Humanitarian games for international social impactGuiding principles for collaboration and design of culturally-competent interactive interventions

Lien Tran, MFA Assistant Professor of Interactive Media

University of Miami

@Lien T

Lienbtran.com L.Tran@miami.edu

MFA in Interactive Media

Minor in Interactive Media

http://interactive.miami.edu

Focused on communication for social and behavioral change

through engaged scholarship and immersive experience and

Interdisciplinary collaborations

http://com.miami.edu/center-for-ccc

Humanitarian games Address or advocate human welfare/wellbeing

Uwezeshaji Kaya Kuhimili (World Bank / TASAF)

University of Miami’s !Immigrant Children's Affirmative Network (ICAN) program !as part ofImmigrant Children Legal and Services Partnership (ICLASP)

http://lienbtran.com/games/toma-el-paso/

Lien Tran // School of Communication, Interactive Media // @LienThttp://lienbtran.com/games/cops-rubbers/

http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/cops-rubbers

• Simulation games as interactive, alternative to standard of care

• Players as active learners engaged in parallel play

• Opportunity to explore a real-world system, its objects (actors), and its relationships for enhanced problem-solving and informed decision-making

Humanitarian games As simulation

Humanitarian games for international social impactGuiding principles for collaboration and design of culturally-competent interactive interventions

• overview of two humanitarian game partnerships

• comparison of these partnerships and the game development process

• lessons learned, considerations for future humanitarian game collaborations

Por Nuestras Calles (Through Our Streets)

Uwezeshaji Kaya Kuhimili (Enabling Households to Withstand)

Game Designers Lien Tran Clay Ewing !Game Producers Pablo Suarez Janot Mendler de Suarez !World Bank Rasmus Heltberg Cecilia Costella John Elder !Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) Barnabus Jachi Ali Mohamed Omari Malilo Sekela Mwakatumbula Mercy Mariki Patricia Matogo Amadeus Kamagenge

Social Development & Labor practice

Uwezeshaji Kaya Kuhimili (Enabling Households to Withstand)

client partner

funder

• To provide a safe space to explore the potential risks and benefits of a real-world economic development program

• To role play as subsistence farmers living below the poverty line

- measures that allow farmers to building resiliency to climate change and climate shocks, notably through the enrollment in PSSN

- how farmers can increase income through climate change adaptation (through labor and building of community assets) and therefore curb harmful coping mechanisms such as selling assets, pulling children out of school, etc.

• To make an informed decision whether it is beneficial to enroll in the PSSN

TASAF: Game objectives

0: Establishing relationships (Spring 2011 - Fall 2011)

1: Formative research // design brief (Fall 2011)

2: Design and playtest of initial prototype (January 2012)

3: Game session with TASAF // client buy-in (April 2012)

4: Game adaptation with client, in-country (July 2012)

5: Preparations for facilitator training (August - October 2012)

6: Training of facilitators by project team, in-country (November 2012)

TASAF: Project phases

Game prototype commissioned by the World Bank with “goal of synthesizing knowledge on the role of social protection for

managing climate-related risks and conveying it in a manner that is

compelling and motivates behavior change by program officers and

other stakeholders”

Simulation game for behavior change by stakeholders

January 2012

April 2012

[TASAF] (and [we at the Bank]) see the game as an engaging and creative way to create awareness and foster enthusiasm for TASAF and its new productive social safety net program, develop understanding of program goals and mechanisms, and to engage and educate on climate change and SP. The game moves the dialogue from abstract concepts to the concrete, and makes people see solutions.

The validity of the core elements of the game were confirmed during our field visit these last few days to the Dodoma area which is badly affected by drought and where the conversation is all about community water assets and household asset/livelihood building and diversification in response. Beneficiaries of the TASAF CCT pilot has used the money for....guess what...chickens and goats and schooling for their kids. The TASAF staff member accompanying us to the field had played the game and was using all the concepts and explaining them to other colleagues. She said she has "seen the light"! The game resonated, with us and with her!

