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Introduction to GALA. The European Network of Excellence on Serious Gaming. Created by Wim Westera, Michael Kickmeier-Rust, Francesco Bellotti & Pablo Moreno Ger. Aims of the network. GALA is the knowledge kernel for European SG research and industry, which aims at:
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Introduction to GALA The European Network of Excellence on Serious Gaming Created by Wim Westera, Michael Kickmeier-Rust, Francesco Bellotti & Pablo Moreno Ger European Commission Information Society and Media
Aims of the network GALA is the knowledge kernel for European SG research and industry, which aims at: • aligning SG research across Europe, • fostering knowledge transfer to SG industry, • propagating appropriate opportunities for SG education, • establishing a coherent, open and innovative SG practice, • disseminating insights, evidence, applications, tools, and case studies to the education and training market. European Commission Information Society and Media 2
The network • R&D organisations on Serious Games, • Universities, • Research centers, • Development and Education Industries • 31 Core partners from 14 countries • 16 Associate partners from 11 countries European Commission Information Society and Media 3
GALA partners European Commission Information Society and Media
European Network European Commission Information Society and Media
Including associate partners European Commission Information Society and Media
SG stakeholders European Commission Information Society and Media
Problems in SG research A review of 7.000 papers in SG revealed that (Connolly et al., 2011): European Commission Information Society and Media
Problems in SG research • Fragmentation, limited collaboration • Small groups working in isolation • Different vocabularies and methodologies • Limited standardisation, limited reuse • Limited scientific journals dedicated to SG European Commission Information Society and Media
Problems in SG industry • Fragmentation, only local connections • Limited connections to research • Oriented on niche products (specificity) • Large development costs • Limited information about market needs • Lack of validated design principles • Recruitment problems because limited SG education programmes European Commission Information Society and Media
Problems in SG Education • Education in SG is immature • Limited academic degree programmes in SG • Limited stakeholder connections (research and industry) European Commission Information Society and Media
Problems in SG markets • Negative attitudes toward games: violence, entertainment • Incidental usage, linked with few, enthusiastic teachers • SGs perceived as non-serious add-ons • Proper integration in the curriculum • Limited evidence of what type of learning is supported by what type of game. European Commission Information Society and Media
Realised by: • Technical committees / Special Interest Groups • Virtual Research Centre • Serious Games Society • Serious Games Academy • Living Labs for end-user involvement GALA’s ambition Creating a European network that connects research, industry and market and gathers all the ongoing research. European Commission Information Society and Media
Aligning research • 9 technical committees • Serious game mechanics • Personalisation and ai • Serious games architecture • Human computer interaction • Interoperability and semantics • 6 Special Interest Groups • Business & management • Engineering & manufacturing • Health & fitness • Seed projects • SG observatory • Scalable intelligent agent frameworks for SG character development • eSG- stimulating entrepreneurship • Assessment • Psychology • Pedagogy • Neuroscience • Security, safety & crisis management • Humanities & heritage • Personal, social learning & ethics European Commission Information Society and Media
A joint Virtual Research Centre Support scientific social networking: • Creation of a multimedia rich, live digital library • Sharing tools and knowledge on tools/ methodologies • Web 2.0 tools for discussion, community building and cooperation • Establishing an environment where researchers feel free to contribute their data (by making critical aspects like intellectual property user-controllable) • Intranet facilities for a more secure collaboration and access to resources European Commission Information Society and Media
Community building: Launching the Serious Games Society seriousgamessociety.org European Commission Information Society and Media
Aligning education: launching the SG Academy academy.seriousgamessociety.org European Commission Information Society and Media
Promoting collaboration: Associate GALA partnership • Participation at the meetings, Alignment Schools and other seminar events • Access to early leading-edge research reports, evaluations, technologies and papers (from participating partners and associate partners) • Group exchanges between industrial and academic groups (within the Technical Committees and Special Interest Groups) European Commission Information Society and Media
Spreading of excellence: Hosting the VS Games conference European Commission Information Society and Media
www.galanoe.eu Over 9000 unique visitors per year Becoming the SG knowledge kernel European Commission Information Society and Media
Social Media Presence • GALA blog at the GALA website (weekly blog post) • Facebook Page (over 1500 responses per year) • Twitter(over 1500 responses per year) • LinkedIn serious games(hosted by GALA partner; 3444 members) European Commission Information Society and Media
GALA - Games and Learning Alliance The European Network of Excellence on Serious Games aiming for Impact, Impact and Impact on Research, Industry, Education and Markets European Commission Information Society and Media