Targeting social learning and engagement: What serious games and gamification can offer to participatory modeling

Abstract Serious games and gamification are useful tools for learning and sustaining long-term engagement in the activities that are not meant to be entertaining. However, the application of game design in the participatory modeling context remains fragmented and mostly limited to user-friendly interfaces, storytelling, and visualization for better representation of the simulation models. This paper suggests possible extensions of game design use for each stage of the participatory modeling process, aiming at better learning, communication among stakeholders, and overall engagement. The proposed extensions are based on the effects that different types of game-like applications bring to the aspects of social learning and the contribution of gamification to engagement, motivation, and enjoyment of some activities. We conclude that serious games and gamification have a high potential for improving the quality of the participatory modeling process, while also highlighting additional research that is needed for designing particular practical gamified applications in this context.

[1]  S. Papert.  The children's machine: rethinking school in the age of the computer , 1993 .

[2]  Elyssebeth Leigh,et al.  Simulations, games and role play in university education , 2012 .

[3]  François Bousquet,et al.  Modelling with stakeholders , 2010, Environ. Model. Softw..

[4]  Nuno Videira,et al.  Scoping river basin management issues with participatory modelling: The Baixo Guadiana experience , 2009 .

[5]  George P. Richardson,et al.  Group model building: adding more science to the craft , 1997 .

[6]  Carina S. González-González,et al.  A Literature Review of Gamification Design Frameworks , 2015, 2015 7th International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications (VS-Games).

[7]  Carolien Kroeze,et al.  Can computer models be used for social learning? A serious game in water management , 2016, Environ. Model. Softw..

[8]  Lennart E. Nacke,et al.  From game design elements to gamefulness: defining "gamification" , 2011, MindTrek.

[9]  Andrea Castelletti,et al.  Putting humans in the loop: Social computing for Water Resources Management , 2012, Environ. Model. Softw..

[10]  Jan Adamowski,et al.  Exploring the potential impact of serious games on social learning and stakeholder collaborations for transboundary watershed management of the St. Lawrence River Basin , 2016 .

[11]  Juho Hamari,et al.  Does Gamification Work? -- A Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Gamification , 2014, 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[12]  Ingo Bensch,et al.  Making Cool Choices for sustainability: Testing the effectiveness of a game-based approach to promoting pro-environmental behaviors , 2017 .

[13]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation , 1991 .

[14]  David Crookall.  Climate Change and Simulation/Gaming , 2013 .

[15]  John D. Sterman,et al.  Interactive web-based simulations for strategy and sustainability: The MIT Sloan LearningEdge management flight simulators, Part II , 2014 .

[16]  S. Freitas,et al.  Societal impact of a serious game on raising public awareness: the case of FloodSim , 2009, Sandbox@SIGGRAPH.

[17]  Shigehisa Tsuchiya,et al.  A Review of Policy Exercise Interactive Learning Environments , 2000 .

[18]  Elise Beck,et al.  Participatory simulation to foster social learning on coastal flooding prevention , 2017, Environ. Model. Softw..

[19]  Nuria Medina-Medina,et al.  A Comprehensive Taxonomy for Serious Games , 2017 .

[20]  Alenka Poplin.  Digital Serious Game for Urban Planning: “B3—Design Your Marketplace!” , 2014 .

[21]  Simon Peck,et al.  Group Model Building: Facilitating Team Learning Using System Dynamics , 1996, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[22]  Luis Alonso,et al.  CityScope: A Data-Driven Interactive Simulation Tool for Urban Design. Use Case Volpe , 2018 .

[23]  J. Renesch,et al.  Learning Organizations: Developing Cultures for Tomorrow's Workplace , 1995 .

[24]  James J. Appleton,et al.  Measuring cognitive and psychological engagement: Validation of the Student Engagement Instrument , 2006 .

[25]  Takaya Yuizono,et al.  Effects of Gamification on Electronic Brainstorming Systems , 2014, CollabTech.

[26]  M. V. D. Belt,et al.  Mediated Modeling: A System Dynamics Approach To Environmental Consensus Building , 2004 .

[27]  C. Van Daalen,et al.  System Dynamics and Serious Games , 2014 .

[28]  Todd Schenk,et al.  Role-play simulations for climate change adaptation education and engagement , 2016 .

[29]  Jan Adamowski,et al.  Socio-psychological perspectives on the potential for serious games to promote transcendental values in IWRM decision-making , 2018 .

[30]  Christopher Pettit,et al.  IMPLEMENTING AUGMENTED REALITY SANDBOX IN GEODESIGN: A FUTURE , 2018 .

[31]  C. Allen,et al.  Exploring the Role of Relational Practices in Water Governance Using a Game-Based Approach , 2018 .

[32]  Neil Collier,et al.  Scenario modelling to support industry strategic planning and decision making , 2014, Environ. Model. Softw..

[33]  David C. Lane,et al.  On a Resurgence of Management Simulations and Games , 1995 .

[34]  Isabell M. Welpe,et al.  Exploring the influence of common game elements on ideation output and motivation , 2019, Journal of Business Research.

