Welcome to Hydro-E-scape, a digital hydrology escape room game that combines the thrill of escape room puzzles with the challenge of unraveling the mysteries of water. In Hydro-E-scape, your knowledge of hydrological processes becomes the key to unlocking a series of puzzles, and your ability to navigate through the aquatic realm determines your success in helping Dr. Sandy Loam and her friends through various challenges. From calibrating a conceptual hydrological model to understanding the dynamics of groundwater movement, each challenge is carefully crafted to test your hydrological knowledge in a fun and captivating way.

But Hydro-E-scape is more than just a game—it's also an engaging tool for assessing and reinforcing learning. Participants not only have to rely on their problem-solving skills, but also on the knowledge they've gained about hydrological processes. The escape room style game provides a unique way for individuals to apply theoretical concepts in a practical context, solidifying their understanding while enjoying the excitement of the adventure.

We will discuss how this game-based approach for teaching and assessment has been used and what we have learned so far. Come dive into Hydro-E-scape and put your hydrological knowledge to the test!

How to cite: Gallagher, L., Leonarduzzi, E., and Maxwell, R.: Hydro-E-scape: A digital adventure in Hydrology for learning and assessment, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-14061, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-14061, 2024.

In this age of fast-paced digital media, it is easy for scientific misinformation to propagate. The understanding of how scientific knowledge is created and evolves, a skill called civic science literacy, is critically important for the public. It gives people the tools to better understand how scientific knowledge changes over time and be better able to critically assess what is presented in the media (media literacy). This is especially important in the context of climate change science. However, many of the critical concepts of science literacy (i.e. peer review process, dynamic nature of scientific knowledge) are difficult to communicate. So many learning objectives need to be accomplished by traditional schooling that complex, interdisciplinary topics like scientific literacy have fallen to the wayside. Recognizing the need for innovative approaches, our SCIBORG project aims to develop science literacy skills through a fun and educational board game. Games are becoming a popular way to tackle complex topics as they can put the user in a first-person scenario, allowing them to engage fully in a situation. Additionally, games are fun and interactive and are an excellent way to engage youth and adults for informal educational purposes.

As part of the SCIBORG project, we will create a youth-oriented board game to convey selected concepts of scientific work and foster some of the skills required for science literacy in a fun, interactive, and inclusive way. The board game will specifically address these topics from the perspective of environmental science; however the science literacy skills gained can be used in any field. The board game will be co-created with youth and youth educators in several partner countries in Europe through a variety of workshops and play-testing events. It will be disseminated as a print and play board game and an online application.

How to cite: Coulson, L. E., Lekkas, K., Morar, C., Matei, L., and Feldbacher, E.: The science literacy board game: a new tool for improving science literacy with informal youth education (SCIBORG), EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-1742, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-1742, 2024.

Increased urbanisation and inadequate awareness have affected the availability and subsequent use of freshwater resources in Uganda. Education can play a crucial role in providing support to and training for students on sustainable water use, both at home and at school. Thus, this research assesses the current state of Ugandan education on this subject, by identifying the water-related topics currently featured in the curriculum at different class levels, using questionnaires distributed in four schools. An initial trip to Uganda was made in June-July 2022 (see. Figure 1) to visit schools, deliver questionnaires and gain a deeper understanding of the Uganda National Curriculum on water resources. Two of the schools are located in urban areas, and the other two in rural areas. The locations were specifically selected in an effort to ascertain how students in urban and rural areas behave towards and manage water usage and resources due to the differing context in location.

Three separate questionnaires were designed for collecting responses from primary school pupils, secondary school students and teachers. Descriptive and thematic analysis were adopted to analyse the results. The results revealed that water sustainability topics are delivered in the science curriculum at primary level, as opposed to geography at secondary level, suggesting that there is discontinuity of water-related topics within different taught subjects. Furthermore a lack of integrated practical teaching was discovered within the courses currently taught in Ugandan schools. Therefore, in order to contribute to this knowledge-gap, three games, namely i) Water Conservation Snakes and Ladders (WCSL), ii) Water Awareness Quartet Cards (WAQC) and iii) Water Pollution Puzzle (WPP) were designed with the aim to create new material that can be utilised by schools to increase awareness of students on water resource management. A second trip was made to Uganda in July-August 2023 to four additional schools where students were introduced to and able to test the appropriateness of the games as and engaging tool for learning (Figure 2).

