STARTING POINT
G4N TOOLKIT TO GAME DESIGN THE G4N TOOLKIT TO GAME DESIGN
The G4N Toolkit to Game Design comprises several resources designed to support and encourage the participation of young public in the development
of mobile games: a Game Construction Cards Set; a Rapid Game Design Document; a set of thematic cards, addres sing on nature protection and
CREATING GAMES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS environment preservation issues; and a set of mobile game design guidelines cards, with suggestion on how to implement the digital game. The toolkit
is available in both physical and digital format, and all resources can be downloaded through the G4N online platform. All resources were developed
Pedro Beça 1, Ana Isabel Veloso 1, Ana Rita Santos 1, Gonçalo Gomes1, Eduardo Ferreira 1, Monica Aresta1, Milene Matos2,
Sofia Jervis2 following a User-Centered Design approa ch and using the iterative design method [1], with potential users (upper-se condary and undergraduate
1 University of Aveiro, Portugal
students) involved in the development and validation process.
2 Associação Bioloving, Portugal
Digital games are part of ev eryd ay lif e fo r th e youngest populations, and
its potential to enhanc e mo tivation for l earning h as been recogniz ed a Starting point
few years to this p art . In the fi eld of envi ronmental educ ation, games Defining the project’s conceptual framework
emerge as an innov ativ e appro ach to rais e env ironmental awaren ess The project’s conceptual framework, based on Fullerton’s work
[2] emerged from a literature review on game concepts and game design
among the youngest popul ation and to t rigger beh aviour ch ange. As
and from discus sions, in the format of individual interviews and focus
playing games rev eal ed to fost er student ’s awareness and appreci ation
groups sessions, held with experts in the field of game design (N=14) along
for nature pres erv ation, ch all enging youngst ers to create games July 2019. The framework was adopted as the basis for the design of the
addressing n ature and biodiv ersity preservation may lead to a great er Game Construction Cards Set [3].
involvement wi th the theme and a d eep er understanding of what is
Stage 1
learned. St arting from this premis e, th e Gamers4Nature project
Game Construction Cards Set + Rapid Game Design Document
develop ed a Toolki t to Game D esign, a digit al and physical artifact that
The Game Construction Cards Set comprises 12 cards sized 7,14 x 10 cm.
includes a set of resources and tools designed to h elp upper-second ary Each card addresses one game element, and presents infor mation about
and undergraduate students in th e creation of mobil e digi tal games. This the game element’s name and a brief description of its role in the game
poster int roduces th e Gamers4Nature pro ject , fro m th e Toolki t to Game
design process and with a small contextualization about the game element
Design dev elopment and valid ation proc ess (which involv ed 104 upper- and a few examples of its presen ce in games. The cards were
secondary and undergraduate students) to the project’s online platfo rm validated along two development cycles that took place between May and
conception and the game d esign sessions, held with upper-second ary July 2019 that involved upper secondary (N=21) and undergraduate
students (N=23) [4].
and undergraduat e students (N=321). As a result from th e game design
The Rapid Game Design Document presents a path to explore the Game
sessions, 16 game narrat ives and 66 digital games addressing Construction Cards Set and the relations between the different game
biodiversity and nature preservation themes were creat ed. elements, thus complementing the Game Construction Cards Set.
Participants enhanc ed th e Tool kit’s eas e of use, mention ed that it was The document was validated during game narrative design
sessions (see stage 4).
an engaging approach to game creation and that its use promot ed a
more activ e way to address th e education al content and the
Stage 2
programmin g activit y. B y creating games addressing nature preserv ation
issues, particip ants dev eloped an increas e on biodiversity-related Thematic cards set
20 thematic cards, sized 7,14x10cm and addressing microplastic
knowled ge and awaren ess. In a scen ario wh ere games are seen as an
pollution, are articulated in four categories: facts
innovativ e approach to raise envi ronmental awareness among youths,
about microplastics pollution; microplastics creation process
the Gamers4Natu re projec t can b e seen as an engaging approach to and its impact; fact checks about microplastic pollution; and easy
game c reation as a t rigger for the develop ment of environ ment al suggestions focused on plastic consumption reduction. The thematic cards
awareness. were validated by experts in science didactics and de sign (N=5 ), and by
undergraduate students from a Design course (N=16). Evaluation cycles
took place in October 2019.
