Games and Learning/Topics/Play/Serious
Serious games are designed for the purpose of solving a problem. Although serious games can be entertaining, their main purpose is to train, investigate, or advertise. Sometimes a game will deliberately sacrifice fun and entertainment in order to make a serious point. Whereas video game genres are classified by gameplay, serious games are not a game genre but a category of games with different purposes. This category includes educational games and advergames, political games, or evangelical games. The category of serious games for training is also known as "game-learning".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game
Readings
Ulicsak, M. & Wright, M. (2010), 'Serious Games in Education', literature review, futurlab. http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/literature-reviews/Literature-Review1788
