adapted or used where it becomes necessary for your use case. These customizations represent an instantiation of the core framework. The sketch shows an example of such an instantiation for the cybersecurity use domain.
Integration of existing training & learning systems in missions
The GameLoop itself does not provide its own learning objectives. Learning usually takes place within the missions. The successful completion of these missions is the engine that drives the game forward and is rewarded accordingly.
Existing learning systems (Learning Management Systems, simulators, etc.) are integrated for the execution of missions. This integration is done via interoperability standards, making it look like the integrated system is part of the game. As content for a mission, you may for example include reading through a learning chapter in your Learning Management System, or performing a quiz assessment, or tasks from your simulator, etc.
Example
As already indicated in the sketch, an example instance was realized with the core framework. It is a serious game about cyber security. The interoperability standards LTI and xAPI enable Core to connect your learning systems.