A consortium of TNO, T-Xchange and National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands developed a serious game ‘’Go4IT’ aiming at increasing awareness of the Comprehensive Approach(CA). The game design consists of a game world (a failed state where a UN intervention takes place after massive conflict). It is played with four syndicates (Task Force, Local Government, Non-Governmental Organizations and Opposing Forces) with their respective strengths, mandates and roles. The syndicates can play 240 prototypical interventions, either alone or collaboratively, that affect reconstruction parameters of the game world, such as Security, Displaced persons, Basic living conditions, Agriculture, Health Care, Economy as well as Political Support from supporting nations and Hearts and Minds. The former parameters are also affected by about 40 external events. We used specialized domain knowledge from mostly the military, but also from diplomats and NGOs, to construct and validate the relations between interventions and effects, resulting in a simulation model (named GCAM) underlying the game. In this paper, we describe the results of field testing of GCAM2.0. GCAM2.0 was extensively field-tested in eight sessions with between 12 and 20 participants each, aiming at assessment of the perceived realism of the GCAM model and its learning effects. With regard to the realism of the GCAM2.0 model, it was found to provide a sufficiently authentic experience to obtain awareness of the CA in novices. With regard to improving the understanding of the dynamics and complexity of the CA for a more experienced target population, the results were to a certain extend inconclusive. Where the military experienced groups reported that they did not have a valuable learning experience, in contrast, the experienced civilian parties did report improved understanding.

1. Third World Conference on Humanitarian Studies,
24th of October 2013
Anja van der Hulst
Rudy Boonekamp
Marc van den Homberg

2. Applied (Serious) Games
“Designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment”
It’s not the Game, it’s the Value, stupid!

3. Serious Gaming: a powerful intervention method
Playing is Learning
Interaction - Collaborate and compete
Feedback - Trial and error
Motivation - Intrinsic motivation
Retention - Experience and remember
Empathy – Role change
Complexity – Strategies, scenario’s
Flow: The mental state of being fully immersed in an activity

4. Making sure the game does what it should do
Design for use
Fidelity/Evidence
based models
Validate for use
Design for purpose
Validate for purpose

5. Openbare orde Game
Levee Patrol: train dike monitoring staff
Mayor game: effective crisismanagement
Engagement Game
Virtual Tactical Trainer Counter-IED
Self-directed e-learning

6. Comprehensive Aproach
In international missions to conflict zones
safety, development and diplomacy must
go hand in hand
Dutch coalition agreement 2012
“The concept of cooperation between
civilian and military partners is the most
promising approach to dealing with
contemporary crisis. We believe
cooperation should start before we meet
abroad in a crisis and should include all
elements of mission preparation, including
common exercises and training.”
1 German Netherlands Corps

7. Objectives Game Go4it (GCAM)
“Comprehensive approach” mostly trained
through large scale exercises or more
formal curricula
A gaming approach?
Key Competencies
Situation Assessment
Situational Decision making
Liaising and negotiating

8. Scenario
Location: Xona: Sub-Saharan Africa
Conflict: Eruption of violence after a
bomb-attack on the alternative
government, militias on the loose;
Present situation:
Humanitarian crisis; displaced
persons, no functioning camps;
No functioning government,
agriculture nor economy;
Violence against population,
recruitment of child soldiers;
Aim: Clear, Hold, Build and Transfer

9. The game: Four Roles
OPFOR
Task Force
NGOs
Local Government

11. Domain model: Actions
For all Syndicates
Targets
Assessments (60)
Interventions (240)
Defined and derived effects (quantitative and
qualitative)
Preconditions
Costs
Delay
Game leader
Events
Defined and derived effects (quantitative
and qualitative)

12. Domain model: Effect Parameters
Reconstruction areas
Safety
Displaced persons
Basic living conditions
Agriculture
Healthcare
Security Apparatus
Governance
Rule of Law
Education
Economic development
Political support
‘Hearts and minds’

13. Domain model: Simulation

14. Field tests
Questions:
Fidelity
Realism of the model?
Validation
Awareness?
Deeper understanding?
Field Tests:
Five groups (12-16 pp) of novices
Four groups of experienced users

15. Outcomes
Realism model
Sufficient
Awareness
Yes
Deeper understanding
In competitive setting: no
In collaborative setting: yes

16. To conclude: applications of Go4it
Go4it board game with computer-based GCAM for:
Awareness of the comprehensive approach
Strategic Decision Making in the comprehensive
approach
Leadership training
Influencing (Netherlands Defense Academy)

17. Current and future developments of Go4it
Adaptive and flexible formats:
Board game (resource-less environments)
Board game with computer-based GCAM
simulation
On line game with GCAM simulation (distributed
teams)
For new context: disaster management?

18. Questions

19. Contact details:
Marc van den Homberg
Marc.vandenhomberg@tno.nl
+31651069884
Transfer of Gaming