A serious game to inform young citizens on canal water maintenance

Conference paper (2019)

Authors

Yoeri Appel Student
Yordan Dimitrov Student
Sjoerd Gnodde Student
Pieter Kools Student
Daniël Swaab Student
N. Ziliotto Salamon Computer Graphics and Visualisation - EEMCS
J.T. Balint Computer Graphics and Visualisation - EEMCS
Rafael Bidarra Computer Graphics and Visualisation - EEMCS
Research Group
Computer Graphics and Visualisation (EEMCS) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2019 Yoeri Appel, Yordan Dimitrov, Sjoerd Gnodde, Natasja van Heerden, Pieter Kools, Daniël Swaab, N. Ziliotto Salamon, J.T. Balint, Rafael Bidarra
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34350-7_38
Urban water Behavior change Educational games
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Published Date

2019

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Department

Intelligent Systems

Research Group

Computer Graphics and Visualisation

Abstract

In order to support the creation of sustainable and healthy ecosystems, citizens should have knowledge of the necessary maintenance needed. For example, they should be aware of the challenges of maintaining proper urban surface waters, so that they can take on a responsible and proactive role. Ideally, citizens should acquire this knowledge from an early age. We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of the serious game Hydro Hero, aimed at forming and reinforcing this awareness and reasoning. Hydro Hero is an infinite runner game with extended minigames, which show both what should not be on the canals as well as why they should be removed. We assessed the ability of Hydro Hero to teach young children about canal maintenance by combining a questionnaire with open-ended play-testing sessions at a science museum. On average, players were able to improve their ability to justify why certain items should be removed or left in a canal. It has not been fully confirmed that Hydro Hero conveyed this specific knowledge, due to the absence of quizzing beforehand. However, given the high participants’ engagement, we consider the game to have contributed to their awareness about the importance of canal cleaning for a sustainable urban environment.