Obtaining better metrics for complex serious games within virtualised simulation environments

Recent technological advancements are providing significant results in enriching learning through serious games in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). One such advancement is the ability to create highly complex virtualised environments that realistically simulate organisations’ ICT systems, enabling participants to develop practical hands-on skills in a controlled environment. During such exercises, a critical component is the ability to track individual participants progress. This requires an evaluation system to be in place. Within traditional computer gaming environments, it is relatively easy to automate the tracking and capture of a specific player's moves, clicks and other interaction. Within simulations of serious games such as those used for training defence and attack mitigation techniques in a computer network, tracking such activities in an automated manner is significantly more complex. Using serious games in the field of cybersecurity as an example, we provide in this work a mapping of different types of metrics for serious games run within virtual lab environments and suggest various ways in which they can be measured. This work will assist serious game designers, developers, organisers and assessors obtain a greater understanding of the state of the art possibilities for measuring the performance of participants. It will also enable researchers to build a solid foundation in which they can develop new approaches for more efficient learning through virtualized simulations.