What Is a Serious Game?

Serious Games: Games With a Serious Purpose

Not every game is just for entertainment. Serious games pursue a dual purpose: they are meant to convey knowledge, raise awareness for topics, or train skills, and to do so in an entertaining way. This article explains what defines a serious game, how it differs from related concepts, and what matters for its success.

Definition

Serious games are games that convey knowledge in an entertaining way. These range from simple learning games to games that draw attention to serious social issues. They are part of gamification and are mostly implemented digitally. The key point: a serious game is always a complete game, not just a single playful element.

Distinction From Related Terms

The terms around playful learning are often confused. A brief overview helps:

Gamification is the umbrella term and refers to using individual game elements in a non-game context, such as a points system in a learning app. A serious game, by contrast, is a standalone game.

Game-based learning describes the process of building playful elements into a learning context, digital or analog, with a clear focus on conveying knowledge. Serious games are a part of it but rely more heavily on entertainment. More in What Is Game-Based Learning?.

Edutainment combines "education" and "entertainment." Here, learning is the priority, while in a serious game the fun stands as an equal partner alongside it.

Serious games can also be used within companies

Areas of Use

Serious games can be used in many fields: in educational institutions as learning games, in corporate training and continuing education, in healthcare, in the military and fitness sectors, as well as in advertising, art, and even political and social contexts. A serious game about climate change, for example, can prompt players to engage more deeply with the topic.

What Makes a Serious Game Successful

For a serious game to work, the entertainment factor has to be right. Three principles are central here.

Game flow: A well-balanced serious game consists roughly half of entertainment and half of conveying knowledge. The flow must neither over- nor under-challenge the player, otherwise the fun is lost. This requires a mix of easy and difficult sections.

Motivation cycle: Action, reward, and motivation form a cycle. Rewards such as achievements or a points system in a leaderboard keep players engaged over the long term.

Three-phase cycle: User behavior, feedback, and user judgment form a cycle that repeats. Through constant, individual feedback, the player consolidates their knowledge and adjusts their behavior.

A serious game needs a good balance between entertainment and conveying knowledge

Having a Serious Game Developed

Serious games are games with a dual purpose: they entertain and convey knowledge at the same time. Whether they work depends on the right interplay of game flow, mechanics, and feedback, and that is a craft. At Studio Merkas, we develop serious games for education, training, and communication, from the concept to the finished game. If you want to convey a topic in a playful way, let's talk about it.