Can we make people greener through gaming? This free app thinks so...
It’s long been proven that most mammals learn through play, as children we play with our parents and friends to better understand the rules of the World we live in. So, can 'play' as adults help us to learn important lessons about climate change and how we, as individuals can make a real change through our actions? Author of ‘Can we play ourself to a more sustainable future?’, Dr Paula Owen of Eco Action Games believes so.
"We [society] have tried to guilt-trip people," she says. "We berate them for enjoying themselves." Somewhat accurately calling this the "misery message", Owen suggests it hasn't worked as it asks people to be "cold, miserable and badly dressed".
Her groundbreaking study, carried out in 2013 overwhelming suggests, that yes, adding competition and encouraging adults to ‘play’ really does help cement the ideas that her bespokly designed games promote. Using eco-themed versions of well known titles like top trumps, bingo, snakes and ladders and ‘play your cards right’, Dr Owen tested over 500 participants at a number of free public sessions across the UK, who were then asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire which Dr Owen analysed at length, leading to some surprising conclusions. Over 97% agreed that they enjoyed the event, 59% said they learnt new information while playing the game and a staggering 51% said they would now take real action at home to become more environmentally friendly.
This is a small study, but clearly highlights how ‘gamefication’ could potentially be a way of normalising more eco –friendly actions and educating people in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or condescending.
And now, you can try the games at home on your smartphone (just on iphone and ipad at present) by clicking here or searching ‘eco top trumps’ on the app store. See an extract from the press release below for more details…
“ We have taken the traditional, old-style top trump style game and given it a 21st century make-over, digitising it and adding some fun new features. It’s not only an addictive, simple game to pass the time; it also houses a clever behavioural change tool that encourages players to take action based on the ‘cards’ in the pack, showing them just how much they can save, via their own personal ‘eco action’ dashboard.
She goes on to say: “Our objective is to keep the game completely free to use, with absolutely no In-App Purchases which we believe to be a real downside to online gaming. We want to unlock more eco themed packs, and continue the journey we are taking our players on. To achieve this we are looking for sponsors to help us develop new themed packs and to expand to Android and Windows smart phones. Sponsors will get their logo on the ‘packs’ and on the back of every ‘card’. They will also get the warm glow that comes of being part of a new, socially & environmentally beneficial new initiative.”
New eco themed packs will include: water saving, free behavioural actions, energy saving, waste & recycling, office related actions and even an eco-parenting theme. “
Source: Guardian, ecoactiongames.co.uk
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