Sustainability

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23 pages, 2963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Let Us Save Venice”—An Educational Online Maze Game for Climate Resilience

by Boyan Bontchev, Albena Antonova, Valentina Terzieva and Yavor Dankov

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010007 - 21 Dec 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3960

Climate resilience competencies improve people’s capacity to recognize and adopt strategies for mitigating negative climate effects. Especially concerning the built cultural heritage protection in the coastal areas, both professionals and citizens have to be prepared for water-related extreme events, such as floods, sea-level [...] Read more.

Climate resilience competencies improve people’s capacity to recognize and adopt strategies for mitigating negative climate effects. Especially concerning the built cultural heritage protection in the coastal areas, both professionals and citizens have to be prepared for water-related extreme events, such as floods, sea-level rise, and altered precipitation. Considering these challenges, the authors explore the efficiency of serious video games and describe the process of design and validation of the pilot educational online maze game “Let us save Venice”. More specifically, the main research question motivating the study is to identify what the experience factors and the mini-games are that contribute mostly to raising awareness to climate resilience and built heritage sustainability. The question implies two main research objectives: first, to explore what role user-centered game design plays in creating immersive and enjoyable educational video maze games, and second, to investigate which factors influence user experience and game playability in the design phase, and how they contribute to learnability and raising awareness. The background section of the article focuses on a preliminary study of the educational potential of serious games and introduces the EU-funded project e-Creha. Then, it explores the process of game design, development, and validation, focusing on metrics such as game learnability and game experience. The results outline the main findings that immersion, positive affect, and competence appeared to be the main experience factors contributing to raising awareness to climate resilience and built heritage sustainability. Lastly, the discussion section provides further directions for game improvement and future work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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16 pages, 16615 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Augmented Reality Game Promoting Environmental Action

by Kyra Wang, Zeynep Duygu Tekler, Lynette Cheah, Dorien Herremans and Lucienne Blessing

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13912; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413912 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3617

Abstract

While public awareness of climate change has grown over the years, many people still have misconceptions regarding effective individual environmental action. In this paper, we present a serious game called PEAR, developed using elements of geolocation and augmented reality (AR), aimed at increasing [...] Read more.

While public awareness of climate change has grown over the years, many people still have misconceptions regarding effective individual environmental action. In this paper, we present a serious game called PEAR, developed using elements of geolocation and augmented reality (AR), aimed at increasing players’ awareness of climate change issues and propensity for effective sustainable behaviours. We conducted a study with participants who played the game, gauging their knowledge of and attitudes towards climate change issues before and after playing the game. Our results show that the game significantly improved participants’ knowledge on sustainability and climate-change-related issues, and that it also significantly improved their attitudes towards these topics, thus proving that serious games have the potential to impart knowledge and promote sustainable behaviours. Additionally, our results address the lack of empirical studies on the knowledge base of serious sustainability games by introducing methods of quantitatively analysing the effects of serious sustainability games while additionally providing more knowledge about the effectiveness of the specific design elements of our game. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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25 pages, 2515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Learning through Play: A Serious Game as a Tool to Support Circular Economy Education and Business Model Innovation

by Saskia Manshoven and Jeroen Gillabel

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13277; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313277 - 30 Nov 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4313

Abstract

Despite the increasing attention on circular economy at the policy level, the implementation of circular business models in companies is still limited. Many companies are put off by the apparent complexity to translate the general concepts of a circular economy into their business [...] Read more.

