The impact of role-playing democratic innovation on civic education: The case of EMPAVILLE

This paper describes the evolution of the EMPAVILLE hybrid role-playing game simulation of Participatory Budgeting (PB), one of the most widely adopted democratic innovation, and examines its effects on participants based on classical performance indicators of deliberative practices. Using exit surveys and participant observation from 62 players across four game sessions the study explores how game design influences learning about PB, engagement in discussion, intellectual humility, perspective-taking, and conflict resolution. This exploratory research highlights the importance of modern user testing techniques in iteratively optimizing serious games and demonstrates the potential of RPGs as tools for creating engaging civic education experiences that foster deliberative outcomes.