: Serious Games are becoming more common in the educational setting and must pass
muster with both students and instructors for their learning experience and knowledge building.
The Virtual Clinic Learning Environment has recently been developed and implemented at East
Carolina University using a design framework based on Bloom’s variables, and in the process of
refining those design questions, identifies the methods of how serious games provide an overt and
subtle learning experience. The overt learning experience is based in the design questions defined
and the subtle experience was derived by examining the idea of sense of place as it relates to the
virtual environment. By considering these two streams of learning, designers can avoid pitfalls and
build on these design elements of a virtual learning environment