Fast serious analogue games in planning: the role of non-player participants

Objective
Public participation has benefited from innovative engagement tools that facilitate the negotiation between diverse sets of stakeholders with different planning perspectives. Our objective is to test and evaluate the use of a fast Serious Game (SG) to support a participation process in the context of a conference on urban mobility. We also aim to explore how these analogue games engage Player Participants (PPs) and Non-Player Participants (NPPs).
Methodology
We developed an empirical approach where a fast analogue planning game was designed and deployed to support discussions during a conference on sustainable mobility. The game resulted from modding existing modern board games. We combined several game mechanisms and components with an urban map, following the Design, Play, Experience (DPE) framework for SG development. The low-tech game was available to Player Participants (PPs) and displayed in a way Non-Playing Participants (NPPs) could participate indirectly.
Results
The proposed SG engaged PPs and NPPs. PPs immediately started to plan the local transport system establishing a collaborative dynamic. NPPs participated by helping PPs, providing them with their expert and local knowledge. The simplicity of the game and the way it was displayed contributed to the engagement of PPs and NPPs.
Conclusion
Our findings show that layout configurations and facilitation techniques with analogue games can foster the participation of PPs and NPPs. Low-tech analogue SGs can be useful when resources are low, SG experience is reduced, and fast solutions for citizen and stakeholder engagement are necessary.