Balancing fidelity of simulation game environments to increase situational awareness skills

Abstract

Many working tasks in our complex, technology-based world require active participation in a joint action. Communication and cooperation are basic skills needed for a well functioning team, especially in safety-critical domains like security. In this domain, the ability of a team to cooperate sometimes even decides about life and death. The development of situational awareness and understanding is seen as a prerequisite for effective teamwork. Traditional methods of enhancing teamwork related skills are limited due to their lack of flexibility and their distance to real world challenges. The study aims at exploring whether and how a simulation game should be designed in terms of fidelity to support situational awareness training. Results from usability tests show that realistic virtual environments imply the ability to foster teamwork related skills like situational awareness and communication.