Designing locative human-forest interactions through playful design workshops Timo Nummenmaa1, Philip Chambers2,1, Mattia Thibault1, Samuli Laato1, Ferran Altarriba Bertran1,3, Daniel Fernández Galeote1, Oğuz ‘Oz’ Buruk1 1 Gamification Group, Tampere University, Kalevantie 4, 33100, Tampere, Finland 2 University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistokatu 2, 80100 Joensuu, Finland 3 EU ERAM, Universitat de Girona, Carrer de Sant Antoni 1, 17190, Salt, Spain Abstract Technological advances offer opportunities to motivate and support meaningful interactions with forests and nature. This paper outlines the findings of three distinct design days, all centred on human- forest interaction. The objective is to explore the gameful potential of the intersection between humans, forests, and technology. The design approach in all scenarios involved an outdoor activity, such as geocaching, and a design workshop where card-based ideation methods were used to develop initial ideas. These concepts were further refined and captured as toy-play and play-acting videos. The design days resulted in twelve ideas from twelve groups, each drawing inspiration from the outdoor activity portion of each day which was conducted in a forest or forest-like location. This paper presents the final ideas and analyses them based on their story, characters, setting, values, and goals. The final video outcomes generated by the groups highlight the scope of the design space in human-forest interplay, revealing numerous new avenues for utilising technology in enhancing our connection with forests and nature. Keywords Forest, nature, gamification, playful workshop, play, location-based design 1 1. Introduction their conservation and sustainable use, and simultaneously providing health benefits for forest Forests are among the most valuable and complex visitors [6, 7]. While previous research has utilised ecosystems on Earth. They provide numerous workshops to explore nature-inspired design (NID) beneficial services to humanity such as clean air and and biological-inspired design (BID), [8, 9], as well as water, carbon sequestration, and habitat for the use of biomimicry, natural capitalism and cradle- biodiversity conservation [1]. However, the to-cradle strategies in the development of products relationship between humans and forests is often and services [10, 11], there is a notable gap in the characterized by conflicts relating to unsustainable investigation methods and tools that facilitate bio- practices that can lead to deforestation, degradation, inspiration for positive human-forest interactions, like and loss of ecosystem services [2]. Furthermore, games and nature-based experiences, within in these coupled with trends such as urbanization, the average contexts. Designing human-forest interactions may be person in contemporary society is becoming crucial for achieving environmental and social goals, increasingly disconnected from nature and forests [3]. and design innovation that uses play and gamification Thus, conservationists [4] as well as health should play a key role in motivating and enhancing professionals [5] among others have been interested these interactions. in creating solutions and approaches to revitalize For these reasons, in this study, three design people’s relationships with forests and nature. workshops were conducted with researchers from the In recent years, there has been a growing interest fields of gamification and forestry to produce novel in designing technologies that facilitate positive ideas for the future of human-forest interplay. The interactions between humans and forests, promoting 8th International GamiFIN Conference 2024 (GamiFIN 2024), April 2- 5, 2024, Ruka, Finland timo.nummenmaa@tuni.fi (T. Nummenmaa); philip.chambers@uef.fi (P. Chambers); mattia.thibault@tuni.fi (M. Thibault); samuli.laato@tuni.fi (S. Laato); ferran.altarribabertran@tuni.fi (F. Altarriba Bertran); daniel.fernandezgaleote@tuni.fi (D. Fernández Galeote); oguz.buruk@tuni.fi (O. Buruk) 0000-0002-9896-0338 (T. Nummenmaa); 0000-0002-0586-3142 (P. Chambers); 0000-0002-3593-0350 (M. Thibault); 0000-0003- 4285-0073 (S. Laato); 0000-0002-3692-3777 (F. Altarriba Bertran); 0000-0002-5197-146X (D. Fernández Galeote); 0000-0002-8655- 5327 (O. Buruk) © 2024 Copyright for this paper by its authors. The use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). CEUR ceur-ws.org Workshop ISSN 1613-0073 Proceedings 110 research approach has similarities to how jam events methods provided a game-like structure to the (e.g., game jams) are discussed and reported [6, 12] ideation process, while the planned outdoor activities and includes aspects of ideation technique comparison also included gameplay. While geocaching provided a and evaluation [13, 14]. The capturing of ideas as toy- playful context for human-forest design ideation, play videos was Incorporated, in the spirit of [15], both rather than constituting a strictly gamified approach in for