A Serious Game to Inform Young Citizens on Canal Water Maintenance

Abstract

In order to support the creation of sustainable and healthy ecosystems, citizens should have knowledge of the necessary maintenance needed. For example, they should be aware of the challenges of maintaining proper urban surface waters, so that they can take on a responsible and proactive role. Ideally, citizens should acquire this knowledge from an early age. We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of the serious game Hydro Hero, aimed at forming and reinforcing this awareness and reasoning. Hydro Hero is an infinite runner game with extended minigames, which show both what should not be on the canals as well as why they should be removed. We assessed the ability of Hydro Hero to teach young children about canal maintenance by combining a questionnaire with open-ended play-testing sessions at a science museum. On average, players were able to improve their ability to justify why certain items should be removed or left in a canal. It has not been fully confirmed that Hydro Hero conveyed this specific knowledge, due to the absence of quizzing beforehand. However, given the high participants' engagement, we consider the game to have contributed to their awareness about the importance of canal cleaning for a sustainable urban environment.

Benni’s Forest – a serious game on the challenges of reforestation

“…There have been various serious games made with the goal of informing players about environmental issues, often trying to change their attitude or view on a certain topic. Examples of this are Veganity, your journey, proposing players to consider more sustainable diets for environmental reasons [12], Reto Global, a game made for a museum exhibition to support climate change awareness [13], and Hydro Hero, also made for 2 246 a museum, to educate children on the environmental relevance of water maintenance [14].…”

“…Games often challenge players by immersing them in all sorts of simulated situations, e.g. to attempt changing their attitude [5], [6], or to raise understanding for complex prob-lems [7], [8]. We therefore posit that a serious game in which players take on the manager role of a reforestation project, can be an effective way of increasing their awareness of the complex factors considered in such projects.…”

SU: A Serious Game for Water Management - Based on Istanbul

“…While all these investigated studies are specific for adults, the only game aimed at children is described in Appel et al (2019). This sample focused on the need to create a knowledgeable society for a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.…”

“…As Appel et al (2019) assert concerning sustainable ecosystems, citizens' awareness is crucial; hence informing them of the related challenges, specifically from the early ages, is vital. Additionally, according to UNESCO (1980), contemporary literature on environmental education should endorse a promising approach, paving public awareness about the subject.…”

A Serious Game for Changing Mindsets About Loans for Home Retrofitting

“…The game aims at positively changing the player's mindset on taking loans for installing energy-saving products at home. Using games for educative and persuasive purposes has grown in popularity the last years, including environmental awareness [1,3,13,16]. The financial aspect makes the retrofitting a complex problem, and there are several underlying psychological factors that need to be tackled together in order to change someone's mindset.…”