The impact of the games on student learning was measured by analysing pre-test and post-test questionnaire responses. The average score between a pre-test and a post-test of WAQC increased by 25% and it was the highest average score compared to 18% in WCSL and 14% in WPP. This indicates that the games significantly improved student learning on topics linked with the management and use of water resources. Furthermore, the results revealed that more water-related topics should be included in lower primary level Social studies lessons. An academic year in Uganda for example, runs from January to December and is divided into three (I, II and III) academic terms and it was found that in the academic term II, water-related topics are missing in primary three, four, five and six in the Science lessons. Finally, this study recommends that the Ugandan government integrate game-based learning as a teaching approach in Ugandan schools to increase student awareness of water resource management. Evidence shows that this teaching technique can positively shape knowledge and practice for school students. 

How to cite: Nalumenya, B., Rubinato, M., Kennedy, M., and Catterson, J.: Game-based learning: addressing curriculum gaps in water management education in Ugandan schools , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-1593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-1593, 2024.

Landslides of variable type and magnitude manifest in different forms ranging from gradual, small-scale processes to abrupt, monumental events. These scenarios pose challenges for direct observation in educational contexts. Consequently, the common practice in the realm of science and hazard communication involves the presentation of numerical process simulations. Elevating interest in landslide processes – potentially supporting geoeducation in general and risk awareness building in particular –  strongly relies on expressive visualizations of these simulation outputs. Game Engines (GE) are versatile, modular software frameworks specifically dedicated to the creation of captivating audio-visual experiences. We seek to develop a user-friendly workflow for the creation of virtual reality (VR) landslide experiences. This approach is facilitated by the interoperability functionalities of the simulation tool r.avaflow with 3D software and the Game Engine Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). We present a custom software template for the implementation of gameplay features with UE5.

Our conception of an immersive, interactive VR experience comprises the representation of the environment and dynamic geomorphological process, intuitive player movement, and object interactions conveying an educative storyline. Customized gameplay elements are implemented via the Blueprint Visual Scripting system, a proprietary node-based algorithm editor specific to Unreal Engine. The following gameplay elements are incorporated:

• Level design: The introduction of static landscapes into VR experiences, relies on elevation maps and surface textures derived from geospatial datasets. Landslide representations are imported based on presimulated process scenarios using the open-source mass flow tool, r.avaflow. Simulation results are seamlessly integrated as animated static meshes through automatically generated Python scripts. Spatialized soundscapes, orchestrated through Blueprints, enhance the immersive experience.
• Player Movement: A realistic feeling is achieved by allowing the character to navigate the environment via Smooth Locomotion. The movement types walking, flying, sprinting, and jumping are supported.
• Object Interactions: A grab system designed for arbitrary object models (meshes), incorporating hand animations and collision settings, enables users to pick up items strategically placed in the scene. Tailored Blueprints facilitate the definition and triggering of custom events, represented by animations (e.g. the release of a landslide).
• Menu: A graphical user interface offers options for restarting or exiting the VR experience, along with language selection.

The developed template enhances the UE5 VR Template and is specifically tailored for geoscientists without prior game development experience. It addresses the requirements of applications in geoeducation and serious games. The incorporated functionalities are designed as generic gameplay elements, making them adaptable to diverse contexts beyond landslide education. Built on the OpenXR framework, the template supports platforms such as Oculus Touch, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index. The final version will be accessible for free through the EPIC Games Launcher, accompanied by a concise workflow guideline.

Acknowledgement: This work is part of the project "Moving mountains - landslides as geosystemservices in Austrian geoparks" (ESS22-24 - MOVEMONT) funded through the Earth System Sciences programme of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

How to cite: Pfeffer, H. and Mergili, M.: Level Up Learning: A User-Friendly Game Engine Template for Virtual Reality Landslide Experiences, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-1785, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-1785, 2024.