encapsulating the ideas in an easily viewable itself, the use of structured, card-based ideation format and as a tool for analysis. Locative applications methods aligns more closely with gamification, as it and games were focussed on specifically. since these incorporates game design elements into the ideation hold the potential to both: (1) motivate people to go to process [25]. forests; and (2) direct how they spend their time there [16, 17]. This results in an innovative research setup in terms of theme and structure, where the ideas are 2.1. Outdoor exploration events distilled into videos that can be analysed. The rest of this paper is structured as follows: first, Three outdoor exploration events were organised as the workshop method is presented, which was a part of the three workshops. The first involved a visit combination of an idea-generation outdoor activity to a publicly owned outdoor recreation forest in followed by a hands-on indoors design workshop. Tampere, south-central Finland. There, the Second, the design ideas from the three workshops are participants (a mix of gamification and forestry showcased (12 groups altogether). Third, the videos researchers, N=11) were able to meet, network, and that were created to encapsulate the ideas are share knowledge and experiences about forests and analysed based on their story, characters, settings, nature. Participants had the opportunity to freely ask values, and goals. Lastly, the next steps in designing questions about Finnish forestry from the experts in and implementing forest-human technologies and the group. They were also introduced to Geocaching. thoughts for future research are discussed. During the field trip, participants created their own geocaching accounts and collaboratively located several caches hidden in the forest. This playful 2. Methods activity was instrumental in familiarising them with the game, experiencing the game flow in the forest, and For exploration, building on previous experience [18], starting discussions about forest-based game design. three design events were organised where activities The second event included a field trip (see Figure were structured in two parts: 1) that involved a visit to a recreation forest of mixed 1. An outdoor exploration event in a Finnish ownership outside Joensuu in eastern Finland. In this forest, involving nature exploration and field trip, the participants were forestry researchers exercise through geocaching, discussions on (N=20) who were taking part in a networking day that design ideas, learning about nature, and involved following a geocaching trail laid out as part of networking. the UNITE flagship2. The geocaches along this trail 2. A playful design workshop that presented incorporated surveys with questions relating to various design approaches for generating human-forest relationships and landscape novel, technology-mediated interaction preferences. Consequently, these topics were design ideas within the forest context. prevalent in participants’ discussions during the day. The first two workshops concentrated on two distinct card-based methods, while the third adopted a more free-form approach that involved the addition of a third set of cards. The first two outdoor exploration events involved engaging with the location-based game known as geocaching. Geocaching1 is a location-based treasure- hunt game where players look for hidden containers (caches) with the help of GPS. Launched in 2000, it has more than 3 million active caches hidden all over the world. Geocaching has been utilised in previous studies exploring cultural ecosystem services [19], recreational ecosystem services [20] and, as it is a Figure 1: Second field trip. community-generated game, it has been seen as a useful tool for the generation of new game ideas [21]. The third event involved exploring the The ideation methods used are aligned with playful surroundings of a hut in Finnish Lapland. The design [22] and influenced by the design methods participants were attendees at a gamification-focused described in the “Universal methods of design” [23]. The conference (N=16). At the beginning of the workshop, process of reporting is inspired by the best practices of they were invited to venture into the snow-covered how game jam research presents the events organised forests surrounding the hut and engage with the and the resulting games (e.g. [24] and [12]). environment for an hour in any way they found Both activities include playful and gamified interesting. They were asked to reflexively focus on elements. Specifically, the card-based ideation their lived experiences during this time and consider if 1 https://www.geocaching.com/play (Retrieved 2 https://uniteflagship.fi (Retrieved 11.1.2024) 11.1.2024) 111 and how these experiences brought them joy. After co- experiencing this forest immersion, participants The Hybridex Deck allows for the creation of new returned to the hut and received a set of small cards to ideas or the improvement of an existing one. The users document the things they had just experienced. These draw a CASE, CATALYST and PATTERN card (and an cards facilitated the documenting of four types of data: additional IDEA card if they want to create a new one). 