In 2012, Sue Bohle, Executive Director of the Serious Games Association, said the global
market for serious games (loosely defined as games with a purpose
beyond just entertainment) was estimated to be between US$2 to US$10 billion, depending on how much
of the market for games, simulations and virtual worlds is included
in the calculation.
A year or so later, the serious games market was hit by several
big-name failures but today, games such as Play To Cure: Genes in
Space and multi award-winning releases such as Depression Quest and
Papers Please are helping to drive a resurgence.
1-up for serious games
In January 2014, BBC's Newsbeat published a story, "Could playing video games help to beat
depression?" covering two serious games. Depression Quest, a
semi-autobiographical tale from the point of view of a person
struggling with depression, was covered together with SPARX, a fantasy role playing game
designed to treat depression.
