Virtual Patients: considerations of narrative and gameplay

Digital games are a significant element in the digital media and information society. They influence the development of media technologies as well as interface design, online social interaction and new evaluation approaches. The game industry develops not only products for leisure, but also for work and learning, with many dimensions in the area of social life, knowledge acquisition and application, gaining of soft skills and of other experiences. Digital games attract researchers from different science fields e.g. sociology, cultural studies, educational theory, psychology, computer science, etc. The Fourth Symposium for Information Design focused on the question of how game based learning environments can motivate and stimulate learners in different situations, and improve learning. It presented didactical and pedagogical issues, as well as actual examples and concrete applications.