An Experience of Serious Game as a Learning Tool

Abstract

The introduction of new technologies in society has created a need for interactive contents that can make the most of the potential that technological advances offer. Serious games as educational games are such content: they can be defined as video games or interactive applications whose main purpose is to provide not only entertainment but also training and enhancing skills in areas such as health, marketing, education, etc. The game was associated with childhood and youth but serious games search for promoting, strengthening and giving added value to the teaching and learning process for all ages. One of the most crucial factors for successful educational games is their ability to maintain an individual learner’s motivation and interest by adapting the individual learning and gaming experience to each learner’s needs, preferences, goals, and abilities. For this reason, Serious Games need tutoring and dynamization. The aim of this paper is to analyze a specific experience success in the use of Serious Games for training. It details how this serious game can enhance different skills in each of the phases of the game. This Serious Game was used to promote innovation among High School students and students at Vocational Training Centres. The users must manage a supermarket trying to get the best results possible by taking a series of both strategic and operational decisions. Through an econometric regression model, we have analyzed the results of its use by a group of High School students and Vocational Training School students.