Side Effects May Include Fun: Pre- and Post-Market Surveillance of the GridlockED Serious Game

Abstract

Introduction. As serious games are a relatively new phenomenon in medical education, there is little data on end user demographics or usage. In this study our goal was to describe the demographics and usage for purchasers of the GridlockED board game, a serious board game for teaching about a systems approach to managing care in the emergency department. Methods. We conducted a two-phase survey of individuals interested in purchasing GridlockED. Users were asked to complete a brief demographic survey before accessing the purchasing site. A follow-up survey was performed 3-6 months after the initial survey. That survey was to assess participants’ usage, play patterns, and what changes to GridlockED they would like to see. Individuals who did not purchase the board game were asked about their barriers to purchase. Results. After one year of sales, 213 games were purchased, 560 individuals had completed the intake survey with 408 consented to follow-up. Responding purchasers were from 16 different roles in healthcare in 11 countries. Our follow-up survey collated 53 responses (out of 408 individuals, 14% response rate). The majority (63%) of respondents reported having played the game, with the most common use cases being for fun (40%), teaching trainees (21%) or training with colleagues (13%). Price of the game unit was cited as the largest barrier to purchase (60%). Conclusion. GridlockED attracted interest from a wide range of medical professionals around the world. Users reported using the game for fun and for teaching/training purposes. The main barrier to purchase was the game’s price.

Much ado about gaming: An educator's guide to serious games and gamification in medical education

“…A serious game, by comparison, is a stand-alone game with game elements, rules, and objectives that deliberately includes elements of play to support educational objectives. 9,10 These are designed to deliver educational content such that optimization and success of in-game tasks leads to knowledge acquisition or reinforces behaviors outside the game. Empiric 11 employs card matching to reward and reinforce judicious antibiotic use as players clear a deck of cases using available treatments.…”

Feeling the flow with a serious game workshop: GridlockED as Medical Education 2 study (GAME2 study)

“…However, with serious games, where the goal of the game is educate and not only to have fun. 10 In GridlockED, there are three tandem goals that players must work together to achieve: 1. To "survive" an 8-hour shift while minimizing patient safety events; 2.…”

Using Observation to Determine Teachable Moments Within a Serious Game: A GridlockED as Medical Education (GAME) Study

“…5 It has been bought and played around the world. 6 In this game, players work together to manage an ED during an 8-hour shift, deploying a variety of health care professionals and reasoning to optimally prioritize patients. Serious games generally seek to teach objectives via game mechanisms such as narrative, rules, points, levels, rewards, and goals.…”

“…GridlockED, a multiplayer cooperative serious game, was developed as an accessible method to help learners better understand the concepts of prioritization and patient flow in the emergency department (ED) in a risk‐free environment 5 . It has been bought and played around the world 6 . In this game, players work together to manage an ED during an 8‐hour shift, deploying a variety of health care professionals and reasoning to optimally prioritize patients.…”