A team led by our Dr Mark Wong (Urban Studies) launched a new video game that amplifies Minoritised Ethnic voices and the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Scotland’s sustainable future. Minoritised Ethnic voices are often missing in policy and media discourses around sustainability and Net Zero.

‘SEvEN - Seven Voices, One Future’ was co-developed by a cross-college team, partnering with Glasgow-based tech start-up Education Evolved, Ethnic Minority Environmental Network, digital designer The Floating Designer, and College of Arts’ Games and Gaming Lab.

The team is very pleased with the positive reception during the launch on Friday 19 May, involving all the partners and attended by 54 people, including the University's Vice Principal for Economic Development and Innovation, Uzma Khan.

Mark and the team has also just received a letter from the Scottish Ministers/Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees, Emma Roddick MSP, on 24 May congratulating the game launch, who wrote:

“I agree wholeheartedly that all voices in Scotland should be heard… I am heartened to see the University of Glasgow coming together with gaming industry and community organisation partners, to develop this project around these important issues.” – Emma Roddick MSP.

They also achieved more than 1K visitor count on the game page and over 10.2K views of the University's twitter post within 24 hours of the game launch.

The game is publicly available and free to play online (on any web browser on a Mac/Windows PC).

The game invites people to reflect on what a sustainable future truly means and for whom. The team created an immersive and thought-provoking narrative of the future, where Minoritised Ethnic people’s voices and actions are centred.

Set in the Western Scottish Highlands in 2045, SEvEN features the ‘voices’ of seven Minoritised Ethnic people. Players interact with seven narratives and mini-games, based on real-life climate actions led by Minoritised Ethnic-led organisations and initiatives across Scotland.

The characters in the game are voiced by and created in the likeness of real Minoritised Ethnic people. Players are encouraged to learn about the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and individual actions that can create bigger change by working together.

The game is designed to be accessible, including non-gamers. The authentic representation of people and communities—telling their stories on the issue of sustainability—was central to the game design.

The academic-industry-community partnership of the project underpinned every step of the game development, and Mark and the team will continue to expand this partnership to promote innovation in social sciences and SHAPE disciplines more broadly. Help spread the word by Twitter or LinkedIn.

 

First published: 26 May 2023

<< News


SEvEN: Seven Voices, One Future

Dr Mark Wong