The purpose of this study was to explore the variables that might affect the learning outcomes of a serious game for disaster preparedness. Literature review in the field has revealed a number of variables that might have effects on the learning outcome with serious games, including: prior knowledge, in game guidance, gaming frequency, and playing skills. However, there has been no study on the relationships and effects between the types of knowledge (i.e., declarative, or procedural) used in serious games and the intended learning outcomes. Using disaster preparedness as a learning context, this study examines the two types of knowledge: (1) declarative (i.e., learners' ability to retain facts and information); and (2) procedural knowledge (learners' ability to perform actions and procedures), and their relationships with the learning outcomes of a serious game. The research question was: "To what extent do: prior knowledge, in-game guidance, and gaming frequency, predict the learning outcomes, in the forms of declarative and procedural knowledge of a disaster preparedness serious game?" This study was conducted in two stages. In stage one, participants played a serious game in either the fully or partially guided mode to learn to assemble an emergency supply kit. Data collected in this stage included participants' prior knowledge on disaster preparedness, the types of in-game guidance received, and their game-playing frequency. In Stage Two, the participants played an assessment game, in which they needed to gather emergency supplies and prepare for a disaster in a new town. Data collected in this stage included their declarative and procedural knowledge. Declarative knowledge was measured by the number of correct items a participant has gathered, and procedural knowledge was measured by the Expert Similarity Index (ESI), a method that compared the performance similarities between a participant and a designated expert. At the end of Stage Two, all participants completed a qualitative picture test and provided answers for the researcher to better understand their in-game decisions. In total, sixty-two participants completed the study. Separate multiple regression analyses of whether (1) prior knowledge; (2) in-game guidance; and (3) gaming frequency were significant predictors for learning outcomes in (a) declarative, and (b) procedural knowledge were conducted in SPSS. An interaction between prior knowledge and in-game guidance was added into the multiple regression model as an independent variable to examine whether a moderator effect existed. Results showed that gaming frequency was not a significant predictor for either declarative or procedural knowledge. Whereas, prior knowledge and its interaction term with in-game guidance were significant predictors. In-game guidance was a significant predictor for declarative knowledge, as well as the procedural knowledge at higher rounds of the gameplay. The significant interaction term between prior knowledge and in-game guidance revealed a moderator effect, indicated that the relationship between a participant's prior knowledge and learning outcomes was moderated by the (partial or full) guidance received in-game. Findings further revealed a "learner planning effect" in this study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]