Italy, with its complex geological profile, faces significant seismic and volcanic hazards, particularly in the Campania region (Southern Italy). Here, the Campi Flegrei caldera, one of the most hazardous active volcanoes in the world, is located in a highly densely populated area close to the city of Naples. The caldera, thus, poses unique challenges with its submerged volcanic features, hydrothermal activity, and bradyseismic phenomena, including recent reports of inflation around Pozzuoli and increased seismic activity.

Recognizing the importance of public awareness, especially among the younger generation, serious games that blend serious and playful elements emerge as innovative tools for science communication. These games actively involve participants, making learning more engaging. Parallelly, incorporating downward counterfactual analysis in risk assessment enhances disaster preparedness by considering how situations could have been worse. This approach finds application in addressing extreme natural risks like volcanic eruptions.

To raise awareness, a democratic and egalitarian role-playing game was designed, providing an interactive and instructive experience. Participants engage in a roundtable of Counterfactuals in the Negative, imagining historical volcanic eruptions with worse outcomes, enhancing individual risk intelligence.

An evaluation protocol has been developed to assess the impact of this experience on risk perception, with this presentation focusing on the outcomes of the 2023 edition of "Futuro Remoto," where almost 200 participants joined the game.

This work has been supported by CORE ("sCience and human factor for Resilient sociEty") project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 - research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101021746.

How to cite: Gargiulo, M. V., Woo, G., Russo, R., Napolitano, F., Amoroso, O., Massa, B., and Capuano, P.: Exploring Risk Perception through a game of Downward Counterfactuals , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-4047, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-4047, 2024.

ALTIUS (Atmospheric Limb Tracker for the Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere) is an atmospheric limb mission being implemented in ESA's Earth Watch programme and planned for launch in 2026. The primary objective of the mission is to measure high-resolution stratospheric ozone concentration profiles. The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BISA) is responsible for the development of retrieval algorithms for ALTIUS.

In remote sensing, retrieval algorithms use the spectroscopic measurement data to determine atmospheric species concentrations. While being a crucial aspect of remote sensing, they are most often unknown to the public.

On top of its scientific activities, BISA is also regularly involved in scientific outreach activities, including its own open doors days. In this framework, a video game in the form of an interactive ozone retrieval application was developed by the scientists. The user replaces the retrieval algorithm and tries to figure out the shape of the stratospheric ozone density profile using measured data. It is used to explain to the public the principle of atmospheric ozone density retrievals and in particular the concept of stellar occultation.

Components typical of video games were added to make it more entertaining: a score is calculated based on the accuracy of the retrieved profile and the score is added to a wall of fame.

So far, the game was used during BISA’s and ESA’s open doors days as well as during a scientific conference (Limb Workshop) held in Brussels. Several scientists involved in teaching to university-level students also showed their interest for such tools.

A demonstration of the game will be performed and feedback from the various events where it was used will be given.

How to cite: Berthelot, A., Baker, N., Demoulin, P., Franssens, G., Fussen, D., Gramme, P., Mateshvili, N., Pieroux, D., Sotiriadis, S., and Dekemper, E.: Remote Sensing: a stellar occultation video game based on ALTIUS, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-11214, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-11214, 2024.

Feeling the need for an interactive tool to make the human-induced climate change more tangible to the broad public, climate scientists from LSCE proposed to develop an educative game to raise middle and high school student awareness. A serious and educational, cooperative board game for up to 5 players, named ClimaTicTac (https://climatictac.ipsl.fr), has been created at IPSL with the help of ASTS, a scientific outreach association. This presentation describes the game mechanics and diffusion strategy.

