Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-238) and index.

Serious games are computer and video games that are intended to train or educate users. This text features a unique blend of theory and application, providing a much-needed tutorial on how to conceive and then build an engaging simulation for serious games. How to create a simulation where participants have a sense of freedom and personal control while still maintaining the structure necessary for an effective story is a difficult task indeed. This book examines how to create an engaging, effective story (necessary to teach participants), while relating practical considerations of building a simulation. It also looks at stories as classic ways of teaching and gathering knowledge and considers other theories of interactive narrative design such as synthetic story creation and management and participant-generated story experiences. It also discusses enabling technologies in artificial intelligence, synthetic characters design and development, speech recognition technology, 3D modelling, and the future of story-driven games. Story Driven Simulations reviews the existing efforts in this field as well as focusing on the recent efforts of Paramount Pictures and The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California, where this expert author team created successful simulations for the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, as well as other educational simulations.

Also available in printed form ISBN 9780240807881

Electronic reproduction. Askews and Holts. Mode of access: World Wide Web.