1. Anecdotes of their experiences. CASE cards represent existing examples of hybrid 2. Reflections they had during those events. products or services (e.g. Romo the Robot), CATALYST 3. Design ideas for technologies that could cards present specific phenomena in the area of enhance those kinds of experiences. physical digital hybrids (e.g. quantified self), PATTERN 4. Memories of past forest-related experiences cards highlight patterns of existing cases (e.g. photo evoked during the exercise. play), and, finally, IDEA cards are intended to offer These cards later served as inspirational material inspiration [27]. for generating the design ideas elaborated upon during The VNA deck is a set of VERB, NOUN, and the workshop. ADJECTIVE cards, each with just a single word printed on one side. The words, which are related to playful hybrid products and services that combine physical 2.2. Workshops and digital properties, are used to build the idea sequentially, e.g. by taking turns. The VNA method has The second part of each design event centred around a been used in the past at game jam events [29]. design workshop inspired by game jams [26], a In the third and final workshop, two additional framework in which several organisers and design materials were employed: First, as noted above, participants had extensive expertise, both practical participants built on the cards they produced as a and academic. The participants were instructed to result of their 1-hour engagement with the nearby build on the experiences and recollections of the field forest. Second, they were given decks of the ”human- trip and use card-based methods to ideate forest interaction play potentials cards”: a collection of technologically mediated playful interactions with cards developed that featured a range of playful forests. In all workshops, but especially the first two, experiences identified in recent research into the the Hybridex Deck [27] and the VNA cards [28] were playful potential of forest-related activities [30]. utilised (see Figure 2). Both methods required Taking these two resources as inspirational material, participants to draw a sequence of cards from a participants were invited to ideate on how technology specific deck, whose combination would offer might support joyful forms of human-nature instructions and inspiration on how to develop a interaction. design idea. Finally, to concretise and visualise the ideas, toys such as LEGO bricks and other props were used in an activity of low-fi prototyping and pretend playtesting. Participants used play representations of the technologically mediated interaction they ideated and used the props such as LEGO figures to illustrate how users might interact with them. The resulting ideas were finalised and recorded as a video of toy-play or play-acting [15] to display the possible interaction patterns with the games and maintain a record of the experience. 2.3. Reporting and analysis As the workshops conclude in the creation of videos where the ideas are acted out, data is created for use in analysis as a part of the workshop design. In addition to the videos, the differing workshop activities and how different design tools are made available are stored. The use of tools and the activities participants took part in provides insight into how the ideas were created and is presented in section 3 together with the resulting ideas. A narrative analysis of the generated videos themselves is presented in section 4. This style of analysis, grounded in generative semiotics [31], is chosen as it allows a systematic and in-depth engagement with the videos, despite their short length. The research approach used in this paper can be distilled into the following steps: 1. Workshops are organised that include Figure 2: Card-based ideation methods VNA (top), outdoor exploration and the use of ideation Hybridex Deck (middle) and Play potential cards methods. (bottom). 112 2. The workshops are concluded in such a way 3.2. Session 2 that resulting ideas are acted out and captured as videos. For session two, 17 participants attended the 3. The resulting ideas and the ideation methods workshop session, including three who joined only for that were used are described. that session. The participants were split into five 4. The resulting videos are analysed using groups of 3 to 5 participants, three used the Hybridex narrative analysis. Deck [27] and two used the VNA cards [28]. Additionally, a selection of LEGOs, playing cards, pens 3. Resulting ideas and paper were made available to all. The groups developed the following ideas, one final idea per group (See Figure 4). In this section, the three ideation sessions and the Group one used the Hybridex Deck. The idea is a 2- resulting