Definition of Serious Games
The field of Serious Games, although in existence for many years, is still fairly nascent and occasionally controversial. The name Serious Games itself means different things to different people. For the purposes of this site, I define it as "Using Games, Game Technology, or Game Industry Techniques for a purpose other than pure entertainment". This is a generally inclusive definition - I tend to reject any definition defining Serious Games as being about learning or teaching, as there are quite a few examples that I believe fall outside of those bounds (e.g. SETI@home, or various projects using networked game consoles for protein folding research). I'm not crazy about the term Gamification either, since it has been used by some to imply that just throwing in scoring, achievements and a few game elements is all you need to make anything fun - that trivializes both the challenges of making good games, and achieving serious results. People like sugar and you can make a lot of foods more popular by adding sugar and don't even need to apply heat, but that kind of cookification of food isn't going to put chefs out of business either... But if you undertake gamification as a thoughtful way to apply the best techniques of game development to other fields, I'm all for it.
Serious Game Work by Noah Falstein
I have contributed to dozens of serious game projects in my career, the majority since the year 2000. Some notable examples:
Shell Simulation - Design of a systems simulation for Shell Exploration and Production in Holland
East3 Project - Game to treat ADD/ADHD through neurofeedback, built on research from NASA (company folded)
ReMission - a game to help children with cancer stay on chemo, published by Hopelab. Proven effective, results published in the journal Pediatrics.
Space Station Sim - Dual-use educational and entertainment title designed originally for Gentle Revolution Press, in conjunction with a NASA Space Act Agreement, published by VisionPlay Entertainment
BTS Microsoft project - Project review with the Swedish company BTS on a serious game for Microsoft
Hungry Red Planet - Nutrition education for kids through a game based on settling Mars, published by Health Media Lab, game won multiple awards
Health Care Compliance Strategies - Submitted proposals for improving their compliance training software
Quixit - Founding member of a brain-training startup in conjunction with the French company Happy Neuron, creating mental acuity exercises
Morphonix - Consulted on the design of several of their games to teach brain science to children
Freedom Fighter 56 - Historical educational game about the Hungarian Revolution, published by Lauer Learning
Microsoft - Expert witness regarding exercise games (exergaming) for a trial involving the game Yourself!Fitness
Immune Attack - Reviewed design of this game for the Federation of American Scientists
Cisco Mindshare Game - Lead designer on this project for training entry-level network engineers
Physio Software - Design work at their Paris offices on their physiology simulation model for game developers
USAID - Helped design a framework for this US government organization's serious game work through Digital Mill
BP - Design work on an unannounced financial projection game for BP
Neuroracer - Consulted on this project with Dr. Adam Gazzaley to research distraction while driving covered by the New York Times
KTM Advance - Several projects for the Paris company that does Serious Game work for many French industrial giants.
MindMaze - I have been working with the CEO of this Swiss company that has created games to help stroke victims recover, as well as VR technology for medical purposes.
Akili Interactive Labs - Currently working as a consultant and Executive Advisor to this company that has turned the Neuroracer work into AKL-T001, a digital health product seeking clearance by the FDA as a prescription treatment.
AppliedVR - Working with this leader in Virtual Reality training to deal with chronic pain.
StoryUP - Advisor and consultant for a company using VR in conjunction with EEG to improve the mood of patients.
Shell Simulation - Design of a systems simulation for Shell Exploration and Production in Holland
East3 Project - Game to treat ADD/ADHD through neurofeedback, built on research from NASA (company folded)
ReMission - a game to help children with cancer stay on chemo, published by Hopelab. Proven effective, results published in the journal Pediatrics.
Space Station Sim - Dual-use educational and entertainment title designed originally for Gentle Revolution Press, in conjunction with a NASA Space Act Agreement, published by VisionPlay Entertainment
BTS Microsoft project - Project review with the Swedish company BTS on a serious game for Microsoft
Hungry Red Planet - Nutrition education for kids through a game based on settling Mars, published by Health Media Lab, game won multiple awards
Health Care Compliance Strategies - Submitted proposals for improving their compliance training software
Quixit - Founding member of a brain-training startup in conjunction with the French company Happy Neuron, creating mental acuity exercises
Morphonix - Consulted on the design of several of their games to teach brain science to children
Freedom Fighter 56 - Historical educational game about the Hungarian Revolution, published by Lauer Learning
Microsoft - Expert witness regarding exercise games (exergaming) for a trial involving the game Yourself!Fitness
Immune Attack - Reviewed design of this game for the Federation of American Scientists
Cisco Mindshare Game - Lead designer on this project for training entry-level network engineers
Physio Software - Design work at their Paris offices on their physiology simulation model for game developers
USAID - Helped design a framework for this US government organization's serious game work through Digital Mill
BP - Design work on an unannounced financial projection game for BP
Neuroracer - Consulted on this project with Dr. Adam Gazzaley to research distraction while driving covered by the New York Times
KTM Advance - Several projects for the Paris company that does Serious Game work for many French industrial giants.
MindMaze - I have been working with the CEO of this Swiss company that has created games to help stroke victims recover, as well as VR technology for medical purposes.
Akili Interactive Labs - Currently working as a consultant and Executive Advisor to this company that has turned the Neuroracer work into AKL-T001, a digital health product seeking clearance by the FDA as a prescription treatment.
AppliedVR - Working with this leader in Virtual Reality training to deal with chronic pain.
StoryUP - Advisor and consultant for a company using VR in conjunction with EEG to improve the mood of patients.