Ecotorrinco: Jogos sérios como ferramentas de consciencialização da pobreza energética

Abstract

The act of playing is as old as culture itself (Huizinga, J. (2014). This dissertation presents a state of the art on some serious games such as TiltFactor Laboratory, Mia's Big Adventure, Adibou, Go Nisha Go !, MindMaze, Culture Overlord. Gamification cases such as Duolingo, Wooclap, Pingo Doce, EDP Zero and Leya are also presented. Nowadays, games and gamification tools are used to entertain, educate, teach, develop skills, save resources, among others. Specifically, with the use of gamification it was understood that there is a possibility of changing or enhancing behaviours, even in non-gamers. On the other hand, with the COVID19 pandemic, the importance and impact that non-traditional teaching tools can have on education, including serious games, became relevant. Ecotorrinco is a serious collaborative board game, powered by Augmented Reality, whose characterization objective is to promote awareness of energy poverty and encourage more efficient and more sustainable behaviours. It arises in the wake of the recurring concern to raise society's awareness of the impact of energy consumption on the planet and consequently provide citizens with knowledge tools that enhance their autonomy and comfort. For the prototyped production of Ecotorrinco, the Octalysis and MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) frameworks were applied as a way of creating a product that conveyed concrete skills and knowledge in parallel with a fun, stimulating and fluid experience. In parallel, data collection tools were created with two distinct objectives: understanding whether knowledge was correctly transmitted and assimilated and understanding whether the game could enhance the proposed behavioural change. The game was tested with a sample of 35 people aged between 18 and 60. This dissertation presents itself as a contribution to existing research in the area of ​​serious games, showing a case study that can be played by different age groups simultaneously. It also aims to open doors for new research and promote mixed paths between the physical and digital universe through user-centred approaches.