Tag Archives: gamification

simulation games

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This Wired article has a run-down of new(ish) simulation games. Before I entered the intensive child rearing years, I was one of those people like the author that was into this type of game (and also sports games, which are a simulation of sorts), and not so much into arcade-type games. So it is somewhat comforting that there are other people like me.

I keep hearing that the intensive child-rearing years do eventually wind down, and that you remember them fondly as you start to enjoy having some time to enjoy your own grownup life again. For my wife and I, there are just some slight twinkles of light at the end of the tunnel. It’s been a long dark tunnel, particularly with Covid, although of course there have been many joyful moments along the way and over time we will probably remember those and forget the hard parts.

Also appealing to me is the idea of writing my own simulations of real things that I can play something like games. For example, the stock market? climate change? the ecology of my neighborhood? geopolitics? Can I link these things together into one simulation of the universe as it actually plays out, Asimov Foundation-style? Of course not. Many smarter people than me have tried and failed. But the fun could be in the trying. Now, if you will excuse me I need to attend to the (beautiful, healthy, wonderful in every way) whining children and mountains of dirty laundry and dishes and unpaid bills and things in my house that are broken.

gamification and water planning

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This article is about gamification and water planning.

A review of water-related serious games to specify use in environmental Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Serious games and gamification are nowadays pervasive. They are used to communicate about science and sometimes to involve citizens in science (e.g. citizen science). Concurrently, environmental decision analysis is challenged by the high cognitive load of the decision-making process and the possible biases threatening the rationality assumptions. Difficult decision-making processes can result in incomplete preference construction, and are generally limited to few participants. We reviewed 43 serious games and gamified applications related to water. We covered the broad diversity of serious games, which could be explained by the still unsettled terminology in the research area of gamification and serious gaming. We discuss how existing games could benefit early steps of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), including problem structuring, stakeholder analysis, defining objectives, and exploring alternatives. We argue that no existing game allows for preference elicitation; one of the most challenging steps of MCDA. We propose many research opportunities for behavioral operational research.

cities and gamification

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This article is about applying gamification to the planning and running of cities.

Cities and the politics of gamification

Gamification is widely intended as the mobilisation and implementation of game elements in extra-ludic situations, including the management of social problems and issues. By mobilising virtual rewards and playful elements, mobile apps, websites, social initiatives and even urban policies are getting more and more gamified. The aim of this viewpoint paper is to stimulate a critical discussion on the potential relationships between gamification processes and cities, particularly by reflecting on the cultures of gamification and by discussing potential lines of research for urban studies.

Habitica

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This app turns your to-do list into a game. It’s a cool idea – basically you are setting goals and tracking your progress toward them, not exactly a new idea. But it could be a fun idea that gets you over the hump of a goal that has been eluding you, or the gimmick that gets a team of smart but bored individuals (and smart individuals have a tendency to be bored) to come together and complete an important but less than intellectually stimulating work task.