What is the difference between
serious games, and games for entertainment? Well, serious games are meant to
teach someone how to do something through a virtual space. In most cases
learning something through a video game actually helps you do something better
in the real world. For example, there are many different driving simulators and
people can actually learn how to drive in real life. Of course driving in real
life is very different than in a simulation and takes practice, but you still
learn valuable lessons. Some other serious games help pilots or even our
military. Microsoft flight simulator is a perfect example. In flight simulator,
you are put into the cockpit of a plane and all of the dials and switches you
see in front of you all work. It is as if you are actually going to start
flying the plane. Flight simulator is great practice even for seasoned pilots.
As for people who serve in the military, our government actually uses
simulators to train troops for war. This allows them to train for certain
situations they may face without going into actual combat zones. The military
can also use simulators to test new strategies.
On the other hand, there are games
for entertainment. These are games you play to have fun. These include games
like Call of Duty or Battlefield which are first person shooters, and put you
in the role of a soldier. There are racing games, role playing games, action
adventure, the list goes on and on. You’re not meant to learn anything playing
these games. There is no way you could have fun with games and learn something.
Wrong, I believe games for entertainment and serious games can mesh. For
example, there are games on the steam market place, which is basically a huge library
of games you can buy for your pc, that are classified as simulation or realistic
or even survival. These games include the Arma series, Insurgence, Stranded
deep, there are even truck simulators, and farm simulators. All of these games
are fun to play and are realistic enough to allow you to actually learn
something new. So for the people that feel serious games can’t be entertaining
think again because you may just find that a serious game can become your new
favorite game to play.
