Sustainability has become an important blueprint to achieve a better future for all, and as part of this process, nations are called to accelerate an energy transition towards clean energy solutions. However, an often-neglected pillar is educating individuals on the benefits and challenges of energy efficiency and renewable energy, especially among young people. Their support and willingness to use clean energies will be a significant driver in short, medium and long term. However, reality shows that attention from youth on these issues has not been sufficient yet. Formal education settings become therefore a key place to educate youth in the energy transition. In search of innovative approaches, game-based learning is gaining popularity among scholars and practitioners; it can contribute to content development of complex issues by integrating insights from different disciplines in an interactive, fun and engaging manner.In this context, we would like to present “the We-Energy Game” as an innovative educational strategy which makes use of game-based learning to create understanding on the challenges in the provision of affordable energy from renewable sources for an entire town. During the game, players negotiate, from their respective roles, which energy source they want to employ and on which location, with the goal to make a village or city energy neutral. The game has been played by students in higher education institutions in The Netherlands.In addition to introducing the game, a study is presented on the effects of the game on students´ awareness on the energy transition, self-efficacy -the feeling that they can contribute to a sustainable energy transition in their towns by themselves- and collective efficacy -the feeling that they can contribute to a sustainable energy transition in their towns together with their community-. For that purpose, we conducted a survey with 100 bachelor (Dutch and international) students aged between 18 and 30 years old, at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, before and after playing the game. We also conducted a group discussion with a smaller group of students to understand their opinion about the game. From the survey, results reveal an increase in awareness about the energy transition, as well as (slightly higher) collective efficacy compared to self-efficacy. From the group discussion, findings reveal that the game makes students reflect on the complexity of the process and need for collaboration among different stakeholders. It also shows how educational games have still a long way to go to achieve the high levels of engagement of commercial games, despite the fact that students still preferred to have this type of interactive practice rather than a traditional class characterized by a unidirectional transmission of information. Different implications must be taken into account for educators when interested in implementing game-based learning in class, including immediate feedback, appropriate length of gameplay during class, and time for a reflection and critical thinking after playing the game.
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In order for techniques from Model Driven Engineering to be accepted at large by the game industry, it is critical that the effectiveness and efficiency of these techniques are proven for game development. There is no lack of game design models, but there is no model that has surfaced as an industry standard. Game designers are often reluctant to work with models: they argue these models do not help them design games and actually restrict their creativity. At the same time, the flexibility that model driven engineering allows seems a good fit for the fluidity of the game design process, while clearly defined, generic models can be used to develop automated design tools that increase the development’s efficiency.
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Many health education programs use progress tests to evaluate students’ progress in learning and to identify possible gaps in the curricula. The tests are typically longitudinal and feedback-oriented. Although many benefits of the progress test have been described in the literature, we argue that the acclaimed facilitation of deeper learning and better retention of knowledge appear questionable. We therefore propose an innovative way of presenting both the test itself and the study process for the test: a real-time-strategy game with in-game challenges, both individual and in teams.
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Intergenerational learning (IGL) has been identified as a viable way to help organizations deal with the problems an ageing worker population brings with it. Information and communications technology (ICT) in its many forms can be utilized to support IGL. This paper investigates the requirements for a game that would help raise stakeholder awareness for IGL, and allow individuals to practice skills related to it. By interviewing members of the European Union (EU)-funded SILVER-project we aim to find out suitable contexts, interventions and mechanisms that allow us to design such a game. Based on the interviews we found out that the game should be easily contextualized so that it works in—or is easily adapted to—different countries and cultures. For example sports or nature could be such contexts. As for mechanisms and interventions we found out that there are many possibilities. We conclude that such a logical combination of mechanisms and interventions that support the selected context must be chosen.
