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A Board Game Approach to Climate Change Education and Advocacy

Hypotheses:

1. The EcoQuest board game creates a new, easily understandable language for players, serving as a gateway to introduce climate change terminology and concepts in an accessible manner.
2. Board games inherently carry a positive impact, potentially facilitating the communication of serious issues like climate change. Utilizing games as a medium may open new channels for engaging and educating players about climate change.

Overview:

Objective: Educate and inspire action on climate change through gamification.

Methodology: Qualitative assessment of game effectiveness through pre- and post-gameplay questionnaires and ethnographic observations.

Game Components:

• Game Board: Features a world map, guiding players through climate-related challenges.
• Tokens: Represent players on the board.
• Challenge Cards: Pose climate-related questions for players to answer.
• Resource Cards: Provide advantages like bypassing challenges.

How to Play:

Players move tokens across the board, answering challenge questions and earning points. They encounter opportunities to draw Resource Cards for advantages. Negative Point cards deduct points for certain actions.

Study Design:

Qualitative approach with pre- and post-gameplay interviews. Data collected on players' understanding of climate change and motivation for action.

Feedback and Suggestions:

Players suggested clearer instructions, more practical challenge questions, and a simplified answer system. Positive feedback on the game's thought-provoking and educational aspects was received.

Evaluation:

Players demonstrated enhanced understanding of climate change concepts and increased motivation for action after playing EcoQuest.

Participant Data:

Participant	Before Gameplay: Understanding of Climate Change	After Gameplay: Understanding of Climate Change	After Gameplay: Motivation to Take Action
P1	Basic, concerns about environmental degradation	Expanded, gained insights into global initiatives and interconnectedness of climate issues	Significant increase, inspired to advocate for policy changes and engage in community initiatives
P2	Basic, focuses on pollution and environmental degradation	Deepened, particularly regarding impacts on vulnerable communities and international agreements	Slight increase, inspired to advocate for policy changes and engage in community initiatives
P3	Nuanced, includes sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions	Enhanced, gained deeper understanding of climate science and renewable energy solutions	Moderate increase, committed to making personal lifestyle changes and supporting sustainable businesses
P4	Limited, focuses on pollution and environmental degradation	Broadened, learned about climate justice and social equity aspects	Slight increase, recognizes the importance of individual actions and pledges to advocate for climate action
P5	Broad, includes sustainability and future impacts	Enriched, particularly regarding climate resilience and adaptation strategies	Significant increase, motivated to mobilize peers and participate in climate activism
P6	Broad, focuses on environmental degradation and future impacts	Enriched, gained insights into climate policy and global cooperation	Moderate increase, plans to integrate climate action into professional and personal spheres

EcoQuest offers a promising approach to climate change education and advocacy through gamification. Future iterations can benefit from addressing feedback and expanding research efforts.