At its most basic, serious games are defined as games with a purpose beyond pure entertainment. While the most commonly known kind of serious games may very well be learning games, many different types of serious games exist. At the most general level, whenever you imagine using a medium for anything, you can potentially also use a game. This is not to say that you should always use games, as there are definitely some situations and challenges better suited for games than other.

When playing good games you're learning what is required to overcome the challenges of the game, and this takes place within a meaningful and safe context. Games are about creative problem solving, and allow for experimentation and exploration of just about any topic or domain.

Even though the aim of serious games differ from that of entertainment games, the design principles are - or should be - similar. If you want to make a serious game, always bear in mind that you are first and foremost making a good game. When serious games fail to fulfil their potential, it is in most cases because they fail as games and focus too narrowly on the serious part.