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First, it is important to understand that a game/simulation is not educational just because it is a game/simulation. Instead, a game/simulation is an effective educational tool primarily because of the high level of interactivity and instant feedback. Well designed games/simulations engage the learner in a constant decision making process. The learner is forced to interact and think through the content and then witnesses immediate or near immediate feedback based on his or her actions. So the most critical aspect is not the technology (which is the focus of many when thinking about games/simulations) rather the most critical aspect is the design. The design must be interactive and provide realistic or corrective feedback as the learner progresses and the game/simulation must maintain a balance between anxiety and boredom which is known as the elusive “flow state.”

Eyewitness is an Interactive Situation Simulation Software (ISSS). It aims to educate people about one of the most tragic events in Chinese history — The Nanjing Massacre, when, over the course of 6 weeks, over 300,000 civilians were killed by Japanese troops invading the city.

The Crimescene Game teaches interviewing skills in the context of a police investigation. Learners are assigned the task of interviewing a witness to a bank robbery to elicit clues to the identity of the robber. The game provides the learner with choices that affect the course of the game. At any point learners can try to solve the mystery.

Required and enabled concentration, Challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult, Development of individual skills and mastery, A sense of control over personal actions within the game, Clear goals for succeeding at the game, Reception of specific feedback on individual success, Effortless immersion within the game, to the exclusion of time awareness, and Social interaction opportunities.

Achieving a balance between skill and challenge, as well as between fitness and intensity, determines the success of an exergame. The difficulty of creating these two perfect balances can help explain the wide variety of successful and unsuccessful exergames in today’s market.