Serious Game "Culture of Prevention" – The use of Serious Games in occupational safety and prevention

Status:

completed 02/2019

Aims:

The prevention work of the social accident insurance institutions faces the challenge of including new ways and learning cultures in their offer. Serious games are one innovative way to promote health and safety topics. They are defined as games that combine educational purposes with entertainment (see Abt, 1971). They can be used for knowledge and skill acquisition and can initiate a change of attitudes (Marr, 2010). At the same time they contain the core elements of entertainment games.

The project aims were to develop a serious game on the topic of "culture of prevention" in order to allow learners/players to experience a concrete example of how culture of prevention can be implemented in enterprises and institutions. The research questions addressed within the project were the following: Are serious games accepted by the target group as a learning medium? What cognitive and motivational processes are affected by serious games? What preconditions must be fulfilled to assure a successful use of serious games in the field of prevention and occupational safety and health?

Activities/Methods:

In the project FP395 "Simulation Game "Culture of Prevention" - The Use of Serious Games in OSH and in Prevention", a serious game in the form of a multiplayer management simulation was developed. The game is played by employees and managers of a team and covers various learning goals from the topics communication, leadership, participation, culture of error, working atmosphere and health and safety as a strategy. Within the project a prototype of the game Simkult was realized for iOS, OSX, and Windows. The game was developed by researchers and game designers with the participation of the target group. In addition to the digital game, accompanying material and a didactical concept were developed in cooperation with experts of the accident insurance institution. Thus, experiences from the game can be used as a starting point to reflect on one's own culture of prevention in a team.

Results:

The scientific evaluation (n= 87) showed that the game leads to knowledge acquisition in the areas of safety and health. The learning motivation and enjoyment were significantly greater compared to a control group that dealt with a webbased learning environment on the subjects. Accompanying the development of the serious game, it was also examined to what extent serious games are accepted as a further education medium in the target group of executives and employees of different ages. Overall, participants (n = 150) reported a rather positive attitude towards serious games. Within the sample managers and employees do not differ from each other. In the over-50s age group, perceived usefulness and ease of use of serious games are rated a little more cautiously, but still in the positive range.

In sum, the project Simkult was able to demonstrate how serious games can be used to address topics of health and safety at work. By providing a starting point for reflection about one’s own culture of prevention, they have great potential for prevention work. Thus, they represent a motivating supplement to conventional prevention formats.

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