Gaming in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

Reflecting on Gaming in the Time of Pandemic Crisis As the COVID-19 pandemic affects us all, I focus here, in this editorial, on some aspects related to gaming and simulation in these challenging times. There have been some reflective conversations within the ISAGA network that I would like to share with you. My honored colleague, Simulation & Gaming advisory board member, Jan Klabbers started a discussion via email some weeks ago by stating: "Reflecting on all the confusing and threatening news, on the rapidly and drastically changing political and socioeconomic landscape, and absorbing their impact on our daily affairs, I wonder what game of life we are forced to play nowadays.. . I am interested to learn how you experience the pandemic at your place, and how it is impacting on your views on designing, facilitating, and debriefing games, on the basis of the various rules of social distancing that you.. . envision and apply." Several other colleagues around the globe answered. I would like, here, to share some answers and statements that seem especially interesting for directing future research, for practical decisions in the games design process and for simulations as interactive learning environments. Amparo Garcia-Carbonell, Simulation & Gaming advisory board member, wrote: "I have always believed and enjoyed playing and interacting with my students in situational classroom contexts, with interactive dynamic and face to face and games. Can digital-telematic processes really reproduce similar cognitive processes?" Heide Lukosch, Simulation & Gaming Associate Editor, added: "While I very much 'like' the digital developments we made at the gamelab in Delft, I am still convinced of the power of physical games for learning in its broadest sense, and for increasing awareness. And even the digital games were/are often used in a group setting. I would not know how to replace this experience in a distance setting with the same result.. .. The direct contact between players, exchange of artefacts such as currencies, forms, or tokens, is one of the haptic elements that underpins games' attractiveness. Especially

COVID-19 as ‘Game Changer’ for the Physical Activity and Mental Well-Being of Augmented Reality Game Players During the Pandemic: Mixed Methods Survey Study

“…Holistically, AR games such as Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite provide virtual socialization with other people, motivate players to sustain exercise, and offer a daily routine during the lockdown, therefore establishing mental coping strategies to benefit well-being during COVID-19 lockdown. As stated recently in a commentary on gaming in the time of COVID-19, Kriz [ 67 ] suggested that “games have the potential to entertain and relax, to lower stress (maybe even provide an escape for a while from the real problems and fear accompanying the pandemic) and to provide the opportunity to interact with friends through (virtual) forms of play.”…”

Positive Technology and COVID-19

“…Second, video games provide a powerful medium for understanding complex situations, such as the pandemic itself or the fake news associated with it. 51 For example, Factitious (http:// factitious.augamestudio.com/) is a simple game that asks players to read a small article and then decide if it is real or fake news. 52 Factitious tries to help players think more critically about fake news by providing contents that make users think critically about the content and the source.…”

Game On! Recreational Play in the Library

“…Programming includes trivia nights, virtual escape rooms, and game nights using board game platforms/simulators and other software, such as Jackbox Games (2021). Attendance to these events has lessened compared to inperson programming; however, students who attend enjoy and appreciate the virtual programming (Costello, 2021), which has become a unique tool in combatting the stresses of social isolation (Kriz, 2020).…”