TY - JOUR
T1 - Game research by design in project management and beyond
AU - Freese, Maria
AU - Bekebrede, Geertje
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Projects are complex systems as they consist of different elements interacting with each other considering a certain degree of uncertainty. Serious games - defined as those that are not primarily intended to entertain - can be used to better understand, analyse, or design projects in such complex socio-technical systems. They are a powerful research method because they provide data and insights into people's behaviour in relation to their environment. They do this in an engaging way in a safe environment, making them suitable for testing hypotheses and gathering data on choices, decisions, and interactions of people. In addition, serious games provide an environment that allows for mixed methods data collection. This article introduces the Game Research by Design - Approach about the development of serious gaming research set-ups, which addresses three cycles - theoretical, design and empirical one - when conducting research using serious games. This article illustrates the choices researchers need to make when developing research design and experiments based on serious gaming. Further research is needed to elaborate the different steps and to fine-tune this approach.
AB - Projects are complex systems as they consist of different elements interacting with each other considering a certain degree of uncertainty. Serious games - defined as those that are not primarily intended to entertain - can be used to better understand, analyse, or design projects in such complex socio-technical systems. They are a powerful research method because they provide data and insights into people's behaviour in relation to their environment. They do this in an engaging way in a safe environment, making them suitable for testing hypotheses and gathering data on choices, decisions, and interactions of people. In addition, serious games provide an environment that allows for mixed methods data collection. This article introduces the Game Research by Design - Approach about the development of serious gaming research set-ups, which addresses three cycles - theoretical, design and empirical one - when conducting research using serious games. This article illustrates the choices researchers need to make when developing research design and experiments based on serious gaming. Further research is needed to elaborate the different steps and to fine-tune this approach.
KW - Complex systems
KW - Mixed methods
KW - Project management
KW - Research approach
KW - Serious game
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214287117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.plas.2024.100174
DO - 10.1016/j.plas.2024.100174
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85214287117
SN - 2666-7215
VL - 6
JO - Project Leadership and Society
JF - Project Leadership and Society
M1 - 100174
ER -