Conference focuses on the use of games beyond entertainment

Mar 22 2009 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Post

Coventry University is this week hosting a conference drawing experts from across the globe to discuss how computer games can be used beyond the world of entertainment.

The first IEEE International Conference in Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications 2009, which will be hosted at the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University, will look at ways to make serious games and virtual world technologies more effective in the areas of education, health and training.

The event, which will be held on March 23 and 24, and is sponsored by IEEE, Becta and ALT, will be streamed onto the web and into Second Life for those that can’t attend in person.

Coventry University is a world leader in the use of games beyond entertainment and the event will be hosted by Professor Sara de Freitas - director of research at the Serious Games Institute and one of Fast Company magazine’s most influential women in technology 2009.

Professor de Freitas said: “A groundswell in the use of these technologies could see a shift towards them being used to support education, health and training.

“There are new challenges that offer real scope for collaborative research and innovative development.

“What this conference will provide is an opportunity for the leaders in this field to answer the important questions, such as in what ways are games and virtual world applications useful tools, what are the technologies that are most effective, and what is the best way for us to move forward together?”

Keynote speakers at the conference include Professor Steve Benford, Professor of Collaborative Computing and Head of the School of Computer Science at The University of Nottingham, Professor Alan Chalmers Warwick Digital Lab and Professor Adrian Cheok, director of the Mixed Reality Lab, National University of Singapore.