game ideas are presented. See Table 1 for an player console game or phone app. The player plays as overview of the twelve ideas created in total, together a black grouse or hunter and moves around a board with the ideation cards that were used by the group, with flowers and obstacles. As a grouse, you get points the idea description, and themes that can be derived when flowers are eaten. The hunter gets points from from the idea. The number of participants in each pointing a sword at the grouse. The game ends when session is not always exactly the same as the number the hunter kills the grouse by touching it. The final of participants in the outdoors activity. Specifically, video of the game was acted out using Lego characters, there were more participants in the outdoors portion flowers, and obstacles on a Lego board and included an in sessions 1 and 2 compared to the workshop portion. audio description. Playful music was added to the There were also some participants at the session 2 video for effect. workshop who did not participate in the outdoors Group two used the VNA deck. In the idea, a young activity. couple battle a dragon to save their magical forest idyll. In the final video, the game was acted out using Lego 3.1. Session 1 characters. The game is story-driven and lights to create drama in the video. For session 1, 9 participants attended the workshop Group three used the VNA deck. In the game, there session. They were split into two groups of 4 and 5 are two players (Bob and Olivia). Each player finds participants, one using the Hybridex Deck [27] and the geocaches and guesses whether the other player likes other the VNA cards [28]. Additionally, a selection of the geocache. If there is agreement, then they get LEGOs, playing cards, pens and paper were made points but no points if they do not match. At the end of available to all. the game if they do not meet a threshold then Bob has Group one used the Hybridex Deck to guide their to pick flowers. In the final video of the game, the game ideation phase. As a result, the group imagined a was acted out using Lego characters and trees to depict mixed-reality game which fostered forest engagement where the geocaches are. and helped players learn about wildlife and the Group four used the Hybridex deck. In the resulting complexity of the ecosystem. Players would use an app game, the player builds structures to protect the to scan plants found in the wild, identify the species character from a dangerous typhoon that is selected, and learn about them. Each scan of a new approaching. In the video, the game was acted out plant would also grant the players some virtual ”seeds” using Lego depicting the structures and the typhoon. to be used in their own customised virtual garden. In Group five used the Hybridex deck. The game that game space, the real plants’ counterparts will involves playing as a robotic ant that roams the forest grow and reproduce. collecting data. The video of the game was acted out Group two used the VNA Deck to guide their using Lego to depict the character and the forest. A ideation phase. In their final idea, a visitor arrives at a picture-in-picture mode is used to show what the lean-to shelter in a forest. There they find a magic character sees in the forest using a video of a real portal (a real-time video screen) that lets them travel forest. Playful music was added to the video for effect through time to view different scenarios of the forest along with text displaying the game name. around them, as well as forests in other parts of the world through a network of connected shelters. Initially, the screen shows a dystopian future, in a destroyed forest. The players are then given tasks (e.g., trapping virtual invasive species with virtual fences) which, once completed, see the forest condition begin to improve. The final ideas of both groups were recorded as two short videos using LEGOs to visualise them (see Figure 3). Figure 4: Session 2 games (Top left - Group 3, Bottom Figure 3: Session 1 games (group 1 on the left, group left - Group 4, Centre - Group 5, Top right, Group 1, 2 on the right) recorded as LEGO play. Bottom right - Group 2). 113 Table 1 List of all resulting ideas. Session 1 Group Card deck Description Themes 1 Hybridex A digital gardening game which prompts Indoor-outdoor game, gardening, players to go to a real forest and identify invasive species, environmental invasive species. Digital garden restored to protection, real-world impact. former glory by removing invasive species in the real world. 2 VNA Portals connect forest recreation areas Invasive species, environmental around the world. Augmented reality reveals protection, epic adventure, global a dystopian vision with invasive species village, collaborative games behind players. Players collaborate on tasks to clear areas. Session 2 Group Card deck Description Themes 1 Hybridex 2-player turn-taking game involving a hunter Hunting, resource management, and game bird. Points are given for tasks. The chasing, strategy game, role-playing game ends when the hunter kills the bird. 2 VNA A young couple battle a dragon to save their Forest peace and harmony, epic magical forest idyll. fantasy, action-adventure, love story, role-playing, conflict, environmental protection. 