Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are personal opinions of the authors and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of the Academy of Digital Entertainment, Breda, NL. © Copyright 2009/2010
The opinions expressed herein are personal opinions of the authors and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of the Academy of Digital Entertainment, Breda, NL. © Copyright 2009/2010
Introduction
There are 3 methods to extinguish fire.
This game will teach you which method is best in a certain situation.
Not picking the right extinguish method results in fire damage.
Play game
[embed .swf file here] : Fire Extinguisher
[source files + .swf file here]
Instructions
After playing the game you have learned
Credits
Fabian Schouw
Stijn Klessens
Bart Knuiman
Spa Management
Manage your own Spa and try to get as much money as possible!
Instructions
Press Start Game to start the game, or press instructions for more detailed instructions!
Credits
Vincent van der Pol
Jerry van den Heuvel
Jeroen Matser
Pim Kartner
Our game is about recycling plastic.
Separate the plastic parts from the non-plastic parts.
Drag the plastic parts into the plastic bin.
This game learns children what is supposed to go into the plastic bin and what not, also that recycling is a good thing to do.
Team members:
Freek Hoekstra
Roel Ezendam
Rick de Bruijne
WetSnow
Your a cloud that is focused on making snow for your friends the skiers. by playing you quickly learn that temperature of the cloud and the water are the factors that make the diffrence between snow and rain.
Play the Game
http://users.codewolf.nl/~codewolf/WetSnow
Instructions
* click on START to begin
* Follow the instructions
* use the arrows and spacebar to cover the ground in snow
After playing this game you will know:
* that tempature is a key factor in making snow .
Credits
Programmers: Mike van Mourik, Matthijs van der Meide
Artist: Karim baz
Magnetized
What materials can be picked up by a magnet? This game will give you the general idea about what can and what can not be picked up by a magnet.
Play the Game
http://www.gemblog.nl/Flash/Maarten/
Instructions
* click on START to begin
* click on the buttons with the mouse or use the keyboard to control the magnet arm
* collect the magnetic items
After playing this game you will know:
* what objects are attracted by magnets and which are not
Credits
Programmers: Arie Hofland, Maarten Tops
Artist: Ruard Veerman, Tristan Seelen
Breathe is a serious game where the player learns in a simple and appealing way how the respiratory systems of humans and fish work.
Here is the link to our game, Arie Hofland kindly helped us to host this file on his website:
(the game takes a while to load so pleae be patient..)
(right click and press play to start the game if the screen stays white..)
http://www.gemblog.nl/Flash/Adolfo/
Use the arrows left and right to move the character left and right, the character will jump when the up arrow is pressed.
Pick up magical seaweed (5 pieces) to grow gills and be able to go underwater to search for your brother.
Remember to pick up oxygen bubbles to keep breathing underwater.
The Player learns how the respiratory system works, this is a very simplyfied version.
Mark Knoop – Flash Programmer, Artist, Voice Actor
Adolfo Roman – Team Lead, Artist
Jasper Verbon – Artist, Game Design
Esther Zuidgeest – Artist, Animator
I am going to review two Serious Games that are about the army
both these games the player is on the American side, but their focus and purpose is very different.
While America’s army was created to attract soldiers to the army
Full spectrum warrior was originally designed to train soldiers.
I would like to see the differences between the two.
And find out which one gives the best view on how war is like.
America’s army
America’s Army, or really America’s Army 3 is a first person shooter in which the player plays a soldier working (how could it be else) for the American army, the player gets a drill and has to shoot specific targets, after learning the basics of war the player gets to fight online against other players.
Gameplay
The game calls itself realistic, it is more realistic then most games, but I would not call it very realistic. I have played commercial games that are already more realistic, (operation flashpoint, ghost recon, and rogue spear for example) the player can take relatively much damage also players respawn… which is not very realistic, and all non American weapons were fictional… There is no need to take cover, fast strafing will do.
but thankfully there is no bunny-hopping. Jumping has been cut from the game, which is very good choice. this was not the case in the original AA and bunnyhopping was a real pest.
