This is an excellent reference book on simulation games that covers the beginner to intermediate levels. The reader benefits from the author’s experience with medical simulators and games. He acknowledges “that developers working in other disciplines might have somewhat different opinions of what constitutes serious games” (page xvii). It is worth pointing out that this claim, made by the author, is incorrect: “The term serious games is relatively new. A search for the term through HighBeam Research reveals that it was first used in the context of a computer game in 1992” (page xviii). A book titled Serious games [1] was actually published in 1970.
A serious game (or simulation game) is a goal-directed interactive computer program used to provide experience under controlled conditions--that is, the experience necessary for training and education to acquire skills, knowledge, or an attitude. A score can measure the degree of success. Serious games differ from entertainment games by the fact that the experience is not limited to fun only. When special hardware is needed, experience is gained by using a simulator. A virtual simulator uses virtual hardware.
The book consists of nine chapters and six appendices. All chapters have plenty of useful references. Chapter 1, on historical perspectives, starts with Link’s flight simulator of the late 1920s, which was first used in amusement parks for entertainment. This was followed by the commercial and technological success of the Link Blue Box, which was instrumental in training thousands of pilots during World War II. This example shows that variants of simulators and simulation games can be used for professional training and education, as well as for entertainment. Chapter 1 also covers the evolution of simulators and simulation games in medicine, and of commercial games such as arcade games.
Chapter 2, on working context, covers many types of contemporary games. Since I prefer to distinguish entertainment games from simulation games and simulators used for professional training and education, I do not agree with the statement: “All good serious games are explicitly designed to entertain” (page 25). Chapter 3 covers the technology trends in hardware platforms, middleware technologies, and technologies for managing complexity. Chapter 4 is a handy reference on different relevant standards, including game design notation standards, unified modeling language, and wireless standards.
Chapter 5 is a practical guide covering best practices, including the programming and design of several types of user interfaces (physical, graphical, logical, emotional, intelligent, and emotionally intelligent). Chapter 6 covers useful software and hardware tools and development suites for serious game developers. Chapter 7 discusses practical information for the entertainment and serious games markets, including legal issues. Chapter 8 is on the design and deployment of serious games. Chapter 9 looks to the future, and stresses the importance of simulation to represent aspects of reality in games. The appendices consist of a glossary, a list of acronyms and abbreviations, tables of file formats, an outline for game designers, a business plan primer, and additional lists of resources on different aspects of games. I highly recommend this book for students, game developers, and instructional material developers.
