We aim to develop an educational tool in game format, which can be any type of physical or digital tool in the form of a game. The goal is to create a short, snappy and fun game/tool which can be used by a wide variety of people to create conversations and inform communities about the importance of urban planning, retrofitting and climate change.

We are improving upon an existing game:

"CLIMANIA is a printable, free-to-play climate action board game that teaches you how the built environment has a major part in averting man-made environmental collapse, narrowing down specifically on two issues: Urban Planning and Retrofit.

"The co-design was led by thirteen young people (aged 14 - 18) from Balsall Heath, Birmingham, in partnership with two Birmingham City University (BCU) researchers and artists across nine workshops in two months, and in consultation with architects, town planners, and community members.

"'[Letting] young people co-create the ideas, focus, rules and name of the game' was central to this project's success, and nowhere is this more obvious than the fun that these young co-researchers had throughout its development."

The project will focus on community-led retrofit to develop a snappy, engaging tool that communities can use to educate themselves about the challenges and benefits of retrofitting residences within the terrace typology.

This is aligned with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
3) Good Health & Well-being
11) Sustainable Cities and Communities
13) Climate Action

Within our first action week, we will be researching retrofit within the UK, specifically its challenges and necessary negotiations, alongside talks from external professionals. This initial research will aid us with knowledge to design our engagement tool.

For the second week, we will be making and testing our game to a satisfactory level of resolution. By the end, we will have conducted one workshop to trial this game and receive immediate feedback on its effectiveness as an engagement tool.

DAY 8 - MORNING

After a final debrief and discussion with Simeon, we finalised the design of core game materials and companion resources such as case studies booklet and a trifold glossary which would be included in a complete game kit.

DAY 8 - AFTERNOON

Making preparations for the final print, we refine the visual elements that give the game life and upholds the narrative we want to tell. Buzzing with excitement to see and touch the final product.

DAY 9 - MORNING

We printed two full sets at professional quality and conducted one final playtest of 50 minutes. We are highly impressed by the quality of our output at the conclusion of our project.

DAY 9 - AFTERNOON

We shared our reflections on the final game output. BA students unanimously agreed that we created a compelling and interesting game that successfully made them want to learn more about retrofit. We bade the BA students farewell and rounded up the documentation and publication for this project.