[35]  Heinz Mandl,et al.  How gamification motivates: An experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction , 2017, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[36]  S. Goldstein,et al.  The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Engagement, Motivation, and Resilience in Students , 2012 .

[37]  Carl D. Shapiro,et al.  From data to decisions: Processing information, biases, and beliefs for improved management of natural resources and environments , 2017 .

[38]  Igor Mayer,et al.  Gaming as the method to integrate modeling participatory approaches in interactive water management , 2010 .

[39]  I FelsDeborah,et al.  Gamification in theory and action , 2015 .

[40]  Piotr Magnuszewski,et al.  A Gaming Exercise to Explore Problem-Solving Versus Relational Activities for River Floodplain Management , 2012 .

[41]  Heinrich Hußmann,et al.  Groupgarden: supporting brainstorming through a metaphorical group mirror on table or wall , 2014, NordiCHI.

[42]  D. Kolb.  Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development , 1983 .

[43]  Igor Mayer,et al.  Stakeholder Engagement in Maritime Spatial Planning: The Efficacy of a Serious Game Approach , 2018 .

[44]  Suzanne A. Pierce,et al.  Modelling with stakeholders e Next generation , 2015 .

[45]  Sebastian Deterding,et al.  Gamification: designing for motivation , 2012, INTR.

[46]  Ariel Noyman,et al.  Finding Places: HCI Platform for Public Participation in Refugees' Accommodation Process , 2018, KES.

[47]  Marine Agogué,et al.  Gamification of Creativity: Exploring the Usefulness of Serious Games for Ideation , 2015 .

[48]  Kenton O'Hara,et al.  Gamification. using game-design elements in non-gaming contexts , 2011, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[49]  Olivier Barreteau,et al.  The joint use of role-playing games and models regarding negotiation processes: characterization of associations , 2003, J. Artif. Soc. Soc. Simul..

[50]  E. Deci,et al.  Intrinsic Need Satisfaction: A Motivational Basis of Performance and Weil‐Being in Two Work Settings1 , 2004 .

[51]  Judit Lienert,et al.  Gamified online survey to elicit citizens' preferences and enhance learning for environmental decisions , 2019, Environ. Model. Softw..

[52]  N. Videira,et al.  Engaging Stakeholders in Environmental and Sustainability Decisions with Participatory System Dynamics Modeling , 2017 .

[53]  Sustainable Development: From Concepts to Models , 2012 .

[54]  E. Gaddis,et al.  Values in participatory modeling : Theory and practice , 2017 .

[55]  Constanze Haug,et al.  Learning effects of interactive decision-making processes for climate change adaptation , 2014 .

[56]  Benoit Gaudou,et al.  The Impact of New Mobility Modes on a City: A Generic Approach Using ABM , 2018 .

[57]  M. Sailer,et al.  The Gamification of Learning: a Meta-analysis , 2019, Educational Psychology Review.

[58]  T. Webler,et al.  Public Participation in Impact Assess-ment: A Social Learning Perspective , 1995 .

[59]  Kevin Werbach,et al.  (Re)Defining Gamification: A Process Approach , 2014, PERSUASIVE.

[60]  Nuno Videira,et al.  Participatory decision making for sustainable development—the use of mediated modelling techniques , 2006 .

[61]  Katie Salen,et al.  Rules of play: game design fundamentals , 2003 .

[62]  Neal McDonald,et al.  Simulation games that integrate research, entertainment, and learning around ecosystem services , 2014 .

[63]  Mark Gaterell,et al.  Serious games for energy social science research , 2014, Technol. Anal. Strateg. Manag..

[64]  Frank H. Maier,et al.  What are we talking about?—A taxonomy of computer simulations to support learning , 2000 .

[65]  Christophe Le Page,et al.  Tools and methods in participatory modeling: Selecting the right tool for the job , 2018, Environ. Model. Softw..

[66]  Antonio Ascolese,et al.  Emotions in Serious Games: From Experience to Assessment , 2010, Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn..

[67]  Richard N. Landers,et al.  Gamification Science, Its History and Future: Definitions and a Research Agenda , 2018 .

[68]  Jesper Hyldahl Fogh,et al.  Explorable Explanations: What are they? What do they explain? How do we work with them? Let's find out , 2018 .

[69]  J. Linnerooth-Bayer,et al.  Games for Aiding Stakeholder Deliberation on Nexus Policy Issues , 2018 .

[70]  George P. Richardson,et al.  A framework for evaluating systems thinking interventions: an experimental approach to mental health system change , 1997 .

[71]  D. Flores,et al.  Executive flight simulator as a learning tool in new companies’ resource planning based on the balanced scorecard , 2017 .

[72]  Piotr Magnuszewski,et al.  A Gaming Exercise to Explore Problem-Solving versus Relational Activities for River Floodplain Management: A Game to Explore Problem-Solving vs. Relational Activities , 2011 .

[73]  Ivo Wenzler,et al.  Learning through games? Evaluating the learning effect of a policy exercise on European climate policy , 2011 .

