Evaluating the Performance of Serious Games for Learning: Behavior Transfer Analysis of Vacheland Virtual Breeders

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate the efficiency of Serious Games – professional and pedagogical simulation games – as a learning tool. It focuses on the degree to which trainees apply knowledge, skills and attitudes they gain in training to their jobs or to concrete situations. An analysis of literature shows the historical and conceptual evolution of these games based on three components: learning/simulation/game. The exploratory study of the Vacheland Game relies on a qualitative approach using netnography and a quantitative approach on a sample of 537 players. In a context of strong economical growth of serious games sector, the results underscore the difficulties of transferring acquired knowledge from a virtual environment to the real world.