Evaluation of an interview simulation for job seekers - applying a holistic evaluation approach for serious games

Digital games constitute a major emerging technology that is increasingly entering mainstream educational use. To take full advantage of the great potential of serious games, sound evaluation methods and real-world testing through deployment in authentic educational environments are needed. We present empirical evaluation work conducted in the context of an interview simulation for job seekers. Evaluations have been carried out based on an underlying evaluation framework incorporating the perspectives of development and application of serious games, aiming at investigating the quality and significance of game components used to support game development, the relevance and pedagogical value of a serious game for training, and learning effectiveness as well as learners’ enjoyment of a game. Game developers, training providers and end-users have been involved in the evaluation studies. Results argue for the usefulness of the components applied for game development, the relevance and pedagogical effectiveness of the game application for training, and positive end-user experience while playing the game.