What Features Matter: Linking Serious Game Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Over the last decade, games have been utilized for a variety of purposes from simply having fun to training complex skills in the military, healthcare, and education. These" serious games" function by enhancing knowledge or attitudinal change rather than focusing on enjoyment. Determining the relationship of specific game attributes and learning outcomes can enhance the ability of game developers and training designers to maximize the benefits inherent in games. Additionally, the underlying processes that explain why and how games are useful to training is necessary to not only sustain validity to both trainers and trainees, but is also crucial to strengthen the science of training itself. The purpose of the article discussed in this conference presentation is to describe basic empirical research into the game attributes that influence learning.