This blog is written by Chris Skinner, a Researcher at the Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, where he leads the SeriousGeoGames Lab and Earth Arcade projects. In 2018 he set up Games for Geoscience, a network that seeks to bring together Geoscientists with an interest in gaming to share stories and knowledge.
The world needs Geoscientists now more than ever. With our planet and its systems being put under increasing pressure from our actions, Geoscientists will be at the fore of discovering and carrying out the changes needed to ease that pressure. What Geoscience needs in this fight are gamers.
The Epic Win
Games help us develop skills that are vital for being a successful Geoscientist. Gamers solve problems. Gamers are persistent – when they fail they get back up and try again, developing new strategies. Increasingly, gamers are social and collaborative, particularly in the virtual world that so many of us have been forced into and are still trying to figure out. Games can inspire people to learn and encourage critical thinking – don’t believe me? Check out this work by Ed McGowan and Jazmin Scarlett.
The most important thing gamers can bring to Geoscience was highlighted by Jane McGonigal in her book Reality is Broken. Gamers believe in the ‘Epic Win’ – although it may be difficult to achieve and will require a lot of hard work and practise, an amazing conclusion is possible. As McGonigal puts it, gamers are “super-empowered hopeful individuals”. If you have 20 minutes, I really recommend listening to her Ted Talk.
Liz Lewis leading a game of Druids & Defences at the 2019 Geoscience Games Night, European Geoscience Union – Dungeons and Dragons with a flood risk twist
The balance between science and storytelling
We have known about the most pressing environmental issues for a long time. A very long time. In 2021, the UK will host the 26th United Nation’s Climate Change Conference, COP26. The first one was held in Berlin in 1995. During those 25 years, and for decades beforehand, we have known we need to move away from carbon-based systems, yet only minor movements have been made in this area. The response from the scientific community has been to produce more science – more powerful and accurate climate models, making better predictions – believing that by doing this, people would be moved into action. We have built some fantastic and very functional bridges.
“Making games combines everything that’s hard about building a bridge with everything that’s hard about composing an opera. Games are bridges made out of operas.”
– Frank Lantz, Games Development Conference 2014
Into this space come inspirational individuals like David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. They are telling the story of environmental issues and their impacts. They have greatly increased the awareness and concern of millions around the planet, making them feel they need to do something. They are composing some of the greatest operas of our time. But like bridges on their own, operas on their own do not complete the game. Awareness and concern does not lead to change – there is a value-action gap. Without providing people with solutions, and a plan they can contribute to, we leave people with no agency in the situation and this leads to eco-anxiety.
Geoscience Games Night at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly, 2019
Games for Geoscience
The solutions to making a better future for the planet, for the environment, for us, will come from Geoscience. To do this we need Geoscientists who are creative, persistent, and optimistic enough to envisage these solutions – we need super-empowered hopeful individuals – we need gamers. We also need to approach our science like games developers. We need new and better science, yes, but we also need to get much better at telling the story of that science. Unless we can do this, we could produce all the solutions needed and no one will know, care, or act on them.
If you are a Geoscientist, gamer, or both, I’d encourage you to join our Games for Geoscience network. You can do so by joining our Games4Geo Discord group, following our Twitter account, or looking out for information about our events. We hope to grow our network and encourage the use and research into games and game-based methods across Geoscience. We also want to use games to encourage the next generation of Geoscientists, helping them realise that this is an area of the real world they can achieve their ‘Epic Win’.
We are running a Game and Videogame Jam with EGU in 2021
Since 2018, we have brought games to the European Geoscience Union General Assembly with our Games for Geoscience session. The session gives Geoscientists the opportunity to share how they have used games in their research, teaching, or engagement activities, and to learn from others who have done so. Alongside the session, we run a Geoscience Games Night; In 2019 we had over 300 Geoscientists join to play and talk games, far surpassing our expectations. In 2021 we are running a Game Jam – if you have a Geoscience-based game or an idea for one you can create, then we’re providing the opportunity for you to share this with other Geoscientists. They will be available to play publicly and the best ones with be featured at this year’s EGU.
In the future, we hope to bring game sessions to more scientific conferences to inspire the science storytellers of tomorrow; feel free to get in touch if you’re keen to find out more!
Great stuff Chris! I am with you all the way!