Mission Serious Games
LOEWE center emergenCITY is dedicated to inter and transdisciplinary research and the development of innovative approaches aiming to increase the resilience of digital systems and crisis solutions. Mission Serious Games develops digital games to promote preventative behavior and crisis management for a greater resilience in our increasingly digital society. Our aim is to allow both individuals and communities to rise to the challenges of a networked and increasingly crisis-prone world.
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Mission Serious Games aims to establish digital games to help prevent crises and to enhance resilience. Our interdisciplinary approach links scientific knowledge with innovative game mechanics to develop practice-orientated solutions for crisis situations. Through educational games we aim to enable people to react to the challenges of complex crises in a way which is both self-responsible and community-aware and to provide digital practice platforms for the handling of crisis situations. The simple, low-threshold access enables people to explore what for many is an uncomfortable subject. This format also allows us to reach a new target audience which includes the young, tech-savvy generation.
Our games offer interactive learning exercises which allow the user to prepare for crisis situations such as power cuts and supply failures. Due to the close links between research and practice, prototypes depict realistic scenarios. This helps to increase people’s awareness of preventative measures in a playful manner and so enable them to handle challenging situations effectively. Serious Games offer an interactive experience, making the complexity of crises tangible and allowing a deeper understanding of how to act in a crisis.
Research Question
As an educational and information tool, what can Serious Games contribute to the strengthening of societal resilience? How can Serious Games support citizens in the strengthening of their crisis preparedness and action competence in emergencies?
Aims of the Mission
- Knowledge transfer through playful approaches: our games make scientific results accessible and convey practical knowledge to manage crises and implement preventative measures.
- Making the complexity of crisis situations tangible: Serious Games highlights the dynamics and interactions of crises. The aim is to promote the players’ decision-making abilities and implementation skills.
- Strengthen self-organized action: The games encourage individuals to take on responsibilities and promote civil engagement. Users learn to act both in a self-organized and in a communal manner and to strengthen their resilience in the face of disasters.
- Connecting interdisciplinary research and practice: Game development is based on research from many fields including computer science, cognitive science, urban planning, history and political science. These findings are translated into interactive and practical learning experiences.
Current Projects
KRISOPOLIS: A mobile game which mimics reoccurring dangers and crisis situations, from blackouts and drinking water contamination through to lockdowns. Players learn preventative measures and train effective behaviors whilst navigating their avatar through the virtual city of Krisopolis fulfilling basic requirements such as food, water, health and social interactions. Practical tips are conveyed through the combination of individual precautions and neighbourly support.
eHUB cities - Blackout: A story-telling based Serious Game which shows how eHUBS, smart and energetically self-sufficient houses, can strengthen urban resilience. In the role of eHUB dwellers or neighbors, players experience electricity and communication blackouts whilst managing resources and maintaining social bonds. This game illustrates in a practical manner how eHUBS can promote supplies and solidarity in a crisis.
Program Areas in the Mission
Stadt und Gesellschaft (SG)
SG studies community resilience and the role of citizens in urban crises. Central to this are Serious Games which promote preventative action and make collective decision-making processes tangible. Game-based simulations highlight the dynamics and interdependencies of emergency situations and strengthen the ability to self-organize in a crisis.
Team: Joachim Schulze Nadja Thiessen Jens Ivo Engels Annette Rudolph-Cleff
Information (INF)
INF researches how digital information in crisis situations can be used and communicated efficiently, through Mobile Edge Computing, distributed systems or 3D data processing. In the context of Serious Games, data-based simulations are produced which showcase realistic information flows and decision-making situations.
Kommunikation (KOM)
KOM researches resilient communication systems for a decentralized deployment in crises. It aims to secure basic information flows even in infrastructure failure. In the Serious Games framework, technical principles are tested and the necessity of robust networks for crisis reaction and self-organization is shown.
Team: Jakob Huth Michelle Geisler Katharina Kleinschnitger Matthias Hollick
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