Exploring Bio-Actors of the Cities through Serious Games

Abstract

This study focuses on the importance of biodiversity in protecting the urban ecosystem in urban planning. Considering cities as an ecosystem, city actors should communicate collaboratively within this ecosystem. Urban actors include not only humans but also other bio-based creatures. For the communication in the city through design, collecting information about bio-actors with their habitats, serious games can play an important role. Since serious games are useful for educating players, city inhabitants can be informed through these games. It was chosen as a method that provides a space to players for learning by entertaining. Therefore, the game 'My City Mate: Exploring Bio-actors of the City', developed on the Twine platform, offers players the opportunity to get to know the bio-actors of a fictional city environment with the visual, audio and text-based information it provides. Lastly, this research analyzes players' learning and interaction levels with this game through surveys.