Simulation and Gaming for Social and Environmental Transitions (2023)

Proceedings of the 54th Conference of the International Simulation and Gaming Association

979-10-415-2760-1

Abstract:  The proceedings of the 54th edition of the International Simulation and Gaming Conference, covers a wide range of application types such as serious games for education, participative use of simulation games, design of board games and role-playing games, gamified environments and more. Some are meant to raise awareness on specific issues, others are intended for training purposes, and still others are designed to facilitate and encourage collective action.  In this publication, readers will find full papers and extended abstracts dealing with the evaluation of the effects of simulation games, including learning effects, effects on organizational or collaborative behavior, effects on motivation and engagement as well as, in a more innovative vein, effects on players' emotions. Other papers deal with design issues, analyzing role design, co-design processes or even the treatment of system complexity in game design. The use of new technologies, such as augmented reality, or the use of online educational games, are also addressed. Interestingly, several papers address the facilitation of simulation games, and seek to better characterize the facilitation role and its associated skills. Similarly, some authors propose characterizations of player profiles.  Meanwhile, the 54th edition of ISAGA conference highlighted the theme of "Simulation and gaming for social and environmental transitions". The ISAGA community responded enthusiastically to this call, and these proceedings include a large number of full papers and extended abstracts that approach this theme from different angles. Readers will find a large number of simulation games dealing with the multiple challenges of transitions, from games on energy transition, low carbon, sustainable development, "limits to growth", nature-based solutions, to games on the relation to science, equity issues, or ethics in transitions. Some of these games are meant to explore various transition pathways, others are meant to encourage social awareness about critical social or environmental problems. Finally, a number of papers present critical thoughts about the role of simulation and gaming in transition processes. Some question the concept of transformational learning, others analyze the rhetoric of social change games, and still others discuss the role of simulation games in the participation of citizens in transition processes.  In short, the proceedings of the 54th ISAGA conference provide a condensed overview of international research and current practices in the domain of simulation and gaming, focusing on issues of design, use and evaluation of simulation games in the present period of social and environmental transitions.