The winners of the 8th annual Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (Australasia) were announced at the Australasian Simulation Congress held on the Gold Coast on Wednesday.
Each year the showcase highlights the best Serious Games developed in Australia and New Zealand, providing a fantastic opportunity for national and international exposure among the simulation and gaming communities.
The winner from each category goes on to represent Australasia at the International Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Competition held at the I/ITSEC conference in Orlando, Florida later this year, and $2500, generously provided by Simulation Australasia, to help them get there.
After a record amount of entries, the winners were;
Indie Category (under $100,000) – Swibo Tilt by Swibo
This innovative game created by NZ based Swibo uses a mobile phone in a low cost balance board as a controller for a series of pc-based games to be used for physiotherapy.
Industry Category (over $100,000) – myDRIVESCHOOL by myDRIVESCHOOL & GOATi entertainment
https://www.mydriveschool.com/
http://www,goatientertainment.com
myDRIVESCHOOL uses a steering wheel, pedals and VR or monitors to teach learner drivers how to drive in a safe and engaging environment. Developed by 22 series racing creators GOATi Entertainment for Lisa Skaife and myDRIVESCHOOL, this serious game achieved one of the highest scores in the history of the SGSCA.
We would like to congratulate the teams at Swibo, myDRIVESCHOOL and GOATi, and wish them the best of luck in Orlando!
The challenge continues next year – if you or anybody you know are making serious games, you can stay in touch by signing up to the mailing list at https://sganz.org.au, or following @seriousgamesanz on twitter.
Tākaro
Metia Interactive
Tākaro is a game to teach young people to learn coding concepts and systems thinking through a hands-on, reactive environment.
myDRIVESCHOOL
GOATi Entertrainment
myDRIVESCHOOL® is a combination of simulation, gaming & AI, delivered online (PC/laptop) in conjunction with a Logitech G29 steering wheel and pedal set, designed to teach in-cabin cognitive skills, hazard/spatial awareness and road safety to pre-learner drivers.
Swibo
Tilt Swibo
Swibo Tilt turns everyday balance training exercises into fun and exciting games to help you prevent or recover from injury and improve your balance.
Tali Train
Tali Health
Tali Train is a game-based training program of attention skills for both neurotypical and neurodiverse children between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. Children play four clinically validated games for 20 minutes per day for 5 days every week throughout a 5 week program.
VR Mass Casualty Triage
Edith Cowan University
The Mass Casualty Triage simulation is a standalone application designed for tertiary paramedical science students which aims to provide students with an immersive and engaging experiential learning opportunity that may not otherwise be available.
Kuube
Bondi Labs
Kuube delivers engaging and effective 3D interactive game-based training and competency assessment content to a workforce, for example workplace safety scenarios that focus on challenging users’ ability to find hazards, and then adequately assess the risk following a HIRAC methodology.
It is our great pleasure to announce the finalists for the 7th annual Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Australasia (SGSCA).
This year’s finalists represent the maturing nature of the Serious Games industry in Australia, with app, game and virtual reality solutions for a diverse range of topics.
The six finalists will showcase their serious games in the exhibition space at SimGHOSTs 2018 to be held at the University of the Sunshine Coast on June 28th and 29th 2018, in collaboration with Simulation Australasia and the Australian Society for Simulation in Healthcare (ASSH).
SG18AUS is a combined conference that attracts an audience of program directors, clinicians, educators, academics, technology/operations specialists, and game developers. The program highlights the use of technology and virtual environments in simulation programs.
Winners will receive instant entry and $2500 financial support from Simulation Australasia to attend and display their game at the global Serious Games Showcase & Challenge held as part of I/ITSEC in Orlando, Florida, November 26th-30th 2018.
2018 INDUSTRY FINALISTS
Virtual Autism Experience
Opaque Media
http://www.opaque.media
Designed in conjunction with Amaze, the Virtual Autism Experience (VAE) is an experiential training program that shows the potential experience of a person on the extreme end autism spectrum trying to complete a typical task(supermarket shopping) neurotypicals would take for granted.
Joko’s World: Pocket Planet
Cultural Infusion
https://culturalinfusion.org.au/
Joko’s World: Pocket Planet is a children’s game that takes the globe and creates an entertaining series of geographical puzzles. Locate countries, capital cities, flags, famous landmarks and learn about their cultural significance through games and quizzes.
Lucro Island : Strategic Budgeting
RMIT
http://www.kilgors.com
Lucro Island is a strategic budgeting simulation that allows management accounting students to compete against each other in real time using their accounting skills as managers of hotels on Lucro Island.
Firefighter Tree Hazard Assessment
Obvious Choice
http://www.obviouschoice.com.au
Tree Hazard Assessment is a first person style game which allows firefighters to practice the skill so assessing a forest for hazard trees before, during and after a fire. Hazard trees have caused the death of firefighters in recent years, and this game allows assessment skills to be practiced in a safe and immersive 3d environment.
2018 INDIE FINALISTS
SimuSurg
Cmee4 Productions
http://www.cmee4.com.au
SimuSurg, developed by Cmee4 Productions for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, simulates a minimally invasive surgical setting to train, and entertain, would be surgeons.
Virtual Maiwar
Bilbie Virtual Labs
https://www.virtualsonglines.org
Virtual Maiwar is an authentic, serious, historical, ecologically accurate and locally relevant cultural role-playing experience that immerses the user into a virtual heritage based landscape. They are challenged to learn about the lives, language, cultural practices and heritage of Australia’s First Nations people, living around what is now known as the Brisbane River.
There is a ‘survival mode’ game, as well the opportunity to learn what bush food to gather, what tools and weapons to craft, where to hunt animals, and how to make shelter, all whilst adhering to the teachings and wisdom of the Elders.
Simulation Australasia, in association with the International Serious Games Showcase & Challenge, traditionally presents the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (Australasia) at the Australasian Simulation Congress. In 2017 the Congress will take a break (to return in 2018), so the 7th annual SGSCA will be presented at SimGHOSTS 2018 to be held June 27th-29th 2018 at University of the Sunshine Coast.
The submission portal for the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (Australasia) is NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS.
Entries close on Friday April 27th 2018.
“The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge allows us to see the diversity of the region’s games and simulation community, working together to solve real life problems in an entertaining, innovative and informative way.” Adrian Webb, Manager of Virtual Worlds, Australian Defence Simulation and Training Centre (ADSTC).
The SGSCA gives developers in Australia and New Zealand a chance to promote their talent on a national and international stage.