Another thing I did like is that there is actual medical training in the game, that is required if the player want to be a medic in the game, (you do not have to do this but if you want to be a medic you do have to do it)
The game is all about honor (you can display this) and gaining it takes time.
this honor is actually very effective, I have found several players actively trying to gain more. However it seems sort of questionable in a game that features no moral questions whatsoever.
The player just kills any enemies, and that is it. Maybe that is true in war, but in Iraq soldiers constantly have to decide, whether that bump is a baby in his arms, or a bomb. No such hard decisions are in AA. This I personally find a pity.
The success of America’s army,
I think it is sort of split. There are 3 iterations of the game now,
so I must at least be somewhat of a success and looking at the amount of players it has.
However, as a representation of real warfare, it is not. Players respawning, inaccurate weapon damage, lack of morality, inaccurate bullet penetration
(bullets going through walls, but not through a wooden plank …. ) etc etc.
However its purpose is to get players to join the army.
video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekMQFXdORM0&feature=related
Evaluation
Download :America’s army http://www.americasarmy.com/
Complete, Correct and Well-Rounded Content: Most content seems propaganda like. Not objective 2
Focused on the Topic: the game is all about war 3
Encourages Active Player Participation: Yes players play it a lot . 3
Problem Solving: there are no real puzzles challenges are the enemies. 2
User Interface: especially for FPS connoisseurs 3
Genre first person shooter: so very much like a soldier 3
Integration of game play and content: the challenges focus on your skills in shooting, not any of the other peacekeeping tasks of a soldier 1
Assessment: it is a multiplayer game 3
Scalable: it is a multiplaer game which is popular 3
Interoperable: It works together with Xfire, (similar to game-spy) 2
Editable: Not editable by players, (tweaks are possible but minor) 1
Reusable: a lot of assets can be resued for a new iteration / map 3
28 Out of 36
Full spectrum warrior
Full Spectrum Warrior is a real-time strategy game in which the player commands two squads. The tow squads Alpha and Bravo have 4 units, he leader, the Grenadier, the rifleman and the automatic rifleman (to lay down suppressive fire). Two versions have been developed, one as a part of the training for the military and later a commercial one (I played the latter).
Gameplay
The player has access to a map, and sees his goals laid out on there, the game itself is 3d and uses a sort of 3rd person perspective, (sort of, see the video for clarity). The game as said is very strategic, and the player has to be strategic about his positioning. The players uses the mouse/circle and uses it as his tool to command the troops, the player does not directly control the soldiers, this makes the game unique and enforces the realistic gameplay. A big part is actually gathering information, and getting soldiers to a safe position while doing that. Soldiers automatically take cover near the location you told them to go to. But if you placed them at the wrong side of a wall, they will also die realistically fast. this makes for cautious very tactical gameplay, and makes it a lot of fun to play. You have to do things right.
To add to the realism, and punish players for rash actions, shot players must be carried out. Adding to the problems and making even harder to finish the missions. Not only do you lose a valuable asset but you have to escort them out as well. Very realistic.
actual tactics
As I said actual tactics are used, using one squad to lay down suppressive fire. Another can advance, this is not done automatically the player must signify a zone to put ire on, this also applies
repetitive
There is one problem, if one does a mission twice, the mission will be nearly the same, this is detrimental to the realism as I started to know what I could expect.
Interesting fact I found on Wikipedia while researching this game:
“The original military version of the game can also be unlocked within the retail Xbox version, by inputting the code HA2P1PY9TUR5TLE on the code input screen.”
I could not test this as I tested the pc version but it shows the real roots of this game.
multiplayer
Full Spectrum Warrior has a cooperative gameplay, both players get control over 1 squad, however I could not test it. I had no-one to test it with.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqERSD7ZAI
Evaluation
download Full spectrum warrior: http://www.filefront.com/11928826/Full-Spectrum-Warrior/
Complete, Correct and Well-Rounded Content:real tactics, very realistic. Not fire first questions later based 3
Focused on the Topic: the game is all tactics 3
Encourages Active Player Participation: players have to perform very well to survive. . 3
Problem Solving: the area’s to take over are well guarded, the player has to make good plans to succeed 3
User Interface: hard to pick up, but I used very comfortable 3
Genre: sort of strategy you command troops. But do not control them directly 3
Integration of game play: and content The content is about teaching soldiers tactics and I does it very well. 2
Assessment: perform well or get shot 3
Scalable it is: mostly a singleplayer 3
Interoperable: It works together with Xfire, (similar to gamespy) 2
Editable: Not editable by players, 1
Reusable: The game is nearly all multiplayer. 3
TOTAL 32 Out of 36
Comparision
These game although about the same topic are so clearly different.
