Immerology: The Biology of Games and Simulations
Andy Petroski is a co-coordinator of LEEF and Director and Assistant Professor of Learning Technologies at Harrisburg University.
As games and simulations become a part of our everyday lives, it benefits us to consider how these immersive environments are evolving and what impact the evolution has on our learning, behavior and disposition toward them. Games and simulations have become part of our ecosystem. Once relegated to entertainment or typically large scale learning implementations (i.e. flight simulator) serious games and simulations are also now a part of health information, marketing, training, information systems, education, social change, events and many other aspects of our lives.
From dictionary.com, Biology is “the study of living organisms, including their structure, functioning, evolution, distribution, and interrelationships; the structure, functioning, etc, of a particular organism or group of organisms.” From Wikipedia, “Biology is the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.”
As we begin planning for the Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF) 2012 we propose a consideration of games and simulations as living organisms. And we propose terming “Immerology” as the study of immersive forms of learning, such as games and sims, including their structure, function, evolution, distribution, interrelationships, growth and taxonomy. These game and simulation elements have changed, some quite drastically, over the past decade. How will serious games and simulations continue to evolve and what unique impacts will they have on our relationships with products, providers, learning opportunities, companies and each other? This is what we hope to explore during LEEF 2012 through keynotes, case studies, workshops, presentations and the discussions before, during and after the event.
Biology has some central tenets that form the basis of the science. We propose a similar set of tenets for Immerology, some of which we can adapt directly from Biology.
| Biology | Immerology |
| Cells are the basic unit of life | Behavior change is the core purpose of immersive learning (i.e. games and simulations) |
| New species and inherited traits are the product of evolution | Integration with other systems or data and new technologies are the drivers of evolution |
| Genes are the basic unit of heredity | The DNA of any game or simulation includes motivation, action and reflection |
| An organism regulates its internal environment to maintain a stable and constant condition | The balance between fun and frustration is the fundamental equation in immersive learning environments |
| Living organisms consume and transform energy | Games and simulations consume and provide energy |
Do you think the evolution of serious games and simulations warrants a scientific branch? How have you seen the impact of games and simulations evolve? Do you have any suggestions for the tenets of Immerology?
Immerologists unite and join us at LEEF 2012 on May 3, 4!
Join us at the Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum on May 3-4, 2012 to explore the biology of games and simulations. “LEEF is an interactive professional development event that explores the use of games, simulations and virtual worlds for learning. Go to www.goleef.com to learn more about the event!
Tags: biology, games, Immerology, serious games, simulations
