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A 'Serious Games' Approach to Decisions of Environmental Impact of Energy Transformation

Publication |
2022

Abstract

As software technology becomes more and more present in our lives, its use has arched from purely purposeful (such as complex computations), to purely fun-related (such as video-games). We can combine both in so-called 'serious games'.

These can serve as means of training, instructing, tutoring, teaching, and also as a basis for data collection in various scenarios. Data collection and analysis is the primary one we pursue in our proof-of-concept presentation.

Our 'serious gaming' is the gamification of an environment-related challenge. We intend to use the Serious Game for Energy Science scenario and populate it with formalized task models.

Gamers will be exposed to videos that could modify their behavior. Graphically, the game will not be very complex so as to keep the focus on input information.

The environment will be visualized in five levels, from bucolic to devastated. Use of videos picturing current states of environmental situations will be used to increase immersion while players will, in the game, make economically or environmentally driven choices.

A teamed second player will be constrained by the first player's decisions, and the first player needs to consider consequences for his/her follower. The imagery of environmental impact will also be used to track psycho-physiological responses to the real world via in-game cinematics by the use of wearables.

The insights gained will be discussed, post statistical analyses, of psychological implications with all players in a town-hall meeting.