Phase 1 of 3
Discovery
Discovery involves locating the values relevant to a given project and defining them in the context of the game. In serious games this is shaped by curricula, regulation, clients and organisational standards far more than in entertainment games — and the values you surface (or fail to surface) here permeate everything that follows.
1. Key actors (stakeholders)
A serious game's values are negotiated, not decreed — designers, clients, governments, investors, experts and players all leave fingerprints on the final design.
2. Functional description
The one-line description of what your game is for encodes a hierarchy of values that steers every design decision that follows — write it deliberately.
3. Societal input
Public discourse, cultural norms, legal frameworks and events like COVID-19 all press on a serious game's values — designers interpret, negotiate and sometimes resist.
4. Financial constraints
Budget limits don't just shrink scope — they actively decide which values are realised and which are compromised, and occasionally deliver unexpected value gains.
5. Technical constraints
Technology is not neutral: hardware, software and technical know-how actively decide which values — accessibility, fidelity, evidence, learning depth — your game can bring to life.