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Healing Through Play: Navigating the Landscape of Serious Games in Medical Education
Nitin Sharma
April 5, 2024

Healing Through Play: Navigating the Landscape of Serious Games in Medical Education

The healthcare industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with the Health Care and Social Assistance sector employing the most individuals according to the US Census Bureau. This surge in recruitment has underscored the importance of training and educating healthcare professionals effectively and efficiently.

Game-based learning has emerged as an efficient educational tool across numerous sectors, including healthcare, aviation, city planning, and beyond. This approach not only attracts learners but also helps them acquire specialized skills while making the learning process more fun.

To enhance the learning experience for staff, many medical colleges and hospitals are embracing serious games. But what exactly are serious games, and how do they differ from commercial games?

In this blog, we will explore the meaning of serious games, examine their similarities and differences with gamification, and outline the unique advantages of game-based learning in medical education.

Table of Contents:

What are Serious Games?

Traditional lecture-based learning is a more conventional method of teaching. It has been applicable for centuries in medical studies. However, with emerging virtual simulation-based learning processes and new techniques, it has been observed that serious games can help medical students feel more immersed in the learning experience.

Serious games, unlike their entertainment-focused counterparts, are designed with a dual purpose: to entertain and educate. These games immerse students in virtual environments that simulate real-life scenarios, providing a hands-on learning experience. 

This iterative process promotes not only a deeper understanding of the subject matter but also the development of crucial decision-making skills and critical thinking abilities.

In the medical field, serious games are useful in creating real-life virtual scenarios, preventive procedures, patient interactions, etc. For instance, a simulation game might train medical professionals to handle emergencies or help students learn a new language through interactive gameplay.

Also Read: The Rise of Simulation Learning: 5 Innovative Approaches to Healthcare Training

Difference Between Serious Games and Gamification

Gamification and serious games are both methodologies that harness gaming principles to enhance engagement and achieve objectives, but they differ in their approach and application:

Gamification

  • Gamification refers to the process of integrating game-like elements, such as points, levels, and rewards, into non-gaming contexts, such as education or business.
  • It aims to motivate and engage users by making tasks more enjoyable and rewarding, ultimately influencing their behavior. 

Serious Games

  • Serious games, on the other hand, are full-fledged games designed with a primary purpose beyond pure entertainment.
  • They are explicitly developed to address specific issues, such as educational, training, or therapeutic objectives.
  • These games incorporate real-world challenges, allowing players to learn or practice skills in a safe and engaging environment.

In summary, while gamification focuses on integrating gaming elements into existing contexts to enhance motivation, serious games are standalone games designed for a specific purpose beyond entertainment.

5 Benefits of Serious Games in Healthcare

Studies show that serious games can positively trigger our motivation while learning. It gives us a sense of participation and achievement.

Let us take a look at a few ways serious games can be beneficial to learning in healthcare:

1. Captures Attention

In this era of short attention spans and constant distractions, capturing and maintaining focus requires a distinct approach.

  • Serious games help convert complex topics into compelling stories that easily grab the attention of the learners.
  • It taps into the player’s cognitive, social, and emotional motivations by creating different circumstances and encouraging them to participate.
  • It breathes life into boring subjects and makes the learning experience fun-filled.

Using a digital simulation of surgery, medical students can practice procedural skills with accurate feedback, ensuring focused, engaging learning experiences.

2. Delivers Hands-on Experience

Serious games help bridge the gap between theory and practice. The players are encouraged to learn through hands-on participation by implementing their theoretical knowledge into real-life simulated situations.

For example, in a serious game designed for medical students, players might take on the role of a virtual surgeon tasked with performing a complex surgery.

  • The game would simulate the steps involved in the procedure, from initial diagnosis to post-operative care.
  • Students would interact with virtual patients, review their medical histories, and make decisions about the best course of treatment.
  • Through this immersive experience, students can gain an understanding of the procedural steps involved.

Students will develop critical thinking skills as they assess different treatment options and their potential outcomes.

Additionally, by receiving feedback on their decisions and actions, students can refine their skills and learn from any mistakes they make in a safe and controlled environment. 

3. Has a Longer Retention Span

Traditional classroom instruction typically employs lectures, which rely heavily on auditory learning. However, serious games engage students through active participation and multi-sensory experiences, stimulating various parts of the brain.

This holistic approach to learning is known to improve information retention. According to Forbes, simulation-based learning can help increase knowledge retention by 75%. A game’s storyline, sound design, or art can trigger more senses and leave an impactful experience while learning.

For example, a student learning about anatomy through a serious game may remember the structure of the human heart more effectively by virtually dissecting it themselves, rather than simply reading about it in a textbook. 

4. Scalable and Cost-Effective Solution

  • Serious games in medical education offer scalability, enabling courses to expand with time, and incorporating additional lessons, difficulty levels, challenges, rewards, and more. 
  • They provide cost-effectiveness, as they can be developed once and deployed to multiple students, eliminating the need for expensive textbooks or equipment. 

These factors are particularly beneficial for educational institutions with limited budgets, ensuring access to high-quality learning experiences for all students.

5. Provides Risk-free Environments

Serious games provide a safe and controlled environment for students to perform simulated experiments under professional supervision. Students can learn at their own pace, without the pressure of responding to real emergencies.

In this controlled setting, they can freely experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them, all without facing the high-stakes consequences that come with real-world situations.

This hands-on learning approach promotes deeper understanding and effective decision-making.

Also Read: How AI is Revolutionizing Healthcare Education and Training?

Conclusion

Learning processes have evolved greatly in recent years, with traditional classroom-based methods giving way to game-based learning, especially in healthcare. This shift recognizes the power of interactive, experiential learning in engaging today’s students, including medical professionals.

Looking to elevate your healthcare training? Consider Hurix Digital for innovative game-based learning solutions designed to take medical education to new heights. We collaborate closely with our clients to understand their requirements and create compelling game-based learning courses. Connect with us to learn more about our transformative solutions.