Last Word: Connecting the Dots

We’ve been hearing a lot about the nexus between climate, water, food and energy.  We’ve uncovered a vital communication connection. Sustainability and technology come together to help us better understand and educate ourselves – particularly the younger generations – about our world and our behaviour and how to makes things better. As a relatively new convert to gaming – not the gambling kind – I have discovered a lot is being done around the world to use “gamification”, video games, virtual reality, avatars, digital mobility, even “interactive visualisation technology” to educate and to train. It’s being called Serious Games – or to coin a phrase “Games for Good.  Its applications are many and varied as I have recently discovered through my work with Serious Games International. Now we learn that in the US a competition has been organised to challenge designers to use social gaming to combat climate change. And the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is involved with a new programme for students using serious games. Read More

This is being introduced in Africa and Asia in 2013:

Aqua Republica is a new online strategic game that taps into social networks and the phenomenon of serious games. It helps raise awareness and educate stakeholders of the importance and challenges of managing limited natural resources in the face of multiple and often competing demands in the drive towards sustainable development. This serious water resources game is being developed by DHI and UNEP. Source: www.aquarepublica.com

See also PSFK’s Future of Gaming report.It presents key trends emerging within the gaming space that brands, non-profits and communities can leverage to build engagement and motivate their target audience towards achieving a desired goal or outcome. It is designed to inspire anyone tasked with creating compelling user experiences, whether that be on a digital screen, in the real world or somewhere in between.

We recognize that there is a tremendous amount of research and study taking place around gaming, and this report reflects our contribution to that conversation. The report provides a current snapshot into the innovative ways that games are being used within the broader marketplace, examine their expanding role in effecting change on an individual and societal level, and highlight the new technologies that are making these experiences possible.

Source: www.psfk.com

For more on games for good go to:

www.seriousgamesinternational.com and www.sgasg.org

This article from Massable on Gaming for Good is one year old:

Can Gaming Change the Climate Change Conversation?

By Dory Carr-Harris on December 2, 2011.

From Foursquare to Angry Birds to Farmville, there’s no denying social gaming is exploding. Riding this trend, new ideas and inspiration site PSFK recently challenged designers to use social gaming to combat climate change.

At this month’s Gaming for Good in New York City, 10 finalists presented gaming concepts, which address challenges presented by The Climate Reality Project. Environmental activist and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore selected five gaming concepts he believes have the potential to change conversations about climate change.

In his opening remarks, Gore said private companies — such as the PSFK gaming entrants — rather than governments, are leading the way to slow the rate of climate change. “Our democracy has been hacked,” he said. “It no longer functions with the integrity of our founding fathers.”

Gore is a known supporter of climate change prevention and believes the U.S. government does not do enough to protect the environment. Despite the evidence, some people are still not convinced that climate change and its effects are real.

One innovative gaming solution Gore loved was REALiTREE, a digital representation of the local environment and our role in sustaining its well-being.  Large video screens, powered by renewable energies, display images of conversation-provoking trees. Creators Stark Design compare it to a communal Tamagotchi, essentially a digital environment where you’ll feel compelled to take care of the trees.

Other favorites included Zemoga’s Climate Trail, based on retro favorite Oregon Trail, in which players follow a money trail tied to false information, and use that information to work toward a healthy environment in 2036. Awkward Hug’s Greensquare is a geo-location game where you get points based on your checkin’s green scores. Arnold Worldwide’s Reality Drop provides you with the tools to win any climate change argument on online discussion boards — and gives you points for each time you “drop” a reality fact. Parlor’s Climate Reality Patrol users tag their online comments with deeper explanations relating to climate change, earning rewards and badges.

While these games might not share the addictive appeal of World of Warcraft their combination of a pressing topic and points and badges make them exciting educational tools and conversations starters. If these concepts come to fruition, do you think they can impact climate change?

Mashable is a leading source for news, information & resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable’s 20 million monthly unique visitors and 6 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged online news communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.

Source: www.mashable.com