Despite the increasing attention on circular economy at the policy level, the implementation of circular business models in companies is still limited. Many companies are put off by the apparent complexity to translate the general concepts of a circular economy into their business practice. This paper presents the development and testing of a simulation board game that aimed to address this gap between theory and business practice. The board game, Risk&RACE, was developed with the purpose of enabling students and business executives to experiment with circular economy business models. The gameplay was tested with 120 users, and cognitive learning outcomes as well as learning dynamics were assessed using a survey. The results of the game workshops demonstrated that the game advanced the participants’ awareness of the need for a circular economy, their understanding of basic circular economy principles, and their insight in opportunities and challenges of circular business models at the company level. When reflecting on the game as a learning tool, players highlighted its engaging and realistic nature and praised how it stimulated strategic thinking. Complementing the gameplay with a debriefing discussion afterwards encouraged players to reflect upon their newly gained insights, deepening their learning experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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25 pages, 5250 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Competition in a Household Energy Conservation Game

by Jan Dirk Fijnheer, Herre van Oostendorp, Geert-Jan Giezeman and Remco C. Veltkamp

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11991; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111991 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2014

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a game study, comparing Powersaver Game including a competition feature versus the same game excluding a competition feature with respect to energy conservation in the household. In a pretest–posttest design, we tested whether change in attitude, knowledge [...] Read more.

This paper presents the results of a game study, comparing Powersaver Game including a competition feature versus the same game excluding a competition feature with respect to energy conservation in the household. In a pretest–posttest design, we tested whether change in attitude, knowledge and behavior with respect to energy conservation in the household was different for participants playing Powersaver Game with or without competition. All energy conservation activities that the application provides (e.g., washing clothes at low temperatures) take place in the real world and feedback is based on real-time energy consumption. This so-called reality-enhanced game approach aims to optimize the transfer between the game world and the real world. Household energy consumption changed significantly and positively in the long term due to competition. A significant difference of 8% in energy consumption between both conditions after the intervention was detected. Besides energy conservation, no further differences were detected between conditions. The chain of events, that an increase in knowledge leads to attitude change, which in turn results in behavior change in the long term is confirmed by means of a path analysis. We conclude that Powersaver Game is effective in the transfer of energy conservation knowledge, which leads to energy saving behavior in the long term while competition additionally contributes to more change in behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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18 pages, 4635 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Game for Complete Care: A Means of Connecting ‘User-Centered Design’ with Sustainability

by Ying Jiang, Timothy Joseph Jachna and Hua Dong

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10555; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410555 - 17 Dec 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2497

Abstract

This paper addresses sustainability and gaming from an interior design education perspective, emphasizing the importance of understanding the meaning of ‘complete care’ and raising the awareness of care among design students. The four-step inquiry was adopted as a methodological framework. The theoretical model [...] Read more.

This paper addresses sustainability and gaming from an interior design education perspective, emphasizing the importance of understanding the meaning of ‘complete care’ and raising the awareness of care among design students. The four-step inquiry was adopted as a methodological framework. The theoretical model of ‘complete care’ was proposed and the interactive game ‘Ideal Home’ was developed to raise the awareness of care in design. The game imitated a conversation activity between the interior designer and the client at the early stage of the design process and assisted ‘designers’ to ask meaningful questions from ‘clients’ so as to develop a better understanding of their care needs. Six postgraduate students with interior design backgrounds played the game, and they were observed and interviewed. The results suggested that the participants’ understanding of care improved after they played the game and they were able to identify more issues and detailed needs through the conversations. The significance of the research is that it proposes a theoretical framework to explain the meaning of ‘complete care’ in the design process, and also develops a practical tool (i.e., the game) to educate designers about care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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9 pages, 614 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variability of the Motor Behavior during Continued Practice of the Same Motor Game: A Preliminary Study

by Asier Gonzalez-Artetxe, José Pino-Ortega, Markel Rico-González and Asier Los Arcos

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9731; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229731 - 22 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2151

Abstract

Motor behavior assessment during games could help physical education teachers and team coaches to design effective and efficient motor interventions. This study aimed to assess the variability of the physical and behavioral responses during continued practice of the game tail tag with a [...] Read more.