”

“

April 2012

“The Government found that the game would be a useful tool to assist

TASAF in rolling out the [national] PSSN Project, explain the

objectives, and foster understanding and enthusiasm for the ways in

which the PSSN can support resilience and graduation [from poverty]”

Game-based intervention to raise knowledge and understanding of PSSN

1 Introduction to TASAF management and mission team

2 Game session + workshop: TASAF mission team (6) + Tran (designer)

3 Playtest #1: TASAF personnel, facilitated by Tran (12)

4 Update game components; draft rules, facilitation guide

5 Playtest #2: district council from 2 villages, facilitated by Tran (11)

6 Iteration: simplified and made game system more relevant to TASAF

7 Playtest #3: with villagers, facilitated by TASAF, debrief (12)

8 Iteration: based on previous play test, status meeting with Bank personnel

9 Playtest #4: with villagers, facilitated by TASAF, debrief (18)

10 Updated facilitation and game components

11 Trial training workshop facilitated by Tran with 10 district staff members

12 Playtest #5: with villagers, facilitated by 2 members of district council (24)

13 Iteration: reviewed play test feedback and made modification

14 Game session with TASAF management facilitated by Tran; presentation on mission

Game adaptation phaseJuly 5-19, 2012 in Tanzania (testing system, content, aesthetics, logistics, facilitation, etc.)

March 2012

July 2012

Adobe Illustrator (July 2012)

MKUU$WA$KAYA$Kaya$ilyo$ka.ka$wa$mpango$TASAF$

Kaya$isiyo$ka.ka$$mpango$wa$TASAF$

Mbegu$

N’gombe$

Mbuzi$

Baiskeli$

Lipa$$5$

Lipa$10$

Lipa$$6$

Lipa$$5$

1.$Uwekezaji$ka.ka$kaya$

2.$Mali$ya$kijiji$

Lazima$kutekeleza$miradi$ya$kujinusuru$$Pokea$$$$$$$$$$$$$$+$$3$

Lipa$1$$$$$$$$$$kwa$ajili$ya$vifaa$$Hivyo$pokea$

3.$Mvua$

4.$Mavuno$

10$

Pokea$ Pokea$

mvua$nzuri$ ukame$kidogo$ ukame$

Pokea$

5$ 0$

$8$ 4$ 0$

$4$ 2$ 0$

$3$ 3$ 3$

5.$Matumizi$

Lipa$$6$

MTOTO$Kaya$ilyo$ka,ka$wa$mpango$TASAF$

Kaya$isiyo$ka,ka$$mpango$wa$TASAF$

Pokea$3$1.$Uwekezaji$ka,ka$kaya$

2.$Mali$ya$kijiji$

3.$Mvua$

4.$Mavuno$

4$

5.$Matumizi$

Lipa$$5$

(elimu'+'afya)'

Kumaliza$shule$$Pokea$

Kumaliza$shule$$Pokea$

2$ 0$

1$ 2$ 3$ 4$ 5$ 6$ 7$

MS PowerPoint (November 2012)

July 2012

1.  Household Investment (Uwekezaji katika kaya)

2.  Community Assets (mali ya jamii)

3.  Climate Change (Mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa)

4.  Harvest (mavuno)

5.  Consumption (matumizi)

MKUU$WA$KAYA$Kaya$ilyo$ka.ka$wa$mpango$TASAF$

Kaya$isiyo$ka.ka$$mpango$wa$TASAF$

Mbegu$

N’gombe$

Mbuzi$

Baiskeli$

Lipa$$5$

Lipa$10$

Lipa$$6$

Lipa$$5$

1.$Uwekezaji$ka.ka$kaya$

2.$Mali$ya$kijiji$

Lazima$kutekeleza$miradi$ya$kujinusuru$$Pokea$$$$$$$$$$$$$$+$$3$

Lipa$1$$$$$$$$$$kwa$ajili$ya$vifaa$$Hivyo$pokea$

3.$Mvua$

4.$Mavuno$

10$

Pokea$ Pokea$

mvua$nzuri$ ukame$kidogo$ ukame$

Pokea$

5$ 0$

$8$ 4$ 0$

$4$ 2$ 0$

$3$ 3$ 3$

5.$Matumizi$

Lipa$$6$

MTOTO$Kaya$ilyo$ka,ka$wa$mpango$TASAF$

Kaya$isiyo$ka,ka$$mpango$wa$TASAF$

Pokea$3$1.$Uwekezaji$ka,ka$kaya$

2.$Mali$ya$kijiji$

3.$Mvua$

4.$Mavuno$

4$

5.$Matumizi$

Lipa$$5$

(elimu'+'afya)'

Kumaliza$shule$$Pokea$

Kumaliza$shule$$Pokea$

2$ 0$

1$ 2$ 3$ 4$ 5$ 6$ 7$

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BAISKELI&

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BAISKELI(

N’GOMBE(

Good facilitation is essentialRelating in-game events to intervention goals

play observe game assistant

co-facilitator facilitator

Facilitating to player concernsRisk and risk mitigation

Lessons learned

Invest in childrenSave money Invest in environmental protectionRun a good farm with crop and livestockMake good investment decisions

In partnership with the Directorate of Protection and Special Services (DIPRO) of the National Police of Colombia under the leadership of Brigadier General William Rene Salamanca

Protection of: - Persons and facilities - Children and adolescents - Environment and natural

resources - Tourism and national

heritage

Lien Tran, Assistant Professor

Maria Elena Villar, Associate Professor

Jessica Wendorf, PhD Student

Por Nuestras Calles (Through Our Streets)

Research Team

Funder

Client partner

Of the 18 million children in Colombia at least 35,000 are linked to sexual exploitation.

(ICBF *, “Colombian Institute of Family Welfare”, 2014)

* Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar

Child victims in Colombia

Presently, child prostitution represents a significant global problem, with an estimated 1 million children forced into prostitution each year, contributing to an industry that generates over US$20 billion or more yearly.

• To provide a safe space to discuss a serious, risky issue

• To allow players to gain understanding of a social issue from differing viewpoints through role-play

• To enable conversation about possible solutions from the viewpoint of the assigned role (not the individual preferences)

• Increase potential of players to recognize signs, stop the facilitation of CSEC, and report suspicious acts

Por Nuestras Calles: Game objectives

• Appeal to Colombia’s collectivist culture and their concern to care for those must vulnerable in effort to de-stigmatize and address CSEC

• Game (including narrative) as a simulation of Colombian children and youth’s reality, therefore based on interviews and data collected in the field

• Game scenarios must be considered authentic by a general Colombian public (regardless of demographics, economic status, or region)

• Simple gameplay and visual/written language that could be understood by a general Colombian public (dialect, literacy, etc.)

• Based on communication theories that could be evaluated

Por Nuestras Calles: Considerations

Identification1

2

3

Through gameplay, players: • will increase awareness of CSEC as a national issue • will learn to recognize signs of CSEC in their environment • will remind them of their responsibility as Colombians to protect the most

vulnerable

PreventionThrough gameplay, players: • will understand their role in enabling, facilitating or preventing CSEC • will gain knowledge of the resources available to protect children and

adolescents at risk

ReportingThrough gameplay, players: • know how to report a case of CSEC to the appropriate party (parties) • know how to seek help for children and adolescents who are being exploited

Pillars of Understanding about CSEC

0: Establishing relationships and project concept (Fall 2013 – Spring 2014)

1: Formative research, funding secured * (March 2014 – October 2014)

2: Community partner[s] buy-in, in-country (November 2014)

3: In-country interviews (January 2015)

4: Prototyping (February 2015)

5: Playtesting, in-country (March 2015)

6: Game iteration (April 2015)

7: Playtesting, in-country (May 2015)

8: Playtesting, in-country (May 2015 - June 2015)

Por Nuestras Calles: Project phases

* Funded June 2014 - May 2015

PlaytestsNovember: Partner Buy-In Cartagena, Barranquilla, Bogotá !January: Data collection Eje cafetero: Bogotá, Melgar, Girardot, Honda, Armenia, Pereira, Medellín !February: Design + Test!UM undergrad games class;Colombians living in Miami !March: Playtests + Live Data Analysis!Ibagué, Bogotá, Medellín, Santa Marta,Barranquilla, Cartagena (11 playtests)

Data collection

Viaducto!Medellín

El Combo!Medellín

Youth Police Cadets!Ibagué

Colombian National Police for Tourism!Bogotá (National Headquarters)

Ministry of Tourism!Medellín

Te Protejo!Medellín

Botero Plaza!Medellín

Botero Plaza!Medellín

Modes  for  data  collection

Mayor’s Office!Medellín

Police, Tourism, ICBF!Santa Marta police

“This is my story.”

El Combo!Medellín

Lifestyle

Housing

Transit

Commerce

Public Space

Tourists(

Airport((

Bag(handlers(

Transport!!

Cab(driver(

Hotel(Bellhop(or((recep8onist(

Public(spaces((

Vendors(

Children(and(adolecent(vic8ms(

Pimps/Handlers

(Proxenetas)

• Lack of common literacy

• Breadth of information vs. simple gameplay

• Unfamiliarity with other disciplines

• Evaluation highly valued

• Ownership and roles

• Academic hierarchy

• Logistical challenges (workflow, accrediting, etc.)

Interdisciplinary challenges

Funders

Subject Matter Experts/Partners

Designers Audience

Researchers

• Different areas of expertise

• Designing for evaluation

• Researchers unfamiliarity with games and design process

• Project management shortcomings

• Communication and documentation

• Merging of research and design phases

• Team dynamics

Research team challenges

• Unfamiliarity with scope of possibility of games

• Unfamiliarity with design process

• Communication (both language and through use of technology)

• Difference in cultural norms and/or professional etiquette

• Solution driven vs. problem driven

- need to use designer listening (questioning) skills

- need to understand what client cares and how they think

• Level of ownership (involvement vs. claim to project)

Client challenges

Maintain the love for the game (or audience) through transparent team communication based on:

• objectivity

• clarity

• persistence

• comfort

• respect

• trust

• honesty

• privacy

• unity

Teamwork

Jesse Schell, Art of Game Design, Chapter 25: “The Designer Usually Works with a Team”

• Need for clearly identified and agreed upon roles and expectation

• Relies on strong project management and transparency

• Regular meetings as a team and with the client (SCRUM)

• Respect for each other’s expertise and therefore opinion

• Speak up when something is not clear, it will save time and/or headache in long-run

• Document objectives, expectations, timeline, project status, tasks, etc.

• Employ methods of communication that optimize transparency and organization

• Partnership communications are in a language understood by all team members or that measures are taken to mitigate language barriers (ideally)

• Sensitivity as well as leniency to cultural norms

Team communication

1. Designers need to help educate researchers in games and design process

2. Use as many game design lenses as possible (team, audience, client, problem statement…)

3. Use mental models to reduce learning curve and confusion

• Design based on what is familiar to players

• Use smart visual design to reduce mental load required of players

4. Flow is audience-specific

5. Dominate strategies aren’t necessarily bad

6. Competitive vs. goal-oriented gameplay

7. Playtest often, with subject matter experts to members of your audience. ex. mechanics, aesthetics, number of players (total, sets)

Game design considerations

Game status

Thank youLien Tran L.Tran@miami.edu !

lienbtran.com interactive.miami.edu