Urban Gentri: Serious Game on Learning about Gentrification

As a global phenomenon, gentrification has far-reaching social and economic implications. As civic engagement and public understanding are crucial for responding to gentrification, employing a game-based approach could be effective due to the games’ ludic attributes. However, existing gamified interventions often lack structured game design and empirical assessment of their learning effectiveness. As such, this study aims to develop a serious game (SG) and assess its effect on enhancing public understanding and awareness of gentrification using an Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation framework. A prototype of a serious board game, Urban Gentri, was developed to immerse participants in the process and consequences of gentrification. A Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics framework was used when developing the rules of the game. Then, the study employed a mixed-methods approach, with forty-five participants completing pre- and post-tests and semi-structured exit interviews. Quantitative analysis showed a statistically significant increase in cognitive learning scores, demonstrating an improvement in the understanding of gentrification. The qualitative analysis of the exit interviews revealed the SG’s effectiveness in fostering empathy and encouraging participants to explore solutions (e.g., communication and policy interventions) to mitigate gentrification’s negative implications. Participants also expressed their willingness to engage in civic actions, such as supporting local businesses or paying attention to relevant news articles after playing the game. This implies the role-playing aspect allowed participants to empathize with different stakeholders, leading to a deeper appreciation of the complexities involved in gentrification. The findings highlight SGs’ potential for promoting public understanding and awareness of urban planning issues, including gentrification. By leveraging SGs as educational tools, planners and educators can create engaging platforms to inform the public and promote informed decision-making on complex urban issues.