BackgroundThe emergence of new technologies in the obstetrical field should lead to the development of learning applications, specifically for obstetrical emergencies. Many childbirth simulations have been recently developed. However, to date none of them have been integrated into a serious game.ObjectiveOur objective was to design a new type of immersive serious game, using virtual glasses to facilitate the learning of pregnancy and childbirth pathologies. We have elaborated a new game engine, placing the student in some maternity emergency situations and delivery room simulations.MethodsA gynecologist initially wrote a scenario based on a real clinical situation. He also designed, along with an educational engineer, a tree diagram, which served as a guide for dialogues and actions. A game engine, especially developed for this case, enabled us to connect actions to the graphic universe (fully 3D modeled and based on photographic references). We used the Oculus Rift in order to immerse the player in virtual reality. Each action in the game was linked to a certain number of score points, which could either be positive or negative.ResultsDifferent pathological pregnancy situations have been targeted and are as follows: care of spontaneous miscarriage, threat of preterm birth, forceps operative delivery for fetal abnormal heart rate, and reduction of a shoulder dystocia. The first phase immerses the learner into an action scene, as a doctor. The second phase ask the student to make a diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is made, different treatments are suggested.ConclusionsOur serious game offers a new perspective for obstetrical emergency management trainings and provides students with active learning by immersing them into an environment, which recreates all or part of the real obstetrical world of emergency. It is consistent with the latest recommendations, which clarify the importance of simulation in teaching and in ongoing professional development.

The accelerated progress being made with interactive devices (such as screens, cameras, joysticks and tangible objects) has triggered the development of new interaction methods for applications (e.g., body language, haptic feedback, etc.). Video games and Serious Games are being played on increasingly innovative peripherals (e.g., Kinect, Wii Balance Board). These devices have generated new, intuitive forms of Human-Computer Interaction that are completely changing our usages. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of gaming technologies and suggest a framework for characterizing the role that screens play in these devices. This framework differentiates between the various gaming elements (the gamers, the interactive devices and the entertaining and gamified applications). This framework is a tool to analyze the effects of device choice and configuration. This paper presents an evaluation of the characterization of 15 serious games. This evaluation will provide a glimpse of the potentialities of the framework with respect to suggested criteria as well as of the trends and potential developments in interactive media.

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Cet article s’inscrit dans la lignée des travaux de Gilles Brougère et vise à étudier le rapport du jeu au sérieux. Sérieux est entendu au sens « utilitaire » comme le propose notamment Étienne Armand Amato. Plus précisément nous cherchons à étudier la potentielle productivité du jeu, sérieux ou non, dont pourrait bénéficier le joueur. Cette étude s’effectue sous la forme d’une analyse théorique, prenant pour cadre des approches issues notamment des disciplines de l’informatique, de la psychologie, des sciences de l’éducation et des sciences de l’information et de la communication.