A HOLISTIC MODEL FOR SERIOUS GAME DESIGN

The present paper introduces a holistic model for the design of serious games. One of the most important challenges for serious game design concerns the integration of game design and educational design principles. It is argued that to bridge the game design-educational design gap we need to consider how to link (a) game content with academic content and (b) game mechanics with learning mechanics. In the second section approaches and models to serious game design are reviewed and their major strengths and weaknesses are identified. In the last section, a model for the design of serious games is introduced by combining three different traditions of game design: conventional game design, narrative design, and game mechanics. The paper is concluded with a discussion of the potential of the model for guiding serious game design and development.