ABSTRACT
Over the past few years, serious games have become a hot topic at international conferences, conventions, and symposia. Interest in using games to educate, motivate, and change behavior has grown tremendously in a brief period of time, and by a truly international group of practitioners, civic leaders, health and human rights advocates, educators, gamers, and researchers. Ben Sawyer facilitated this movement when he launched the “Serious Games Initiative,” which was followed quickly by the creation of important spin-off interest groups and Web sites like “Games for Health” and “Games for Change.” A number of listservs and other discussion lists were initiated and have been successful in attracting an increasing number of game designers, educators, and academics alike. Indeed, as discussed in the chapters in this volume, an increasing number of disciplines are drawn to the topic of serious games, including health advocates, social advocates, immigration experts, political scientists, and others.
