Development of Game Design Document for Serious Games based on Fram models

Abstract

Today's sociotechnical systems require a deep understanding of the processes involved in their operation. To support this, the FRAM model offers a systematic and intelligent way to describe how these systems work, promoting awareness of their potential for positive resilience amid changing conditions, behaviors, and resources. Resilience engineering, therefore, aims to ensure systematic adaptation, maintaining normal operations and expected outcomes, even in adverse situations. An emerging technology that supports the training of individuals in sociotechnical systems is Serious Games, which are, in short, gamified applications designed to educate specific groups on appropriate workplace behaviors. These games provide effective training while simultaneously promoting cost reduction. However, their development typically follows a different structure than that used to analyze sociotechnical systems. In game development, the GDD (Game Design Document) is a technical-descriptive artifact that describes the functional and design elements required in the final product. Due to the divergence in terminology and knowledge between those who model resilient sociotechnical systems with FRAM and teams involved in game development, this study proposes a method for building a GDD that translates characteristics of resilient sociotechnical systems into a format accessible to digital game designers and developers. The methodology involved reviewing and analyzing documents of GDD and FRAM models, correlating their elements to create a model adapted to the needs of Serious Games, available in the appendices.