Keywords: Toolkit to Game Design, Environmental Awareness,
Gamers4Nature Stage 3
Development of the portal-repository
The development of the [hidde n]portal-repository was based on two axes:
establishing a visible connection between the portal and the physical
toolkit and transmitting the non-linearity of gaming activities present in the
This work is part of the Gamers4Nature project, PTDC/COM-OUT/31047/2017, that has the financial support of FCT - Foundation for physical artifact. For the prototype evaluation, 3 UX Experts were invited.
Science and Technology (Portugal)/MCTES – Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and FEDER under the PT2020 Evaluation sessions taking place during the month of May 2020 [5].
agreement.
STAGE 1
Game Construction Cards Set
STAGE 2
Thematic Cards Set
Stage 4
Game design sessions - developing game narratives
In order to assess the Toolkit to Game Design adequacy
to support the construction of game narratives, two “game narrative
design sessions ” were organized with undergraduate students
Exploratory approach
(N=52). Sessions took place in October 2019, and participants were
invited to use the Toolkit to Game Design to develop a narrative of a Content and Design Validation
game focused on microplastic pollution. As a result, 16 game
narratives addressing microplastic pollution were created [6]. User testing in real STAGE 3
context of use
Portal-repository
Stage 5 Rapid Game
Design Document
Game design sessions – creating digital games
The Toolkit to Game Design was used in: four short game design
sessions held with upper-se condary students (N=53 ); two long-term
Validation as an educational resour ce
game design sessions held with undergraduate students (N=148); and
in one Online Game Jam held with undergraduate students (N=16). As
a result of these sessions, 66 prototypes of playable digital
games addressing nature and biodiversity preservation were created.
Stage 6
Mobile Game Design Guidelines cards set STAGE 4
Aiming to help game creators to create game interfaces able to Game design sessions – Developing game narratives
provide a good and engaging gaming experience, a new set of cards –
the Mobile Game Design Guidelines cards – was developed. This set Design Evaluation - Expert Review
comprises 27 cards, sized 7,14x10cm, and addresses topics related
with interface, interaction, performance and promotion. The good
practice cards were validated by experts in the area of design (N=5),
and the set evaluation cycle took place between March and April STAGE 5
2021. Game design sessions – Creating digital games
REFERENCES
[1] Macklin, C., & Sharp, J. (2016). Games, Design and Play: a detailed approach to Iterative Game
Design. USA: Addison-Wesley.
[2] Fullerton, T. (2014). Game Design Workshop: a playcentric approach to creating innovative games (3rd
ed.). Taylor & Francis Group.
[3] Beça, P., Aresta, M., Santos, R., & Veloso, A. (2020). Towards the Creation of a Conceptual Framework STAGE 6
in the Context of Gamers4Nature Toolkit to Game Design. Proceedings of the 21st International
Mobile Game Design Guidelines Cards Set
Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation (Game-On’2020) , ( pp. 16-22). Aveiro.
[4] Beça, P., Aresta, M., Santos, R., Veloso, A., Gomes, G., & Pereira, M. (2019). Supporting the Game
Construction Process: Development of Artefacts in the Context of a Toolkit to Game
Design. 11th International Conference, VJ 2019, Aveiro, Portugal (pp. 99 -110). Springer.
[5] Beça, P., Ribeiro, S., Santos, R., Aresta, M., & Veloso, A. (2020). Design and Initial Evaluation of an
Online Portal-Repository: The Case of Gamers4Nature Project. Proceedings of the 4th International
Conference on Design and Digital Communication, Digicom 2020, (pp. 137 -147). Barcelos.
[6] Beça, P., Ortet, C., Aresta, M., Santos, R., Veloso, A., & Ribeiro, S. (2020). Supporting the construction
of game narratives using a toolkit to game design. Videojogos 2020 (12th International Conference on
Videogame Sciences and Arts). Bragança.
NOW