1st Geogames Symposium

The 1st Geogames Symposium, a first step to a brighter future!

On June 11th, we embarked on an exciting journey with the inaugural Geogames Symposium, dedicated to the regeneration of Gaia through Games. Organizing and hosting this pivotal event at Universidade Portucalense (UPT) by Dr. Bruno de Andrade, was a joyous experience, marking a significant milestone in the burgeoning field of geogames.

A heartfelt thank you to Alenka Krek Poplin, the ‘mother’ of Geogames and a true pioneer in the field, for her keynote “Can Geogames Make the World a Better Place?”. We are also immensely grateful to our experts who generously shared their knowledge on the theories, methods, and tools for engaging citizens through games in architectural, urban, and landscape design, planning, and management.

After the opening talk by Dr. Bruno de Andrade on the possible correlations of the theory of Gaia and geogames, and two of his students’ presentations. Following his opening, we had the privilege to listen to the following exciting presentations:

Jiangnan X., from Rochester Institute of Technology, explored how hybrid spaces redefine social interactions, with #PokemonGo serving as a prime example of a geogame.

Ítalo de Sena, from University College Dublin, illuminated how children’s voices can be amplified through geogames focused on climate action and heritage reactivation with projects like HeritACT and CRAFT-MY-STREET Project.

Vitor Freire, from Imagination of Things, showcased innovative study cases and projects from his Amsterdam-based studio, emphasizing the impact of design and technology in creating meaningful geoplay experiences.

Arghavan Akbarieh, from Eindhoven University of Technology, delved into how geogames can address super wicked problems related to sustainability and circularity in the built environment, applying her 3PS framework: pedagogical, persuasive, and participatory strategies.

James Delaney, shared over a decade of experience with BlockByBlock, demonstrating how #Minecraft as a geogaming participatory design tool empowers unheard voices in urban redesign, especially in the Global South.

Micael Sousa, from University College Dublin, explored the potential of analog geogames as planning support tools, showcasing how game design and development techniques can be utilized for data collection.

Thank you all for this exciting day!

Save the date for the 2nd Geogames Symposium planned for June 5-6, 2025 in Dublin!

Dr. Bruno de Andrade opening the Symposium

Bruno de Andrade, Alenka Poplin and Micael Sousa after the Symposium

Our audience enjoying presentations

Dr. Micael Sousa presenting his work on board games