mStreet is a Serious Game 3D software platform, or framework, for delivering computerized virtual training and research environments in a diverse collection of fields with a variety of investigative and direct response settings, such as: critical care nursing, community health nursing, fire prevention, tactical police action, workplace safety and disaster response.
mStreet is comprised of "specialty modules" within the supported fields that are specifically designed to emulate the functional and behavioral processes in various specialties of those fields. Trainers and educators in the supported fields can use the specialty module software to construct "scenarios" that can be played out in real time, in the safe and controlled environment of a virtual 3D world.
Scenarios can be structured around rigid protocol scripts that require adherence to time- or sequence-sensitive action protocols, or they can be unstructured, requiring satisfactory real-time response to emerging events and information.
Student responses can take the form of immediate, direct action in real time, or the issuance of recommendations for further action by a third party (such as a local municipal government) following an investigation. Recommendations can then be automatically incorporated into the scenario, followed by the time-accelerated projection (extrapolation) of the scenario into the future to ascertain the effects of the recommendations at various later stages and points in times.
Direct action response, whether protocol- or emergency-based, can be scored according to weighted properties assigned to trigger events, expected response behaviors, and sequencing as well as other criteria required for a complete evaluation of student performance.
An example of a specialty module in the field of Nursing that fits into the direct action response category is Critical Care Nursing (CCN). Depending on the setting, a nurse in a critical care ward may be expected to respond according to a strict protocol that dictates actions, sequences, timing and coordination with other team members.
An example of a specialty module that can be applied to the everyday citizen is the Household Fire Safety & Emergency (HFSE) module. This module contains both direct action and investigative, depending on context. For example, a scenario can be constructed to show homeowners how to examine their homes for fire hazards and appropriate deployment of safety equipment like alarms and extinguishers. Another scenario could be constructed to present the homeowner with a developing emergency requiring direct action: a fire breaks out in a home during the night. The homeowner can then follow the syllabus and learn how to deal with smoke, closed doors, blocked passeways, windows, primary and secondary escape routes, and so on.
Non-playing characters (NPCs) in scenarios can be directed by Artificial Intelligence routines in the mStreet platform, or they can be table-driven (similar to an expert system) according to rule sets designed for the specific field. NPCs can also be operated remotely by other professionals in the emulated field.
