DairyTale : gamification as a means to raise awareness of sustainability : Master of Design, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

A lack of sustainability is cause for major concern in developing societies. This study explores gamification as a means to raise awareness of sustainability within the context of India. The final outcome of this study is a role-playing card game called DairyTale. DairyTale is based on the identification of industrial agriculture as one of the major unsustainable practises behind environmental degradation and organic agriculture as a sustainable alternative. The game uses organic dairy agriculture as a case study towards communicating sustainable values through gamification of sustainable practises. Epochal analysis as understood from Raymond Williams’ theory of cultural formation helps towards understanding the socio-political and economic contexts associated with dairy within Indian culture. A human-centered design research approach enabled an iterative design process. Utilizing non-linear play-based methods informed by play theory and cultural contexts, a broad range of ideas were explored to understand what play experiences could communicate sustainable values. Through design-led research, the study arrives at the design research outcome of DairyTale. DairyTale gamifies organic dairy practise to represent sustainability in its form, and attempts to communicate sustainable values through its function of play. This document focuses on the design and development of DairyTale.