AGILE Workshop on Geogames and Geoplay

The workshop will be held as a pre-conference workshop of the 20th AGILE International Conference on Geographic Information Science 2017 in Wageningen.

Geogames are playful activities in which the analysis and the creation of geodata constitute a core element of the game mechanics. The technological approaches adopted by Geogames are as diverse as the possible usage scenarios. Geogames have been realized as console games, browser games or mobile location-based games and make use of GI technologies such as virtual environments or simulations. Application scenarios include environmental education, cultural tourism, and Geodesign.

Geospatial gamification approaches are especially challenging when they address social or political issues within the context of Open Smart Cities. This research field constitutes the thematic focus of the 2017 workshop. Contributions may, however, cover a broader range of topics (see Workshop Program).

Registration for the workshop is done through the Agile 2017 registration website, which is not yet available. A link will be provided as soon as it is availible.

Workshop Program

The full-day workshop brings together researchers and GIS professionals interested in creating and using Geogames. It serves as a venue for sharing experiences and discussing technological challenges and solutions. We expect the workshop to provide a deeper understanding of the key issues in Geogame development and to help drafting a research agenda in that area. Additionally, the event offers opportunities for networking activities within the Geogames community.

The topics of the workshop include, but are not limited to:

  • Thematic focus 2017: Gamifying the Open Smart City
  • Geogames for fostering social and environmentally friendly habit
  • Educational Geogames
  • Data collection games, VGI games, human computation games
  • Experience reports about the design and development of Geogames
  • GI technologies in video games and location-based games
  • Simulation and AR games
  • Playful approaches to Geodesign
  • City-centred and citizen-centred game design

Workshop Program - Tuesday, May 09, 2017
09:30am – 10:00am Christoph Schlieder
Geogames: an updated research agenda
10:00am – 10:30am Brian Tomaszewski, David I. Schwartz
Critical Spatial Thinking and Serious Geogames: A Position
Coffee Break
11:00am – 11:30am Olga Yanenko, Klaus Stein, Clemens Klug
Challenges in Geogame Design for Biodiversity Education
11:30am – 12:00am David Frias, Aida Monfort, Sven Casteleyn
NavApps - A mobile game to reinforce spatial literacy for secondary school children
12:00am – 12:30am Francisco Ramos, Nacho Miralles
Smart Beetles: towards a Geogame for Smart Citizens
Lunch Break
13:30am – 14:00am Thomas Heinz
Location-based Game Design Pattern Exploration Through Agent-Based Simulation
14:00am – 14:20pm Demosession: #Cycling – A green living #geoGame
14:20am – 15:00pm Demosession: Neocartographer
Coffee Break
15:00am – 15:30am Wrap-up discussion

Accepted Papers

Brian Tomaszewski, David I. Schwartz:
Critical Spatial Thinking and Serious Geogames: A Position

David Frias, Aida Monfort, Sven Casteleyn:
NavApps - A mobile game to reinforce spatial literacy for secondary school children

Francisco Ramos, Nacho Miralles:
Smart Beetles: towards a Geogame for Smart Citizens

Olga Yanenko, Klaus Stein, Clemens Klug:
Challenges in Geogame Design for Biodiversity Education

Thomas Heinz:
Location-based Game Design Pattern Exploration Through Agent-Based Simulation

Call for Papers

Participants are invited to either submit a short paper (max. 3000 words) about original ongoing research in Geogames or a position paper (max. 1500 words) describing an application scenario or a game demo or. Short paper submissions will be reviewed and selected for a presentation during the workshop. The authors of selected position papers will be invited to participate in the panel discussion.

Submissions are welcome in the AGILE 2017 Conference short paper format (Word .doc template, Word .docx)

How to Submit

Please submit your contribution as a PDF document via email: