The main intent of the ByMaker game is to engage children and youth in urban development, especially in their local contexts (e.g., neighborhoods). Particular focus is put on sustainability; for instance, while making decisions in the game environment, the players are asked to consider several alternatives with partly conflicting sustainability implications. The original version of the game has been developed by the CaPs team at the NTNU (Trondheim, Norway). Further development of the game has continued throughout the CaPs project.
In addition to the further development of the game in Norway, a version of the game was tested in Tampere, Finland, as well. The localization of the game was conducted by the CaPs team of Tampere University. Piloting of ByMaker in Finland took place in collaboration with the “Sammon koulu” elementary school in Kaleva, Tampere. The target group of the pilot were 7th graders of the school. The game was piloted during arts classes of these 7th graders in spring 2023.
When the ByMaker pilot in Tampere began, the participating students took a walk in the local neighborhood and the surroundings of the school. The goal of this walk was to inspire students to think about possible buildings they would like to see in this environment in the future. During the following arts classes, the students visualized these ideas as sketches. These sketches were then digitalized to the ByMaker game by the CaPs team of Tampere University. Late in the spring, the digitalized 3D models were illustrated and discussed during the last classes of the school year.
The participating students demonstrated an inspired and enthusiastic attitude throughout the pilot project. There was a wide variance in the original sketches. In the final sessions in late spring, the students were excited to see their sketches digitalized in the ByMaker world. The Finnish pilot project, aligned with the earlier experiences in Norway, strengthens our believe in the potential of gamified solutions in engaging children and youth in urban development.
You can learn more about the ByMaker game HERE.