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This research is about the effect of story on player experience; it aimed to explore the difference between gameplay and story in a player’s experience and strived to measure it. The main problem for this research was one of knowledge; does story affect the player experience? Game creators often wonder if putting a story in a game is worth the time, money and effort. Does it affect the player experience in a positive way? Players wonder as well, if story even has a positive effect on player experience, putting gameplay and story up against each other. That is what this research is for, collecting information about the effect of story on player experience. The problem concerning the necessity of stories in games can be traced back to the long standing debate among the gaming community with two parties facing each other, one on the gameplay side and one on the story side. This also brings forth Clint Hocking’s problem, ludonarrative dissonance, the unharmonious state of a game’s gameplay and story, which, as he describes in his criticism piece Ludonarrative Dissonance in Bioshock (2007), can be experience breaking. Providing more information will hopefully make people think about the harmony that might exist between gameplay and story.
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The 6th International Human Rights Education Conference is about teaching human rights. The purpose of this convention is to protect and promote the right of people with disabilities to participate equally in societal life. Implementation of the convention is a responsibility of the national government. At the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences a social work course now includes an introductory lecture on human rights using objects and a game that addresses the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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Introduction: Visuospatial neglect (VSN) is common after stroke and can seriously hamper everyday life. One of the most commonly used and highly recommended rehabilitation methods is Visual Scanning Training (VST) which requires a lot of repetition which makes the treatment intensive and less appealing for the patient. The use of eHealth in healthcare can increase options regarding improved treatment in the areas of patient satisfaction, treatment efficacy and effectiveness. One solution to motivational issues might be Augmented Reality (AR), which offers new opportunities for increasing natural interactions with the environment during treatment of VSN. Aim: The development of an AR-based scanning training program that will improve visuospatial search strategies in individuals affected by VSN. Method: We used a Design Research approach, which is characterized by the iterative and incremental use of prototypes as research instruments together with a strong human-centered focus. Several design thinking methods were used to explore which design elements the AR game should comply with. Seven patients with visuospatial neglect, eight occupational therapists, a game design professional and seven other healthcare professionals participated in this research by means of co-creation based on their own perspectives. Results: Fundamental design choices for an AR game for VSN patients included the factors extrinsic motivation, nostalgia, metaphors, direct feedback, independent movement, object contrast, search elements and competition. Designing for extrinsic motivation was considered the most important design choice, because due to less self-awareness the target group often does not fully understand and accept the consequences of VSN. Conclusion: This study produced a prototype AR game for people with VSN after stroke. The AR game and method used illustrate the promising role of AR tools in geriatric rehabilitation, specifically those aimed at increasing the independence of patients with VSN after stroke. 2020 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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With the increasing mobility and connectivity of technological devices in smart cities, games are also used to address urban challenges like citizenship or equality. In my thesis, I argue that the design of many of these game solutions does not fit the challenge they try to address. For example, Pokémon Go ultimately became more a social facilitator than a pure for-profit app, while Geocaching for education purposes has proven ineffective. In order to assess the efficacy of the design of these solutions and suggest future improvements, I introduce an interdisciplinary method called ‘The Action Space Analysis’ which can be used to measure and judge how well the design fits with a challenge. First, I suggest a perspective on game design focused on the acceptance that whatever possible actions are contained in the game, some player will play them. Secondly, the city challenges are understood as the pursuit of a city model, an understanding of how you want the city to be. The action space analysis takes a game design and uncovers all possible actions of the game to check and score how well these actions fit the city model pursued. This checks how present the possibility is of players performing the desired actions from the city model. I check this for Geocaching, Ontdek Overvecht, Cities: Skylines, and Pokémon Go. The action space analysis works as validation method that allows designers to improve their games, critics to analyse city solutions better, and municipalities to pass informed judgment on suggested solutions.
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Deciding what kind of smart cities do we, as a society, want is not only a political question but also a matter of envisioning possible futures. The speculative narratives that designers produce to support their imagination are called "Design Fictions." We share SUBMERGED, a cross-platform project that combines game design, interactive narrative, and urban exploration with the objective of empowering citizens to produce their design fictions. Following a "Research through Design" practice, we describe our process for creating SUBMERGED, we synthesize some critical insights from our experience, and we urgently call for a dialogue between semioticians and design researchers on these topics.
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