Development of a virtual reality-based serious game for occupational health and safety training in underground mining

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2021-2-5
Gürer, Servet
Mining is a hazardous multi-disciplinary sector for workers and the working environment. It can be said that one of the most important methods to combat these risks is training. These pieces of training are usually given with traditional methods, but thanks to today’s technological developments, new training methods are also emerging, and simulations and serious games have become widely used tools in training. In this study, MINING-VIRTUAL, which is a very detailed and realistic serious game, is introduced. The game has been developed using the Unity3d game engine to include both computer and virtual reality versions. The game allows users to freely navigate for educational purposes within the underground coal mine simulation. Users’ ability to identify existing risks and their knowledge on critical issues are measured with interactive tools in the game. The MINING-VIRTUAL game was tested by a group of 30 participants, consisting of mining engineers and game developers, and the technology acceptance and usability aspects of the game were evaluated with questionnaires. As a result, when the system usability scores and technology acceptance levels in the questionnaires were evaluated, it was seen that both groups were positively affected by the game. With the paired t-test, the effects of using game technologies and the frequency of vi playing games on technology acceptance were evaluated. The evaluations revealed that the MINING-VIRTUAL game could be an essential training tool in occupational health and safety training related to mining.

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Citation Formats
S. Gürer, “Development of a virtual reality-based serious game for occupational health and safety training in underground mining,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2021.