Gaming for the energy transition. Experimenting and learning in co-designing a serious game prototype

Experimenting and learning are increasingly considered as means to innovate governance approaches for pursuing a more sustainable society. Learning and experimenting can unfold in different formats, such as games or co-design processes. This paper investigates an experimental co-design process conducted in the Dutch Province of Groningen to collaboratively design a serious game called the 'Energy Safari'. Serious games can mimic real-world issues and thus provide a safe and open environment that is inviting for exploring, experimenting and learning. Co-designing games is recognized for its capacity to support the integration of 'real world' components in games, which is also our first ambition with the experimental co-design process of the 'Energy Safari. Little attention has been paid, however, to the role of the game-co-design process itself to instigate civic learning events. Our second ambition targets this research gap. The analysis illustrates that co-designers are very well capable to experiment with serious game components in a way that creates a meaningful and recognizable regional narrative that deeply embeds regional challenges. Linked to playful game prototyping learning events also occurred during the co-design practises and the debriefing cover a wide range of learning activities, ranging from single loop to triple loop learning Ambiguity and procedural gaps forced the co-designers to question practises and institutions by confronting them with their real-world experience. Our analysis suggests, that prototypes thus need a nuanced balance between generic and specific to generate an open experimentation and learning space that is however deeply rooted in a regional narrative. Doing so can subsequently trigger a rich variety of civic learning activities. Nevertheless, it is also clear that the promotion of more inquisitive triple loop learning effects will not easily emerge and likely require active promotion.