3 VNA Two players find geocaches and guess How well do you know your friend? whether the other player likes the geocache. Guessing game, geocaching, Points for correct guesses. A threshold must punishment, location-based game be met to avoid punishment. 4 Hybridex The game requires you to build structures to Climate change and mitigation, wild protect your character from the approaching nature, human safety, adaptation, dangerous typhoon. structure building, tower defence game 5 Hybridex The game involves playing as a robotic ant Data collection, robotics, remote that roams the forest collecting data. control, being in the forest remotely, sandbox game, simulation game Session 3 Group Card deck Description Themes 1 Play An app for creating an asynchronous nature Mobile app, audio-based, potential experience by recording and mixing sounds asynchronous experience, social at a location for sharing with others. 2 Nothing Tasks are given to the user to enjoy nature Tactile experience, quests, enjoying specific with e.g. hugging a tree or lying down on nature moss. 3 Play Information is conveyed on how feeding Learning, story, wellbeing of animals potential animals in the park can have bad consequences. 4 Nothing An app invites the user to be mindful with Mobile app, mindfulness, specific trees nearby. relaxation, location based 114 underneath the snow cover. In the final video, a Lego character moves on snow, also made of Lego. It is 3.3. Session 3 revealed that there are cavernous structures under the snow and even more things from the previous season In session 3, participants were divided into 5 groups, hidden beneath the snow. each consisting of 3 to 4 members. The use of card- based methods in this session was not as integral to the process in this session as the previous sessions. Specific decks were not distributed to the groups, and they had the flexibility to use any cards from the three decks offered (VNA, HYBRIDEX, Play potential) and could also use the nature experience cards they were encouraged to create during the outdoors activity (see Figure 5). For creating the videos, the groups once again had access to LEGOs, as well as toys and objects that were found within the workshop location (See Figure 6). Additionally, they incorporated the outdoor elements into their videos. Figure 6: Session 3 games (Top left - Group 1, Bottom left - Group 3, Centre - Group 2, Top right, Group 4, Bottom right - Group 5). 4. Analysis A simple narrative analysis was conducted, grounded in generative semiotics [31] on all the videos produced in the workshops. The analysis focused on their story arc (the initial situation, its development, and the ending), the characters (who are they and how do they relate to their environment and to technology), settings (what are the places that are represented and Figure 5: Cards filled by participants. how is it done), values (what are the values embedded more or less explicitly in the story) and, lastly, the goal Group one used the Play potential cards to aid their (that a character or the designer is trying to ideation. The idea is that it is possible to record and accomplish). mix audio at specific locations and share the result As the videos were short (between 0:20 - 3:03 with others. This is accomplished with a mobile phone minutes), analysis was conducted by watching the application that is made as an asynchronous videos and reporting how the above categories experience for the users. In the final video, a person appeared in them. walks on snow towards a hut. There is a puddle of water at the hut. The person records the sound of light rain hitting 4.1. Analysis of concepts from the water and walks away. Group two did not use a session 1 (videos enacted with specific card method. Their idea revolves around the idea of tasks being given to the user in order to LEGO) promote enjoyment of the forest. In the final video, nature scenery is first shown, followed by cards with Group 1: In the story, an avatar is playing in a digital simple tasks (e.g. ”hum a tune like the sound of your garden. They want the vegetation to be more varied. steps on the snow” and ”lie down on a bed of moss”) The player visits a forest in the real world, scanning and then a doll is shown acting out these tasks. plants to obtain digital seeds. The scanned flower Group three used the Play potential cards. Their reveals itself as invasive in both the game and real life. idea is to warn about the dangers of behaving without The player uproots it in both environments. better knowledge in the forest. In the final video, three Characters: Only one human character, present in the birds are given a piece of cake by two elf dolls. Next, game