The game is adapted to all players with good reading and abstraction capabilities (≈10⁺ years). It simulates essential processes related to climate change and associated impacts, mitigation, and adaptation. It is based on a world map including 30 cities vulnerable to climate change, which may become uninhabitable following damage accumulation, a timescale showing the rounds of play throughout the century, and a CO₂ atmospheric concentration scale. Randomly drawn cards describe initial scenarios, and hazards and possible positive actions affecting CO₂ emissions and three categories of damages to cities (on health, food, or infrastructures). To win the game, players must reach a double objective, with thresholds depending on the game difficulty level, on atmospheric CO₂ concentration to limit global warming and on the number of cities rendered unliveable. Optional fun challenges (drawing, mime, word-of-mouth) are randomly proposed to counteract eco-anxiety. Rules have been designed to help players feel the climate change impact at both global and local levels, and realize the importance of early reduction of CO₂ emissions, of collaboration for optimizing action strategies, and of inequalities in exposure to impacts. The game fully relies on current knowledge and realistic events, and the project team has been awarded the CNRS medal for scientific outreach.

The game has first been distributed by local authorities for open-licence use in middle schools. Science animators can carry game sessions for teenagers and adults, followed by discussions on climate change. Middle and high school teachers may also be trained. The game content has been translated into Catalan, English, Portuguese and Spanish (new translations welcome), and is available for self-printing and non-commercial use.

Following success towards a variety of public, the board game has been slightly adapted as a family game by Bioviva Editions for distribution in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada under the name Climat Tic-Tac (https://www.bioviva.com/fr/bioviva-famille/169-362-climat-tic-tac.html), including a semi-cooperative game option with lobbies. In addition, Climat Tic-Tac has been adapted by the association Games for Citizens as an electronic game available online on the Ikigai video game platform (https://ikigai.games/games/gameDetails/105). Challenges consist in quiz, gap-fill or timeline questions. Several connected players can share a game but a single player can simulate several players. Additional university-level educational content will be linked and an English video version named Climate-Tick-Tock is planned.

Finally, a multidisciplinary research project (EVABIO) is underway involving high school teenagers to investigate the impacts of play sessions. Integrating social psychology and experimental economics, it aims to analyze changes in explicit and implicit attitudes, transformations in social representations, enhancements in knowledge, and the extent to which the game influences pro-environmental behaviors.

How to cite: Dulac, F. and the Climate Tick-Tock Team: Climate Tick-Tock: sparking climate action through a cooperative and educational game on climate change in the 21st century, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12424, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12424, 2024.

Introducing 'WellPlaced,' an interactive and collaborative game designed as a unique tool for illustrating the intricate dynamics of land and water management, with a specific focus on the context of Malawi. Played on a hexagonal board, 'WellPlaced' revolves around the vital task of meeting the requirements of population centres, depicted as ‘villages’. Each village demands access to sanitation and water for health maintenance, requiring players to manage their finances, generated through agricultural activities on ’farm tiles’. The spatial component of the game reflects the spatial dynamics of land and water management, particularly regarding availability of water resources and risk of contamination. For example, all villages must be within an appropriate distance of water and sanitation facilities, but latrines cannot be placed adjacent to water-points. As the game progresses and the population grows, increasingly quicker, navigating the growing pressures on land and water use becomes even more challenging.

As players convert tiles to meet these requirements, they confront random environmental hazards including floods, droughts, waterborne disease, and contamination, with player decision making influencing the likelihood of encountering such challenges. For example, removing forest tiles, freeing up their valuable, riverside hexes as well as returning a small amount of money for ‘selling the lumber’, adds more flood risk cards to the pack, increasing the chance of players encountering more flooding. The probabilistic nature of such events helps to communicate risk in an engaging format. The ‘out of sight, out of mind’ nature of groundwater necessitates innovative and creative methods to explore and communicate groundwater challenges and management options effectively. Alongside random environmental hazards, overuse of groundwater can deplete the aquifer represented in the game, drawing attention to considerations of sustainable groundwater use.

Players must work together to navigate the needs of the growing population, keeping their population healthy throughout multiple rounds. Each player adopts a role, representing a stakeholder within the nexus and prompting conversations about different agendas and skillsets within land and water management decision making. Each game involves an engineer, sanitation officer, teacher, and farmer, each having specific capacities and skills. For example, water and sanitation management education programmes can be facilitated by the teacher, providing innovative solutions to problems experienced in the game.  

'WellPlaced' not only provides an engaging platform for understanding the complexities of land and water management in Malawi but also fosters collaborative conversations among players, representing various stakeholders, and serves as an innovative tool for exploring sustainable solutions and challenging decision-making scenarios.

