Serious Game

In class we looked at two different games in dept, World of Warcraft(WOW) and America's Army(AA). They can both be approached differently from serious standpoints.
WOW is probably taken quite seriously by gamers with its fantasy elements of character and world design. The endless amount of customization for the character lets it become more personal allowing you to become this fantasy hero you wanted to be in your mind. The ever expanding world and wide range of quests you can embark on involve more and more involvement of the player. The fantasy element of design is perfect for this for its more cartoonish in a way of not being realistic in character design and races to choose from. This is perfect for character creation and player involvement; for the limits are almost unknown.
AA is taken serious from its game play design and realistic elements the play a strong role in the game. It is basically a recruiting tool for the US Army but allows you to see how much is expected of a person in the army. Countless training missions need to be done before you can do certain missions and realistic elements are incorporated such as stamina, limited ammunition, and a strong reliance on team play. The graphics are as realistic as possible to give you a real life feel and while keeping the game element alive. Real life people are used as in-game characters letting you see the human element in the army.
Both games are pretty unique in their design and intention but a great length of time has been involved in creating these to serious games. I guess seriousness of a game is not just determined by design and game play but also by the numerous factors of player involvement that is in mind when developed.