One is tactical while one is more of a stereotypical shooter designed to be popular. Also full spectrum warrior puts the player a much more realistic situations and really requires the player to think tactically, while run and gun won’t work in America’s Army, in FSW you won’t even attempt it as life feels valuable.
Conclusion
Full spectrum warrior is a very realistic game that was actually used to train soldiers, although succesfull in it’s own way America’s army does not communicate warfare as well. Also life and other moral issues seem more trivial. I did not learn as much about warfare tactics and the feel was more casual. Therefore I choose Full spectrum warrior as the winner of this shoot-out.
Introduction
In this review we will be comparing America’s Army with Virtual Battlespace 2. Both are serious games in the games for training genre in the defense sector. The two games are for training military personal in virtual combat situations. Although America’s Army is also primarily used as a recruitment tool while as VBS2 is primarily used for training.
Game: America’s Army
The main focus of America’s Army is on team-based multiplayer battles. The entire game is centered around the idea of working as a squad of US Army soldiers. Both sides see themselves as American soldiers (to avoid any potential controversy) and the opposite side as a fictional nationality.
The attention to detail is very important in this game. Smooth, good looking animations and realistic looking guns and soldiers combined with realistic sounds make for an immersive gameplay.
America’s Army comes with a standard amount of maps that are iterations from previous versions of the game. With each map you can choose a different mode like VIP (where you need to escort a Very Important Person to safety, while the other team hunts him down), some Capture the flag modes, … but you could ignore those and just try to kill the opposing team.
The latest version of the game is called America’s Army 3 but basically it is just an iteration of the previous versions with better graphics and some patched up things. Although the game does have a few bugs like glitch-y animations, people can’t complain because of the price, it’s free.
Links
Minimum hardware requirements
Developer
U.S. Army
|
Complete, Correct and Well-Rounded Content |
Focused on the Topic |
Encourages Active Player Participation |
Problem Solving |
UI |
Genre |
Integration of game play and content |
Assessment |
Scalable |
Interoperable |
Editable |
Reusable |
|
2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Score: 25/36
Game: Virtual BattleSpace 2 (VBS2)
Virtual BattleSpace 2 (VBS2) is a military grade simulation of air, land, and sea small unit combat. it doesn’t come with any already made missions at all, except for 2 simple training missions, an obstacle course and a weapons range. It has a very extensive tool kit for level creation and the like. That being said that is all that you get with the game. It is up to the player/company/army that bought it to make the levels/scenarios that is has a need for and wants to train for.
This product is strictly for training only since it has no single player missions of multiplayer for itself (need to have a LAN with lots of other trainees on it). If a person really would like to have a go at a game there is a commercial version of the game available called ArmA. It basically has all the missing features that this game lacks.
Links
Minimum hardware requirements
Developer
Bohemia Interactive
|
Complete, Correct and Well-Rounded Content |
Focused on the Topic |
Encourages Active Player Participation |
Problem Solving |
UI |
Genre |
Integration of game play and content |
Assessment |
Scalable |
Interoperable |
Editable |
Reusable |
|
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
Score: 33/36
Comparison
Both games are realistic first-person shooters but because the the primary focus of both games are different it is hard to compare the two. The edit-ability, scalability and reusability of America’s Army may be less than VBS2 but I believe that in the right hands the content creation tools of America’s Army to create the level and gameplay can be just as good as VBS2’s creation tools.
The biggest difference between the two games is the player base. America’s Army is accessible to everybody and thus has a very big player community giving it a lot of extra content and support. The fact that VBS2 is only used as a battle simulator by a select number of people does not encourage a lot of extra development or support.
Conclusion
Both games are proper serious games but VBS2 is more focused on the training aspect of soldiers than America’s Army is. I would have to say that for quick combat situations where the player only needs to focus on reflexes, enemies and some team based strategy, America’s Army would be the game to use. But for actual and strategic combat with the ability to make very specific combat situations with an extensive creation kit I would recommend VBS2.
