GAMEMANCIPATION Now! A Framework for Evaluating the Participatory, Transformative, and Emancipatory Potential of Games in Architecture and Urban Planning
Slides of the keynotes, photos, and proceedings from the symposium are available in the shared folder at the following address:
https://shorturl.at/8ZtBK
Conference link: https://geogameslab.net/
At an international conference held in Dublin, a paper was presented that opens up new questions about the role of games in participatory practices in architecture and urban planning, with a particular focus on involving children. In the paper GAMEMANCIPATION Now! A Framework for Evaluating the Participatory and Emancipatory Potential of Games in Architecture and Urban Planning, authors Marta Brković Dodig, Jelena Vranješević, and Selena Vračar develop a framework for analyzing how games structure participation and distribute agency. In addition to its evaluative function, the framework can also guide the very process of game design.
Through an interdisciplinary approach that connects education, psychology, and spatial disciplines, the authors explore how games can support the development of inclusive and democratic spaces. The framework was tested using the game Spector – The Sustainability Inspector, and the analysis emphasized the importance of shared goals, power dynamics, flexibility, and supportive contexts in fostering transformative participation.
The paper offers valuable insights for anyone involved in game design and participatory processes, positioning games as potentially powerful tools in the education of future architects and urban planners.
The paper received the best paper award at the conference.
The proceedings of the 2nd Geogames Symposium were published by the University College Dublin can be downloaded from the following link:
https://researchrepository.ucd.ie/entities/publication/8d6f0a4c-638c-4aa0-8790-6489893d30d7.