Games for citizen participation

Abstract

One of the emerging trends in the field of public participation is gamification. Participatory processes increasingly apply strategies and dynamics borrowed from games to promote a more diverse demographic of engagement and to incentivize desirable behaviour by the participants. While many scholars and practitioners highlight the practical benefits of gamification, other warn us of the potential risks of the ludification of public participation, especially if applied in a learning context. Under which conditions would game-like dynamics enhance public participation? What are the democratic risks of gamification in an educational context? This study explores the advantages and disadvantages of gamification applied to public participation in context of education, using a large multi-site simulation based on the Empaville platform. The activities involved around 200 students from the ages of 10 to 18, in five different Portuguese schools. The role play-game simulated a gamified participatory budgeting process integrating in-person deliberation with digital voting. Using a mixed method approach that combines the analysis of the game patterns, surveys and participant observation, the paper explores under what conditions gamification can activate a “virtuous circle” that promotes participants’ autonomy and empowerment from a school age.