In this post I will compare two Serious Games which are created with flash and are available online. The games are designed to educate the player about the negative sides of warfare. The first, Darfur Is Dying, shows the life of a refugee and the problems they have with the simple act of getting water. The second game, September 12th: A Toy World, is a reaction on the US’s campaign against terrorism. Both of the games can easily be played using your web browser with flash layer.
This browser-based game is created by the mtvU, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks . It sets out to give the player a view of the life of one of the millions of refugees in the Darfur region of the Sudan. The player begins by selecting a character to forage for water, quickly discovering how age and gender play heavily into the success or failure of such a simple daily tasks and how harsh the consequences can be.
The game offers an opportunity to explore a typical village, discovering all the dangers and deprivations within. The game also gives the player the ability to improve conditions in the village through various actions such as petitioning politicians to pass laws that will benefit Darfur’s refugees. The two parts of the game could have been connected to one another. Getting the water is fairly simple when you get the hang of it, the camp life is much more complicated. I hardly played the camp life because it wasn’t clear to me what I needed to do.
The game displays it’s information is screens of text which are easily skipped and mostly unneeded for the game. From playing the game you learn that a simple thing as getting water is for the refugees something they literally risk their life for. If your player is caught, you cannot use that character again. The choice of character play a big role in the gameplay: an adult will bring back more water than a child, but is also more likely to get caught.
| Complete, Correct and Well-Rounded Content | 3 |
| Focussed on the Topic | 3 |
| Encourages Active Player Participation | 2 |
| Problem Solving | 2 |
| UI | 2 |
| Genre | 3 |
| Integration of game play and content | 3 |
| Assessment | 2 |
| Scalable | 3 |
| Interoperable | 0 |
| Editable | 0 |
| Reusable | 2 |
The game is response to America’s War on Terror. It puts the player in control of an aiming device that hovers over a town; clicking the mouse fires the weapon, launching a missile towards a “terrorist” target. However, no matter how well you shoot the missile will create collateral damage. The dead civilians are mourned by loved ones, who then become terrorists themselves due to the damage the player has caused. The game cannot be won; the player’s violent actions only make the situation worse. This is a damning commentary on the US’s military campaigns.
The game doesn’t have any text, it tries to deliver its message by showing the results rather than telling the player what the result will be. As this general has a bigger impact and it is much more likely that the player will get the message this way (written text is too easily skipped), the game fails in doing so. It was fun to play for about 5 seconds, after which it became just a repetition. The new terrorist don’t cause you any harm, so it doesn’t matter for the game how much damage you cause. The game did however get the message across that the war against terrorism will just create more terrorists and that we’re caught on a never-ending path of destruction and hate.
| Complete, Correct and Well-Rounded Content | 0 |
| Focussed on the Topic | 0 |
| Encourages Active Player Participation | 0 |
| Problem Solving | 0 |
| UI | 3 |
| Genre | 0 |
| Integration of game play and content | 0 |
| Assessment | 0 |
| Scalable | 0 |
| Interoperable | 0 |
| Editable | 0 |
| Reusable | 0 |
Score 3/36
The two games which I discussed here are vastly different, both in nature and gameplay. Darfur Is Dying is showing the life of a refugee up close while September 12th: A Toy World gives a much more global overview of the problems war causes. In Darfur Is Dying, being caught while running for water has a serious impact on the game. The impact could have been bigger if you would see a dead body instead of having text saying that you’ve most likely been killed. Darfur Is Dying has clearly been designed better than September 12th: A Toy World. It is more rounded, the topic better integrated and it does a much better job in delivering its message.
Darfur Is Dying is a proper online Serious Game which shows the life of refugees. It might be worth playing the camp life more if it was explained better. September 12th: A Toy World is fun to play for a few seconds and doesn’t get any message across at all. It is just about of destroying buildings. The people in the game are too small to really notice.
This blog will constitute a collaborative effort by the students of GD1 (Serious Games) in 2009/2010. The objective will be to populate this space with information about Serious Games as well as playable game examples, game reviews and the students’ own games.
Here is a sample Serious Game from the Nobel Prize Education website:
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