1. ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS IN A BOARD GAME How to discuss serious causes using ludic interfaces Msc. Vicente Martin Mastrocola September 2013

2. #vince #vincevader #teacher #brazil #gaming_concepts #advergames #so_paulo #espm #reseacher #games #boardgames #star_wars #ludology About the speaker 3. Objective We seek to analyze the use of game mechanics, ludic concepts, and game thinking applied to a brazilian board game with ecological theme named Climate Game. This game uses a playful and ludic interface to cast a message for a serious cause, and works with ideas about global warming in a fun/educational way. 4. Real World: - Questioning - Fear - Uncertainties - Responsibilities - Dreams - Immersion - Narration - Catharsis - Challenge Magic circle: - Experience - Meanings Johan Huizinga's magic circle 5. Johan Huizinga's magic circle Inside the magic circle, real-world events have special meanings, as in the example below (ADAMS & ROLLINGS, 2009, page 8): 6. Games, reality and culture As Ehrmann says (1968, p.55) in an antropology of play, the latest cannot be defined by isolating it on the basis of its relationship to an a priori reality and culture. To define play is, at the same time and in the same movement, to define reality and culture. 7. Climate Game 8. Climate Game 1.Ecological game: challenges its players to save the world from global warming; 2.Serious game: game with a professional, educational or pedagogical use (Iuppa, Borst , 2007); 3.Board game: focuses on the real interaction between players; 4.Collaborative: challenges must be solved together. As Juul says (2005, p.8) games are usually well-structured problems, and this has led them to be used in several other fields. 5.Simple rules: easy to play. 9. Conclusion This kind of game will not transform a player into a specialist in ecology or in global warming, but it can reinforce important concepts about the planets health. This game can teach basic ideas and stimulate the players to search for more information about the theme. By this brief overview we can conclude that game mechanics can be a meaningful space for significative experiences. 10. References ADAMS, Ernest; ROLLINGS, Andrew. Fundamentals of Game Design. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009 EHRMANN, Jacques. Homo Ludens Revisited. Yale French Studies, No 41. Game, Play, Literature (1968). pp. 31-57. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2929664 HUIZINGA, Johan. Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. Boston: The Beacon Press, 1955. IUPPA, Nick & BORST, Terry. Story and simulations for serious games: tales from the trenches. Burlington: Focal Press, 2007. JUUL, Jesper. Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. USA: MIT Press, 2005. Climate Game english site. URL: http://www.games4b.com/climategame.php 11. THANK YOU! E-mail: vincevader@gmail.com Facebook: Vince Vader Twitter: @vincevader Site: http://gamingconceptz.blogspot.com