developing e-games for WATER
MEdIES teams up with partners from Greece and Malta to develop interactive e-games to be played at the Għajn National Water Conservation Awareness Centre in Maltascope
Water shortage is a bit of a problem for the Maltese islands. True, they are surrounded by the sea, but there’s actually very little natural fresh water anywhere across Malta and Gozo. Most of the residents aren’t aware of the work involved to produce the drinkable water running from their taps, neither what they can do to preserve it.
Launched in 2017, the Għajn (= water pond) Centre offers to its visitors an interactive experience on the need to conserve and protect this valuable resource. The Għajn Centre situated in the Nigret area in Rabat.
In a NUTSHELL
Early in 2017 MEdIES teamed up with partners from Malta and Greece to jointly develop four interactive e-games to be played in the four huge touch screen walls of the Centre.
The games, designed to be played by groups of players, aim for the players to discover specific water challenges for Malta and consider possible solutions, in a fun, interactive way. The topics covered within the games include the water cycle and out impacts on it; using water in the past, at the era of the Knights; the modern water management; and the responsibilities of today’s water consumer.
partners
Energy and Water Agency
This is a Government Agency within the Ministry for Energy and Water Management, tasked with formulating and implementing national policies in the energy and water sectors. The Agency is entrusted with the running of the National Water Conservation Awareness Centre (Għajn) in the frame of the LIFE 16 IPE MT 008 Project.
MIO-ECSDE
A non-profit Federation of 128 Mediterranean NGOs working in the fields of Environment and Development in 27 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area. MEdIES is the long standing education initiative of MIO-ECSDE.
MIO-ECSDE, through MEdIES undertook the development of the scenaria of two e-games, namely the water-cycle and the water-knight.
GWP-Med
GWP-Med was established in 2002 as the Mediterranean branch of the inter-governmental organisation, Global Water Partnership. Aiming for a water-secure Mediterranean, GWP-Med works at the regional, national, basin and local level, Integrated Water Resources Management.
GWP-Med undertook the development of the scenaria of two e-games, namely the water-operator and the water-hero.
Caparo Design Crew
This is a design-led and brand-building creative agency, based in Athens.
They undertook the task of “translating” the four scenarios to interactive, discovery and funny games that can be played by groups of learners, in the touch screens of the Għajn Centre.
THE e-GAMES
All four interactive games have been specifically designed in line with the needs of the Maltese educational community and cover themes that correspond to the National Curriculum.
The topics covered in each e-game are different, in order to allow repeated visits of classes or families to “play and learn’ on another topic.
Actually, three of the games can be played by younger learners (ages 7-10) and families, while the utility operator is intended to be played by older learners (12+ yrs) or even university students.
Since its launch in 2017, the Centre has welcomed close to 6,000 visitors, of which 2,500 were primary and secondary level students. In fact, the Centre carries out daily organised school visits during the school year, and hosts hundreds of Skola Sajf students during the summer months.
1) the water cycle
This game illustrates the main processes occurring within the natural cycle, namely, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, run-off and percolation. The player follows the ‘paths’ of water and discovers also the impacts of human interventions, such as groundwater exploitation, agricultural water use, and land sealing.
2) The dehydrated knight
This game has a Learn and a Play part. The game explores the water-works of forts, especially the aquducts, the rainwater cisterns and the wells as well as the qanats (underground water galleries). The player is challenged to discover where water came from in a fort, how it remained safe for drinking, how leaks were avoided, etc.
3) The water utility operator
The player acts as the Water Utility Operator of an imaginary city in Malta, seated in the control panel room. The operator’s responsibility is to operate the utility efficiently by managing the available resources sustainably (water resources, human & financial resources) and by solving problems (leakages, seasonal and high demands). Will he make it?
4) The water hero
The setting for the game is an imaginary world that resembles a universe. The player must help the water hero save water by fixing leakages, closing taps, using recycled greywater, etc. at a home but also at a city level.
GLIMPSE AT the project’s DELIVERABLEs
[The e-game on the water cycle] is very engaging and appealing to kids inviting them to think about water consumption at home.
The e-game on the water cycle is engaging & entertaining.
Ghajn Water Centre wins the European Sustainability Award!
In April 2019 the Ghajn National Water Conservation Awareness Centre won the prestigious European Sustainability Award for 2019, organised by the European Commission.
This prize is awarded to those projects and initiatives that focus their efforts in turning the SDGs into concrete actions and opportunities. In fact, in its actions, the Ghajn Centre, addresses 10 out of the 17 SDGs from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.