Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland
Effective nature conservation and citizen participation are essential for sustainable development and biodiversity preservation. This paper introduces the ‘Land Use Game’, a prototype serious game designed to engage citizens—particularly younger demographics—in participatory land use planning. Devel...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Societies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/14 |
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| author | Benjamin D. Hennig Ben F. Roberts Johannes T. Welling Marissa Pinal Jón Ólafsson |
| author_facet | Benjamin D. Hennig Ben F. Roberts Johannes T. Welling Marissa Pinal Jón Ólafsson |
| author_sort | Benjamin D. Hennig |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Effective nature conservation and citizen participation are essential for sustainable development and biodiversity preservation. This paper introduces the ‘Land Use Game’, a prototype serious game designed to engage citizens—particularly younger demographics—in participatory land use planning. Developed within the context of the EU Horizon 2020 PHOENIX project, the game was tested with students in two rural Icelandic municipalities as part of a pilot study. The game enables participants to assign land use preferences through interactive mapping, supporting a better understanding of land use complexities while promoting active learning and dialogue. The study evaluates the game’s feasibility, technological features, and practical applications, highlighting insights from gameplay observations, participant feedback, and spatial analysis. The results demonstrate the potential of serious games to collect meaningful data, support inclusive decision-making, and empower citizens to contribute to sustainable policies. By incorporating such tools, planners can enhance public understanding, promote equitable land use, and strengthen participatory democracy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-29a9c0b83bbd4891b0309f4314c0fc4e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4698 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Societies |
| spelling | doaj-art-29a9c0b83bbd4891b0309f4314c0fc4e2025-01-24T13:49:36ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982025-01-011511410.3390/soc15010014Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural IcelandBenjamin D. Hennig0Ben F. Roberts1Johannes T. Welling2Marissa Pinal3Jón Ólafsson4Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, IcelandFaculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, IcelandFaculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, IcelandIcelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies, School of Humanities, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, IcelandIcelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies, School of Humanities, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, IcelandEffective nature conservation and citizen participation are essential for sustainable development and biodiversity preservation. This paper introduces the ‘Land Use Game’, a prototype serious game designed to engage citizens—particularly younger demographics—in participatory land use planning. Developed within the context of the EU Horizon 2020 PHOENIX project, the game was tested with students in two rural Icelandic municipalities as part of a pilot study. The game enables participants to assign land use preferences through interactive mapping, supporting a better understanding of land use complexities while promoting active learning and dialogue. The study evaluates the game’s feasibility, technological features, and practical applications, highlighting insights from gameplay observations, participant feedback, and spatial analysis. The results demonstrate the potential of serious games to collect meaningful data, support inclusive decision-making, and empower citizens to contribute to sustainable policies. By incorporating such tools, planners can enhance public understanding, promote equitable land use, and strengthen participatory democracy.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/14land usecitizen participationparticipatory mappingGISIceland |
| spellingShingle | Benjamin D. Hennig Ben F. Roberts Johannes T. Welling Marissa Pinal Jón Ólafsson Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland Societies land use citizen participation participatory mapping GIS Iceland |
| title | Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland |
| title_full | Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland |
| title_fullStr | Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland |
| title_short | Playing for the Planet? A Serious Game Approach to Land Use Planning with Students in Rural Iceland |
| title_sort | playing for the planet a serious game approach to land use planning with students in rural iceland |
| topic | land use citizen participation participatory mapping GIS Iceland |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/14 |
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