Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games
The use of games as a method for planning and designing cities is often associated with visualisation, from simplistic to immersive environments. They can also include complex and sophisticated models which provide an evidence base. The use of such technology as artefacts, aids, or mechanics curates...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cogitatio
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | Urban Planning |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/5031 |
| _version_ | 1811237724528574464 |
|---|---|
| author | Jayanth Raghothama Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge Sebastiaan Meijer |
| author_facet | Jayanth Raghothama Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge Sebastiaan Meijer |
| author_sort | Jayanth Raghothama |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of games as a method for planning and designing cities is often associated with visualisation, from simplistic to immersive environments. They can also include complex and sophisticated models which provide an evidence base. The use of such technology as artefacts, aids, or mechanics curates the player experience in different and very often subtle ways, influencing how we engage with (simulated) urban phenomena, and, therefore, how the games can be used. In this article, we aim to explore how different aspects of technology use in city games influence the player experience and game outcomes. The article describes two games built upon the same city gaming framework, played with professionals in Rome and Haifa, respectively. Using a mixed-method, action research approach, the article examines how the high-tech, free form single-player games elicit the mental models of players (traffic controllers and planners in both cases). Questionnaires and the players’ reflections on the gameplay, models used, and outcomes have been transcribed and analysed. Observations and results point to several dimensions that are critical to the outcomes of digital city games. Agency, exploration, openness, complexity, and learning are aspects that are strongly influenced by technology and models, and in turn, determine the outcomes of the game. City games that balance these aspects unlock player expertise to better understand the game dynamics and enable their imagination to better negotiate and resolve conflicts in design and planning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:29:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fde5ccf7872c474ab8dc1985f0c27142 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-7635 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:29:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Planning |
| spelling | doaj.art-fde5ccf7872c474ab8dc1985f0c271422022-12-22T03:33:05ZengCogitatioUrban Planning2183-76352022-06-017210.17645/up.v7i2.50312558Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City GamesJayanth Raghothama0Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge1Sebastiaan Meijer2Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SwedenDepartment of Sustainable Production Development, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SwedenDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SwedenThe use of games as a method for planning and designing cities is often associated with visualisation, from simplistic to immersive environments. They can also include complex and sophisticated models which provide an evidence base. The use of such technology as artefacts, aids, or mechanics curates the player experience in different and very often subtle ways, influencing how we engage with (simulated) urban phenomena, and, therefore, how the games can be used. In this article, we aim to explore how different aspects of technology use in city games influence the player experience and game outcomes. The article describes two games built upon the same city gaming framework, played with professionals in Rome and Haifa, respectively. Using a mixed-method, action research approach, the article examines how the high-tech, free form single-player games elicit the mental models of players (traffic controllers and planners in both cases). Questionnaires and the players’ reflections on the gameplay, models used, and outcomes have been transcribed and analysed. Observations and results point to several dimensions that are critical to the outcomes of digital city games. Agency, exploration, openness, complexity, and learning are aspects that are strongly influenced by technology and models, and in turn, determine the outcomes of the game. City games that balance these aspects unlock player expertise to better understand the game dynamics and enable their imagination to better negotiate and resolve conflicts in design and planning.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/5031city-gamingexperiencehaifamodellingromesimulation |
| spellingShingle | Jayanth Raghothama Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge Sebastiaan Meijer Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games Urban Planning city-gaming experience haifa modelling rome simulation |
| title | Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games |
| title_full | Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games |
| title_fullStr | Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games |
| title_full_unstemmed | Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games |
| title_short | Curating Player Experience Through Simulations in City Games |
| title_sort | curating player experience through simulations in city games |
| topic | city-gaming experience haifa modelling rome simulation |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/5031 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jayanthraghothama curatingplayerexperiencethroughsimulationsincitygames AT jannickebaalsrudhauge curatingplayerexperiencethroughsimulationsincitygames AT sebastiaanmeijer curatingplayerexperiencethroughsimulationsincitygames |