The 15th annual IT Directors Study Tour to USA in May 2011 shall be exploring how emerging technologies can be deployed to help both public and private sector organisations build a better future.
With teenage pregnancy rates amongst the highest in Europe, sexual health is a critical issue both in the West Midlands and the UK as a whole. In collaboration with Coventry University Health and Life Sciences and leading serious game developers PlayGen, the Serious Games Institute has contributed to the development of a serious game allowing parents to tackle many of the difficult questions their child may pose in a safe, simulated environment.
According to NHS statistics, in 2008 a third of children within the UK were classified as either overweight or obese. The Serious Games Institute has been working with the University of Warwick and NHS West Midlands to tackle this issue through the creation of a serious game using active interaction devices, encouraging children to replace sedentary screentime with active, whilst teaching them the importance of a healthy diet.
Parent Know How is a £60 million programme from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which seeks to transform the quality, choice, provision and awareness of parental information and support services, where needed, in order to help improve outcomes for children and young people.
The Living Stories project is the first alternate reality game in the UK addressing environmental issues. Living Stories combines social networking sites such as facebook and twitter with Second life.
The aim of this IDM (Interactive Digital Media project) is to carry out a mapping of the Serious Games Industry within the UK, and take a global snap shot to map where the UK fits into the worldwide perspective.
Second Life Science City is a virtual world demonstrator and events programme to engage West Midland’s businesses in the use and exploration of the commercial and social networking potential of immersive virtual environments such as Second Life.
The aim of this project is to facilitate the sharing of best practice in the use of new web technologies, including the use of virtual worlds, in teaching and learning.
The Serious Games Institute is collaborating with Cisco in the USA, Giunti Labs in Italy and Ambient Performance in the UK to explore the potential of smart buildings and campuses to support innovative and personalised learning.
E-VITA - European Life Experiences – is a project focussed on game-based and intergenerational learning. Within the project, individual experiences, biographies, customs, knowledge and cross-border experiences in various European countries will be documented and shared in motivating and engaging web-based Serious Games.
The aim of this DTI project is to investigate the application of skills and technology used in video games to create more effective training solutions.