through a robot-looking avatar, and physically in the birds die, and the elves realise that it is because of the real world. Setting: Two settings: (1) a digital the cake. garden (represented as a playful space with weird Group four did not use a specific card method. sculptures and vegetation), (2) a Finnish forest Their idea involved creating an application that (represented through a few elements: a tree, moss, and informs the user about places to stop and be mindful. a flower). Values: (1) fun / customisation (the player In the final video, a person walks in the snow and their enjoys taking care of the virtual garden), (2) phone informs them that there is something next to enjoyment of nature (when moving in the real forest), them. The person then moves to relax in front of tree, (3) ecosystem integrity (removing invasive species and the video concludes with a view of the tree. from both environments). Goals: The aim of the game Group five did not use a specific card method. Their seems to be teaching about biodiversity and activating idea is to use a gamified application to sense the world actions for removing invasive species. 115 Group 2: In the story, a forest visitor reaches a (the game is about testing one’s knowledge about laavu (a forest shelter) and finds a magic portal which another person), (2) fun (the game is supposed to be allows them to see a dystopian future. The player fun to play). Goals: The goal of the game is to guess completes tasks with a friend (e.g. traps invasive which geocaches someone else would like. species) and the future vision transforms into a better Group 4: In the story, a typhoon hit a coastal area. one. Characters: A forest visitor and a helper friend. A 3D printer, created for this purpose, prints a bench Their opponent is some abstractly represented that is both indestructible and reassuring (playing invasive species. Setting: A laavu in a Finnish forest, a music and soothing messages) to protect a person digital representation of the future. The future is filled there. The person is unaffected by the storm. with unnatural elements, mostly black, which are Characters: The main characters are the designers exchanged with green colour and plants when it that set up the 3D printer, not represented in the video transforms. Values: (1) friendship (voiceover insists besides in the voiceover. The main opponent is the on collective action), (2) control (players fence off the typhoon, represented as a colourful LEGO tower. Only invasive species), (3) ecosystem integrity (removing one human character is represented, as a passive invasive species from both environments). Goals: The entity being protected by the 3D printed bench. aim is to do multiple tasks with friends to improve the Setting: The setting is a beach (a shore in yellow and a outlook of the area at the lean-to. sea in blue). On it, are two structures: a 3D printer and a bench (the latter looks like a bunker, both represented with very colourful LEGO pieces). Values: 4.2. Analysis of concepts from (1) Safety (the project is about protecting and session 2 (videos enacted with reassuring). Goals: The goal is to protect people and LEGO) help them survive a storm and feel safe. Group 5: In the story, a robotic ant with a human Group 1: In the story, the avatar of a hunter and a driver moves across a forest collecting data. grouse move in a digital space. The grouse eats some Characters: A robot-ant, composed of one vehicle with flowers before being slain by the hunter with a sword. long antenna-like sensors and a human driver wearing Characters: Two opponents: the grouse feeding on a helmet. Setting: The setting is a forest, represented flowers and a hunter pursuing the grouse with a long by a series of trees, leaves, and flowers, but also laser sword. Setting: A digital space with maze-like human-made fences. Some video footage of the forest qualities. The characters start at opposite sides of it. excursion is visible in the top left corner of the screen Values: (1) fun (it is presented as a game), (2) and at the end of the video. Values: (1) Data (data sustainability (voiceover stated the game aims at collection is presented as an important endeavour). teaching sustainable hunting practices and Finnish Goals: The goal is to scan the forest with the robotic culture), (3) Achievement (both characters pursue ant. clear achievable objectives). Goals: Each of the two players in the game attempts to reach a win condition: 4.3. Analysis of concepts from the grouse eats flowers and reaches the top of the tree or the hunter kills the grouse. session 3 (live action videos Group 2: In the story, a boy and a girl want to live and videos enacted with toys) in peace in a magical forest, a dragon attacks them and attempts to destroy the forest. After a battle, they kill Group 1: In the story, Isabella hears some trickling the dragon. Characters: There are two human water while on a stroll. She uses a phone app to record characters working together. They