One of the most amazing things about Serious Games is how they are able to re-imagine almost anything. Even how we learn Science! Have you ever mixed up scientists and their discoveries? Then you need to take a look to ‘Science Kombat’ a classic fighting game with a twist. This time you won’t be controlling super muscled warriors or fierce ... Read More »

During the first months of 2015 I lived in Beijing. I had decided to improve my Mandarin and chose the Chinese capital as the most culturally interesting option. I had heard about smog and pollution but, hey guys! I was born in a capital city! I can cope with it! But I couldn’t. After 1 month my lungs ached. I ... Read More »

I was a pretty bad student at Maths. I was best in my class for anything else, but Maths were my nightmare… and my dad’s. Being an engineer, it was hard for him to assimilate that his smart daughter was completely unable to understand any kind of explanation regarding Maths. He tried everything until he finally decided to explain me ... Read More »

Is there a cool way to learn Japanese playing video games? Serious Games also expand to language learning as Takos Japanese has been proving. Missions, activities, humour and a cool art-style are keys for the good performance of Tako’s, winner at the Fun&Serious Games Festival 2015 at Bilbao. But what is behind the scenes? Who, where and why was created ... Read More »

The famous ‘Game of Thrones’ quote ‘Winter is coming’ marked the beginning of the Fun & Serious Games Festival day of conferences. This little joke referred to the nordic countries presenting their projects during the festival and the creative directors invited (Unravel & Trine 3, Martin Sahlin & Kai Tuovinen) But the same sentence could be applied to the whole ... Read More »

Where does the idea of creating a Serious Game come from? What are the impulse and the goal? For ‘Aislados’ the answer is clear: How can we approach teenagers speaking their own language? ‘Aislados’ was born to help teachers confront the teenagers’ emotional development in class. Funded mainly by the Spanish Antidrug Plan with money coming from confiscated goods in ... Read More »

In 1985, a book revolutionized Sci Fi. The name was Ender’s Game and the lead character, a kid that needed to become a leader. As part of his training, video games were used by trainers to measure Ender’s emotional responses. Immerse in a safe and engaging environment, Ender showed his true self when confronted with anxiety, frustration and decision making. In 1985, ... Read More »

Every year governments all over the world cut Educational budgets. Education is not profitable in the short-term. Over 70% of students are underage so they don’t vote. Political parties have it easy to relocate money to more trending areas and population usually doesn’t complain. But year by year Education deteriorates. No money is invested in renovating methods and approaches. Teachers and ... Read More »

Gamification World Congress left us with a lot to think about. We have gathered here the most interesting ideas that are shaping how Gamification will grow and hopefully change how we study, work and live our everyday lives. Be inspired by the best GWC speakers! Adding points, badges and leaderboards is not enough to create a successful gamified tool – @yukaichou ... Read More »

A big applause for the nominees and a huge CONGRATS for the winners! Here they are!! Best Theoretical Contribution Shallow Gamification: This article experimentally dissociates the psychological impact of framing versus game mechanics, when presenting a serious activity as a game. Best Technological Innovative Contribution Playbrush: A smart hardware device that transforms conventional, manual toothbrushes into gaming controllers – so kids and young-at-hearts ... Read More »