Abstract
Games and gamification has moved from a way of entertaining game players to an effective research and education tool often used to explore social issues. The decision to use interactive audio-visual elements as our main design research tools, leveraged the cognitive capabilities of the participants and their desire to take relevant actions, make tangential choices, and participate in formative decisions regarding urban planning in Newcastle, NSW. Through the House We Build game and accompanying website, animation, citizen survey, we demonstrated that community members could productively participate in the urban planning process. Players of the House We Build game experienced the wider consequences within their community of their urban planning choices, such as where to build a mid-rise apartment block so that the community would eventually have enough points for a pool. The House We Build aimed to achieve greater engagement of citizens with the Newcastle City Council urban planning department, creating a non-threatening pathway for dialogue through a gamified feedback network between council and community. This project was developed as a population engagement and elicitation research tool, in response to a need to engage citizens in urban planning processes in an equitable and inclusive manner. In the framework of the city itself, there has historically been hostility surrounding urban planning decisions, and citizens have felt isolated and disengaged as Newcastle transitions from being a major port and coal mining town, into a connected Smart City which aims to rank as one of the most desirable lifestyle locations in Australia.
Presenters
Jon DrummondAssociate Professor, School of Creative Industries, College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle, Australia, New South Wales, Australia Nicole Carroll
Lecturer in Digtial Composition, School of Creative Industries (SOCI), Music, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Nathan Scott
Lecturer, School of Creative Industries, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Rewa Wright
Lecturer in Creative Technology, School of Creative Industries, the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Ralph Kenke
Design Lecturer , School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences College of Human and Social Futures, University of Newcastle , Australia Jack McGrath
Lecturer, School of Creative Industries, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Paul Egglestone
Director FASTLab, Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Mario Minichiello
Professor, Visual Communication Design, The University of Newcastle, Australia Zi Siang See
Lecturer in Innovation Design, Digital Learning and Technology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Back to Life: Seeking Vision and Purpose in Principles and Practice
KEYWORDS
Games, Gamification, Urban Planning, Smart City