are represented the sound and shares it with others (who can access with LEGO bricks and their genders are coded with and remix it via the app). She then continued her stroll. light blue and pink colours. The opponent is a dragon, Characters: The only character present is Isabella. also made out of LEGO bricks. The dragon fire is also Other humans are inferred by the use of the app. represented with LEGO and highlighted with light Setting: A village covered in snow, featuring some far effects. Setting: A magical forest is divided into two away trees and several wooden buildings. Water sides, one for each main character. There is a tower trickles from a cabin’s overhang to a puddle below. behind which the dragon is hiding and returns to die. Values: (1) aesthetics (the sounds of nature as a Values: (1) companionship (the main characters want pleasurable aesthetic experience), (2) creativity to live together), (2) harmony (they want a peaceful (remixing and editing natural sounds), 3) sociality life in the forest), (3) valour (the story is about battles (sharing the sounds with others). Goal: To record, edit, and might). Goals: The goal is for the boy and girl to and share soundscapes with others. defeat the dragon and conquer the forest. Group 2: A person is roaming in the forest and Group 3: In the story, there are two friends, Bob finds a series of invitations that suggest different and Olivia. Bob visits 5 geocaches and marks which actions (hug a tree, lay on moss...). She then does all ones he thinks Olivia would like. Next, they go together those actions. She finally finds one last invitation to the caches and score points if Bob’s predictions are telling her to keep enjoying the forest. Characters: The correct. The first two are correct, but not the third. To only character is one person, represented by a doll. remedy this, Bob has to go into a pit and pick flowers Setting: A forest, represented with several pictures of for Olivia. Characters: Two human characters, Bob trees and mushrooms, with some sticks and pinecones, and Olivia collaborating. Setting: The setting is a and finally with a series of items (Christmas forest, specifically five locations containing geocaches decorations, pieces of wood...). Values: (1) enjoyment and a pit containing flowers. Values: (1) friendship (the value of the forest comes from the enjoyment of 116 it), (2) discovery (there are hidden clues to be found), influence of the field trip discussions, which often (3) sensations (the game focuses on the sensations and focused on the impacts of invasive species on forest feelings from interacting with the forest). Goal: The management and deforestation pressures. goal is to do activities that get the person closer to the In the second session with a larger number of forest. groups, the themes were rather broad with many Group 3: In the story, a child and a mother see forestry-related themes appearing in the final game some birds. They feed them chocolate cake and leave. designs. Geocaching and data collection, themes that The birds eat the cake and some of them die. The family appeared during the field trip, were directly integrated returns, realises what they did and runs away. into two of the ideas. The nature theme was present in Characters: Characters include a child and a parent, all of the ideas. Also, themes relating to environmental represented by dolls, and three birds, represented by protection and climate change were present. These bird-shaped egg cups. Setting: A space hosting some themes were explored using a variety of game types trees, a rocky hill, and a yellow building. Values: (1) including collaborative games, sandbox games, and compassion (the characters decide to feed the birds as role-playing games. Furthermore, many of the game an act of kindness), (2) escape from consequences designs used role-playing, fantasy, and epic adventure (while feeling guilty, the characters run away from the as part of their design. dead birds). Goal: Teaching people that feeding In the third session, most participants focused on animals can be damaging. the human experiences of nature. All settings reflected Group 4: In the story, a person walks on a snowy some form of interaction with natural phenomena, and path and stops when he receives a notification on their all reflected, in one way or another, values that phone. Probably prompted by it, he then notices a tree included aesthetic enjoyment and creativity, felt at his left and approaches it. He then seems to meditate connection with the forest, and insight beyond what or pray next to the tree. Characters: A person acted by the eyes can see. Even though the third idea aimed to a human. Setting: A path near several threes. A bridge minimise the harm done to wildlife, its tone was also and some buildings are visible down the path. Values: very much focused on human enjoyment, as signified (1) surprise (the character seems to enjoy being by the child’s excitement and appreciation of the