This textbook provides an introduction to the fundamentals of serious games, which differ considerably from computer games that are meant for pure entertainment. Undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines who want to learn about serious games are one target group of this book. Prospective developers of serious games are another, as they can use the book for self-study in order to learn about the distinctive features of serious game design and development. And ultimately, the book also addresses prospective users of serious game technologies by providing them with a solid basis for judging the advantages and limitations of serious games in different application areas such as game-based learning, training and simulation or games for health. To cater to this heterogeneous readership and wide range of interests, every effort was made to make the book flexible to use. All readers are expected to study Chapter 1, as it provides the necessary basics and terminology that will be used in all subsequent chapters. The eleven chapters that follow cover the creation of serious games (design, authoring processes and tools, content production), the runtime context of serious games (game engines, adaptation mechanisms, game balancing, game mastering, multi-player serious games), the effects of serious games and their evaluation (player experience, assessment techniques, performance indicators), and serious games in practice (economic aspects, cost-benefit analysis, serious game distribution). To familiarize the readers with best practice in this field, the final chapter presents more than 30 selected examples of serious games illustrating their characteristics and showcasing their practical use. Lecturers can select chapters in a sequence that is most suitable for their specific course or seminar. The book includes specific suggestions for courses such as "Introduction to Serious Games", "Entertainment Technology", "Serious Game Design", "Game-based Learning", and "Applications of Serious Games".

This textbook provides an introduction to the fundamentals of serious games, which differ considerably from computer games that are meant for pure entertainment. Undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines who want to learn about serious games are one target group of this book. Prospective developers of serious games are another, as they can use the book for self-study in order to learn about the distinctive features of serious game design and development. And ultimately, the book also addresses prospective users of serious game technologies by providing them with a solid basis for judging the advantages and limitations of serious games in different application areas such as game-based learning, training and simulation or games for health. To cater to this heterogeneous readership and wide range of interests, every effort was made to make the book flexible to use. All readers are expected to study Chapter 1, as it provides the necessary basics and terminology that will be used in all subsequent chapters. The eleven chapters that follow cover the creation of serious games (design, authoring processes and tools, content production), the runtime context of serious games (game engines, adaptation mechanisms, game balancing, game mastering, multi-player serious games), the effects of serious games and their evaluation (player experience, assessment techniques, performance indicators), and serious games in practice (economic aspects, cost-benefit analysis, serious game distribution). To familiarize the readers with best practice in this field, the final chapter presents more than 30 selected examples of serious games illustrating their characteristics and showcasing their practical use. Lecturers can select chapters in a sequence that is most suitable for their specific course or seminar. The book includes specific suggestions for courses such as "Introduction to Serious Games", "Entertainment Technology", "Serious Game Design", "Game-based Learning", and "Applications of Serious Games".

This book provides an overview of current research in the fascinating, interdisciplinary field of computer science and sports. It includes papers from the 11th International Symposium on Computer Science in Sport (IACSS 2017), which took place in Constance, Germany, on September 6-9, 2017. The papers represent the state of the art in utilizing the latest developments in computer science to support coaches and athletes. The book covers a broad range of topics, reflecting the diversity of the field. It presents three categories of papers: those on concepts in informatics like modeling, virtual reality, simulation; those describing applications of computer science in sports like running, volleyball, water polo, and football; and contributions discussing the impact of computer science in sports federations and universities.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Serious Games for Training, Education, Health and Sports, Game Days 2014, held in Darmstadt, Germany, in April 2014. The 13 full papers presented together with 3 short papers, 2 keynotes, and 3 workshop papers were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in this book. The topics of the papers are settled in the fields of (game-based) training, teaching and learning, authoring tools, mobile gaming, health and rehabilitation, and citizen science. The papers address a broad scope of issues, including mechanisms and effects of (Serious) Games, adaptation and personalisation, local, mobile, and internet learning and education applications, game, reuse and evaluation, game settings, types of learners, problem solving etc.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Conference on E-Learning and Games, Edutainment 2012, held in conjunction with the 3rd International Conference on Serious Games for Training, Education, Health and Sports, GameDays 2012, held in Darmstadt, Germany, in September 2012. The 21 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in this book. They are organized in topical sections named: game-based training; game-based teaching and learning; emerging learning and gaming technologies; authoring tools and mechanisms; and serious games for health.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the First Joint International Conference on Serious Games, JCSG 2015, held in Huddersfield, UK, in June 2015. This conference bundles the activities of the International Conference on Serious Games Development and Applications, SGDA, and the Conference on Serious Games, GameDays. The total of 12 full papers and 5 short papers was carefully reviewed and selected from 31 submissions. The book also contains one full invited talk. The papers were organized in topical sections named: games for health; games for learning; games for other purposes; game design and development; and poster and demo papers.

Josef Wiemeyer bietet in diesem essential einen UEberblick uber die Arten und Anwendungsbereiche von Serious Games im Gesundheitsbereich und behandelt Spielinhalte, Wirkungsmechanismen, Wirkungsnachweise und Anwendungssettings. Die vorgestellten Einsatzbeispiele in Pravention und Rehabilitation belegen eindrucksvoll die Starken von Serious Games - die kritische Analyse zeigt aber auch, dass Serious Games kein Allheilmittel sind, sondern eine interessante und attraktive Erganzung bisheriger Interventionsmethoden bieten.