Goal of Pilot Safety
The goal of this project is to come up with an addition to the current way of crisis-training for mayors. The frequency of training for mayors is low, because it takes a lot of people to support this training.

What we achieved in 2009!
To be able to advise on a game for strategic managers, like a mayor of a BT, we needed to establish the learning goals for this group. This was done in 2009 together with a focus group consisting of subject matter experts. The learning goal that seemed most promising according to our focus group was ‘Setting priorities and making underpinned decisions -under time pressure'. 
For this game to be a real addition to existing training there were specific conditions: (1) the game should support learning in short amounts of time (max. 15 minutes playing time per scenario); and (2) it had to be a single player game. This makes it easier to arrange a training session and it guarantees anonymous playing.

To design a serious game, a game that allows players to learn, we work with three groups of experts in our team. First of all we have game experts; they know what it takes to make a game entertaining, motivating and look good. Then we have the educational experts; they ensure that the learning goals can be reached by playing this game. And then we have the domain experts, who together with our focus group, help the team with the content of the scenarios. 
First, this team built a paper-based game, so that the focus group could play a first round in November 2009. With some brief revisions we were able to take our game to a next step in 2010: a first digital version, what we call a mock-up.

Figure 2. Focus group playing the paper-based game in november 2009

While the developers were looking for ways to translate the game-elements into digital components  (mock-up), the educational experts set up an experiment. With 24 students from the Haagse Hoogeschool we played the paper-based game to establish how the game affects the way in which people learn. Students were asked to fill out a digital questionnaire about four elements of Self-Directed Learning (Control, use of Learning Strategies, Reflection, use of Social environment) and some questions about motivation and self-efficacy. We could see that where most tested elements did not change at all, there was some development in the element Reflection. This was to be expected because of the chosen learning goal. The challenge for 2010 will be to prove this with further experiments.

Figure 3. At the Haagse Hogeschool playing the game - March 2010

What we will do in 2010?
We are creating a playable mock-up that is a virtual version of the paper based game. This mock-up will be tried out by the focus group in June 2010 and is tested again in July with a number of deputy mayors.
Meanwhile the team will continue creating the final game prototype. This prototype will have more graphic details and meets the maximum possible of the learning goals and conditions as determined in the focus group meetings. The information gathered in evaluation sessions will be incorporated as well.

In a final evaluation, probably late 2010 - early 2011, this game will be tested by a group of mayors. If the mayors are as enthusiastic as all other players so far, we will be one step closer to the goal of the pilot safety.

Having created a game that allows mayors and other strategic managers to add another way of training to their curriculum, the team has only one wish left:
Finding a way to continue work on this game, so that in the coming years - after this project has finished - the game will improve and be played by on the one hand mayors in every Dutch city, but also by for example hospital board members, etc.