Exploring the Potential of Games Design for Policymaking: Review and Applications
摘要
Policymaking processes for sustainable development are often complex and require stakeholders to think in systems. Since games can be considered as playful systems, this chapter aims at providing a systematised review of games design as a policymaking method and approach to help stakeholders think in complex situations. We first provide a comprehensive literature review in the field, by merging both games design models and psychological factors crucial for policymakers. We utilise this conceptual model to undertake a content analysis of six (n = 6) existing games designed for policymaking and sustainable development. Our findings show that in general, these games provide a common space for diverse players to learn from each other via co-production. We have also found that the games provide an opportunity for players to empathise with different characters and that player choice has a more substantial role in gameplay. The contributions of this chapter are twofold. First, we have conducted a literature review that informed a conceptual framework that combined game design principles with psychological factors in co-production and policymaking. Second, we have applied this model via the analysis of existing games to illustrate specific strategies behind games design. We expect that this chapter can become a starting point for researchers, designers and practitioners interested in utilising games in policymaking for sustainable futures.