Motor behavior assessment during games could help physical education teachers and team coaches to design effective and efficient motor interventions. This study aimed to assess the variability of the physical and behavioral responses during continued practice of the game tail tag with a ball. Sixteen Spanish youth soccer players from an under-14 team played tail tag, with a ball, during four sessions (5 repetitions of 1 min per session). Physical (i.e., Total Distance (TD) and PlayerLoad (PL)) and behavioral (i.e., Surface Area (SA) and change in the Geometrical Centre position (cGCp)) dimensions were assessed with a local positioning system. The mean of the five series of each session was considered for further statistical analysis. The main finding was that the external load decreased (d = small − large) and the use of space varied during the continued practice of tail tag. Initially, SA increased substantially (d = large) and cGCp decreased slightly (d = small), and then both variables tended to stabilize. This suggests that after several repetitions of the same motor game, physical education teachers and team sports coaches should use this again later, modifying this or proposing new motor games where players respond to these activities that consist in greater uncertainty than to well-known motor games. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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16 pages, 3140 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interactive Game-Content-Based Storytelling for the Environment

by Youngsoo Lee and Joosung Lee

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8229; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198229 - 6 Oct 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3350

Abstract

To plan a persuasive environmental campaign, it is important to tell consumers environmental messages in an engaging manner, to encourage user participation. To explore the effective approaches to storytelling for environmental innovation, this study analyzes how varying interaction modes based on the interactivity [...] Read more.

To plan a persuasive environmental campaign, it is important to tell consumers environmental messages in an engaging manner, to encourage user participation. To explore the effective approaches to storytelling for environmental innovation, this study analyzes how varying interaction modes based on the interactivity levels of user participation framework influence people’s response to an environmental mission such as planting trees. This research has developed and employed various forms of interactive contents, such as problem-solving, mission-driven games to increase consumer awareness and induce pro-environmental actions. This research first reviews previous studies on game approaches and storytelling for environmental issues. It then explores how the different levels of interactive storytelling with the game content types induce consumer responses to a green product purchase or environmental protection campaign donation. Practical implications of environmental storytelling approaches and the use of interactive game content are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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30 pages, 8212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rapid Games Designing; Constructing a Dynamic Metaphor to Explore Complex Systems and Abstract Concepts

by Bruce A Lankford and Joanne Craven

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 7200; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177200 - 3 Sep 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3226

Abstract

Initiated by a research project examining agricultural and water resilience in South Africa and tested in workshops on a range of topics, we reflect on our application of a half-to-one day “games designing” format for constructing dynamic metaphors for complex systems and related [...] Read more.

Initiated by a research project examining agricultural and water resilience in South Africa and tested in workshops on a range of topics, we reflect on our application of a half-to-one day “games designing” format for constructing dynamic metaphors for complex systems and related concepts (e.g., the resilience or sustainability of a catchment/agricultural marketing system). While this short format gives rich and detailed games that potentially could be played in an extended version of the workshop, we did not go ahead with this step. Instead, we devoted the limited time available to supporting participants in designing, comparing and discussing their games and to exploring the concepts and meanings of a given complex system, even if the latter was initially deemed by participants to be abstract and “academic”. Our abridged term for short-format games designing is “rapid games designing” (RGD). Key benefits to participating individuals, the whole group and workshop organizers include (a) the highly productive and creative use of limited time; (b) an inclusive group exercise that draws everyone into the process; (c) rich discussion of pluralist viewpoints through the comparison of the remarkable variety of games generated, including their differences in purpose, players and rules; and (d) observations on how the games construct a dynamic metaphor for the system and its properties, leading to deeper insights and knowledge building regarding system concepts and components. Here, we use two case studies in South Africa to explore what value RGD provides and how it does so, and then we briefly compare it to other similar methods. We also provide practical guidance for facilitating RGD workshops. In conclusion, we argue this format offers an option for the ongoing evolution of games about complex human, natural and socio-ecological systems and that it generates considerable creativity, learning, discussion and insights amongst all participants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Gaming for Sustainability – Educational, Policy, and Research Perspectives)

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