How to cite: Hinton, R. and Loades, K.: WellPlaced: Cooperatively navigating challenges to land and water management to reach SDG6, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17108, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17108, 2024.

Over the last few years, the development of games for the engagement of communities in planning and the understanding of geological processes has increased in scope and ambition. Working from the perspective of planning and landscape design, Landscape Urbanism at the Architectural Association proposes a combination of physical and virtual environments to explore how games can help engage communities learn about complex legislative processes. Through game testing and site development, the course proves how settings offer an enriched virtual and digital experience and drive audiences of several ages into the same playing space, hence serving the purposes of informing as well as binding across age groups. The presentation shows two project cases which combine highly crafted board games with projective mapping and 3D simulation of real-world environments to bring people in contact with neighbourhood planning as well as food policy. The projects are developed through extensive research on the current planning framework, mapping techniques, game testing, bespoke crafting of board game tables and techniques to enhance the digital game experience through Godot or Unreal Engine. Testing these games in two real-life environments showcased both the limitations of the approach as well as the unexpected potential of this type of approach as part of a process of participatory planning.  

How to cite: Rico Carranza, E.: THE WORK OF LANDSCAPE URBANISM: Using digitally enriched board games to engage communities in UK planning , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-21654, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-21654, 2024.

This study presents the development of three analogue games as engagement tools for citizen participation in climate action. Our serious games (purpose beyond entertainment) were designed to communicate the intricate parts of climate adaptation and society, where negotiation and mechanisms play a role. We applied modern board game mechanisms (e.g., set collection, action points, etc.) that synthesised the Minecraft-like mechanics of moving and transforming resources over an orthogonal/voxel grid system. Our design approach connected analogue to digital games, preparing for hybrid approaches and delivering flexible game-based solutions like print & play versions that are easy to produce and adapt for different uses. The games require printing coloured A4 sheets of paper, 1cmx1cm coloured cubes, dice (D6), and one timer (e.g., smartphone).  The three games work as steps of a collaborative planning process. The first game (G1) delivers an ice-breaking exercise based on frenetic negotiations (Happy Village), the second game (G2) challenges the players to establish collaborative decision-making (Flooding game), the third game (G3) introduces the concept of semi-cooperation since each player as a hidden goal (Craft my Agenda). The games’ sequence optimises the learning process of the rules since each game departs from the previous one.  Happy Village (G1) is a competitive card game where negotiation is the core mechanic. Players must exchange cards among themselves to have options that allow them to deal with the flooding risk in their villages. The Flooding game (G2) is a fully cooperative board game where players collaborate to manage and allocate actions to change the coastal occupation and build flooding defences. Craft-my-Agenda (G3) is a semi-cooperative board game where each player has a secret agenda/role. Players can only achieve their goals by negotiating and collaborating with other players to design a climate action plan for a coastal area. We tested the game prototypes with different audiences (children and adults of different backgrounds, including teachers) and observed the results. Participants grasped G1 almost immediately, requiring 5 minutes to learn the rules. After playing the G1, players came up with several strategies that were possible despite the first perspective that water was a negative resource. G1 gameplay promoted bursts of excitement during the negotiation dynamics. In G2 and G3, excitement was noticed in specific moments of uncertainty. G2 was more complex and strategic because it requires a plan to deal with the increasing impact of flood. The collaboration was transversal to all playtesting groups. Players discussed their decisions, considering overall strategies before making any moves. Other groups discussed decisions while playing. Although the game was more complex, the repetition of turns and the challenge progression reduced the playability difficulty. In G2 and G3, the role of the game facilitator was crucial to support the gameplay. The flooding and uncertainty stress engaged the players. G3 was the game that confused the players more because of the hidden information and the competition. Players could not help each other directly and clearly. Despite this difficulty, participants considered G3 as that better simulated the political dimensions.

How to cite: Sousa de Sena, Í., da Silva e Sousa, M., and Cocco, C.: Serious Games for Climate Action: Designing Analog Engagement Tools for Citizen Participation, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-6418, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-6418, 2024.