All three challenges in the course will focus on earthquake preparedness and culminate in the final project.
Overview: Students will use pervasive games to explore earthquake preparedness and the aftermath of an earthquake in the City of Vancouver. Pervasive games are games played on mobile devices in the everyday locations we inhabit, e.g., at home, at work, in the streets, parks, etc. They weave together game play and everyday life to provide new ways for people to interact in public and private locations where they engage with their community and surroundings. A simple example of a pervasive game is geocaching, which allows people to explore new and interesting locations while they hunt for ‘hidden treasures.’ Students will design a playable pervasive game through multiple design stages including cultural observations, design fictions, and prototype creation and deployment. Pervasive games will focus on having people: reflect on what it means to be prepared for a major earthquake, prepare for an earthquake, learn about the impacts of an earthquake and share this information with family/friends, explore community resilience prior to and after an earthquake, and support recovery and reunification of families following an earthquake.