Learning to address environmental challenges using serious games: A cookbook for beginners

Serious games are designed for purposes beyond entertainment, serving as powerful tools to address environmental challenges. They foster education, engagement, and behavioural change by offering immersive experiences that enable players, stakeholders, and decision-makers to understand complex issues and co-create solutions. However, for beginners, navigating the field of serious games can be difficult. To address this challenge, the Serious Games Cookbook was developed as a practical guide for beginners. It covers essential aspects of applying serious games, including setting objectives, selecting suitable games, and organising game sessions. The cookbook also provides guidance on designing serious games, addressing content development, game mechanics, player engagement, and techniques for influencing perspectives. This presentation will share insights into the development of the Serious Games Cookbook and demonstrate its potential to enhance our collective capacity to tackle environmental challenges.