[74]  K. Stave.  Using system dynamics to improve public participation in environmental decisions , 2002 .

[75]  Juho Hamari,et al.  How to Gamify? A Method For Designing Gamification , 2017, HICSS.

[76]  Jelle van Dijk,et al.  How a Tangible User Interface Contributes to Desired Learning Outcomes of the Virtual River Serious Game , 2019, HCI.

[77]  Arjen E. J. Wals,et al.  Towards a Framework for Designing and Assessing Game-Based Approaches for Sustainable Water Governance , 2019, Water.

[78]  Viktor Dörfler,et al.  Changing the game: a case for gamifying knowledge management , 2017 .

[79]  Deborah I. Fels,et al.  Gamification in theory and action: A survey , 2015, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[80]  Steven A. Cavaleri,et al.  Towards evaluation of systems‐thinking interventions: a case study , 1997 .

[81]  Etiënne A. J. A. Rouwette,et al.  Facilitated modelling in strategy development: measuring the impact on communication, consensus and commitment , 2011, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[82]  Katharina Gugerell,et al.  All Work and No Play? Facilitating Serious Games and Gamified Applications in Participatory Urban Planning and Governance , 2018 .

[83]  K. Kirytopoulos,et al.  Facilitating sustainability transition through serious games: A systematic literature review , 2019, Journal of Cleaner Production.

[84]  Piotr Magnuszewski,et al.  Role-playing simulation as a communication tool in community dialogue: Karkonosze Mountains case study , 2007 .

[85]  D. Dicheva,et al.  Gamifying education: what is known, what is believed and what remains uncertain: a critical review , 2017, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education.

[86]  T. Kuyper,et al.  Striga seed-germination activity of root exudates and compounds present in stems of Striga host and nonhost (trap crop) plants is reduced due to root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi , 2009, Mycorrhiza.

[87]  David R. Michael,et al.  Serious Games: Games That Educate, Train, and Inform , 2005 .

[88]  Alex Gorod,et al.  Evolving Toolbox for Complex Project Management , 2019 .

[89]  Carlos José Pereira de Lucena,et al.  A Serious Game for Exploring and Training in Participatory Management of National Parks for Biodiversity Conservation: Design and Experience , 2009, 2009 VIII Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment.

[90]  Tracy Fullerton,et al.  Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, Third Edition , 2014 .

[91]  Bradley D. Parrish,et al.  What is social learning , 2010 .

[92]  Sondoss El Sawah,et al.  An empirical investigation into the learning effects of management flight simulators: A mental models approach , 2017, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[93]  Alexander Leicht.  Issues and trends in Education for Sustainable Development , 2018 .

[94]  George D. Kuh.  The national survey of student engagement: Conceptual and empirical foundations , 2009 .

[95]  Todd Schenk,et al.  Boats and Bridges in the Sandbox: Using Role Play Simulation Exercises to Help Infrastructure Planners Prepare for the Risks and Uncertainties Associated with Climate Change , 2014 .

[96]  Alenka Poplin,et al.  Playful public participation in urban planning: A case study for online serious games , 2012, Comput. Environ. Urban Syst..

[97]  Jason S. Wu,et al.  Climate change games as tools for education and engagement , 2015 .

[98]  Raed S. Alsawaier.  The effect of gamification on motivation and engagement , 2018 .

[99]  Paul Schot,et al.  How interactive simulations can improve the support of environmental management ‒ lessons from the Dutch peatlands , 2019, Environ. Model. Softw..

[100]  Alassane Bah,et al.  A Participatory Modeling Process to Capture Indigenous Ways of Adaptability to Uncertainty: Outputs From an Experiment in West , 2013 .

[101]  Christopher Cunningham,et al.  Gamification by Design - Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile Apps , 2011 .

[102]  Hannah R. Parker,et al.  Using a Game to Engage Stakeholders in Extreme Event Attribution Science , 2016, International Journal of Disaster Risk Science.

[103]  J. Sendzimir,et al.  Microworld gaming of a local agricultural production chain in Poland , 2007 .

[104]  David J. Thuente,et al.  The role of simulation in developing game playing strategies , 1990, ANSS '90.

[105]  Joanne Craven,et al.  Development and testing of a river basin management simulation game for integrated management of the Magdalena-Cauca river basin , 2017, Environ. Model. Softw..

[106]  Sebastian Deterding,et al.  The Lens of Intrinsic Skill Atoms: A Method for Gameful Design , 2015, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[107]  Jeroen C.J. Groot,et al.  Gaming for smallholder participation in the design of more sustainable agricultural landscapes , 2014 .

[108]  E. Deci,et al.  Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. , 2000, The American psychologist.

[109]  Philippe J. Giabbanelli,et al.  Twelve Questions for the Participatory Modeling Community , 2018, Earth's Future.

[110]  Daniel H. Kim,et al.  Experimentation in Learning Organizations: A Management Flight Simulator Approach , 2015 .

[111]  M. Csíkszentmihályi.  Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience , 1990 .