Implementation of Emergency Management Exercises as Alternate Reality Games – Students’ Perceptions

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i06.27937

Keywords:

alternate reality games, emergency management exercises, immersive games, serious games, virtual crisis

Abstract


Emergency management exercises could be carried out as simulations or serious games, as they allow for infinite replications in which participants can make mistakes without negative consequences. Alternate reality games (ARGs) offer a model for interactive networked narratives based on realistic and immersive emergency scenarios, and possibilities for collaborative problem solving with peer-to-peer communication. The aim of the paper is to analyze and discuss students’ attitudes towards the implementation of an emergency management exercise as a game inspired by ARGs, comprising a virtual crisis management exercise system. The study on which the paper is based was conducted using a qualitative approach together with a literature review and a thematic analysis of university students’ answers to an evaluation questionnaire, following their participation in a virtual exercise with an ARG design. The findings suggest that ARG concepts have potential in emergency management training and could be tested with rescue services staff, also across national borders. Realism should however be increased and additional ARG concepts added.

Author Biographies

Ivar Svare Holand, Nord University

Ivar Svare Holand is Associate Professor at Faculty of Social Sciences at Nord university in Norway with responsibility for courses on risk and vulnera-bility, GIS, and cartography. His main research interests include emergency man-agement and spatial planning. He is an editor for the Norwegian Journal of Geog-raphy.

Peter Mozelius, Mid Sweden University

Peter Mozelius is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer and System Science (DSV) at Mid Sweden University. His main areas of interest are blended learning, game-based learning, eHealth, programming education, and ICT for development. He has been conducting research on active learning classrooms (ALC), E-learning, programming, and cross-border crisis management.

Trond Olav Skevik, Nord University

Trond Olav Skevik is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Nord University in Norway. He teaches video game development, video game design, programming, and project management. His main areas of research interest are gamification, games for learning, and serious games.
Cover iJET Vol. 17 No. 06 (2022)

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Published

2022-03-29

How to Cite

Holand, I. S., Mozelius, P., & Skevik, T. O. (2022). Implementation of Emergency Management Exercises as Alternate Reality Games – Students’ Perceptions. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 17(06), pp. 181–193. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i06.27937

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 06 (2022)

Section

Papers

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Copyright (c) 2022 Ivar Svare Holand, Peter Mozelius, Trond Olav Skevik

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