birds. suddenly notified), (2) Mindfulness (the character The awareness that was the core of this idea was eagerly engages in some meditative activity). Goal: To another prevalent theme—all other ideas included find places to relax in the forest. forms of noticing and being mindful of and with the Group 5: In the story a person walks on a snowy forest. path and, thanks to some kind of application, can In Session 1, the themes were focused on dystopian visualise patterns in the snow and even what is futures and technological advancements which may beneath it - flora, fauna, water, etc. Characters: A reflect on the gamification researchers’ exposure to person represented as a LEGO figure. Setting: A snowy these themes in the games they work with. However, path and the layers beneath it. The layers are Session 2 seems to be more about enhancing existing represented as a white snowy uneven surface with a activities or re-imagining them. The forest researchers small stream crossing it, and a green surface with some are likely participating in these activities themselves, flowers on it. Values: (1) perception (the app allows us such as hunting, protecting forests from risks, to see complexity under the surface, (2) mobility measuring, and recreation. Session 3 is more diverse (voice-over explains that this could lead to new ways and has a stronger connection to mindfulness overall. of moving things and people via water/snow). Goal: This may be due to the mixed make-up of the group, To discover what is under the surface of the snow. but also the different workshop structure that emphasizes reflexivity exercises. The outdoor activities worked well in connection 5. Discussion with the workshop activities. Clear connections to the outdoor activities offered to the participants can also All three design days produced creative ideas on how be seen in the produced ideas e.g. geocaching and a to use technology for human-forest interaction and lean-to shelter as a game location appear in the ideas. resulted in twelve distinct ideas captured in video Mindfulness and sensing nature is also a theme that format. The themes included learning, social was promoted through the cards participants filled out interactions, hunting, resource management, forest in session 3. peace and harmony, adventure, environment In general, all of the ideation methods were protection, conflict, geocaching, climate change, safety, successful in helping the participants generate the mindfulness, robotics, and data collection. ideas. The field trips, along with the stated goals and There were differences in the composition of the backgrounds of the participants, directed the participants in the sessions. The first session consisted ideation process towards human-forest interaction, mostly of gamification researchers, the second session which was the main goal. As a result, all of the final mostly of forest science researchers, and the third ideas were very much grounded in this area. Although session was a mix of gamification researchers, forest specific ideation cards work well when used, they sciences researchers and researchers from other might not be essential as there are a multitude of other fields. The sessions were also slightly different in tools available. execution, as there was more freedom for the The analysis shows that three main types of participants in the third session. narrative were presented. The most common is a In the first session, the groups chose to reflect on ”gameplay” type (displaying some sort of playful the negative consequences of direct, or indirect, activity - like the hunting game). There is also a ”scene” human activity in the forest. This illustrates the type (in which there are no important changes of 117 status, but more the illustration of some principle - like in these cases relating to pro-social, healthy, and perceiving what is hidden under the snow), and a nature-caring actions. The goals presented in the ”story” type (where some events are narrated - as in videos often explicitly highlight this exact connection. the bird feeding video). The types of stories suggest a focus on technology-mediated interactions that generally have immediate and local effects - there is no 6. Conclusions representation of long or wide scale consequences. While this is probably due to the workshops’ The way the three design days were structured, with instructions, it could be important in the future, to outdoor activities and collaborative workshops, incorporate a more systemic and ecological layer to proved to be effective in directing participants’ the reflection. Interestingly, many of the stories creative efforts towards genuine and pressing issues in featuring non-human characters had to do with killing the forestry sector, as well as towards a focus on well- them, either voluntarily (in the hunting game and the being. The approach was accessible enough for dragon battle) or involuntarily (the birds killed by everyone to participate, and all groups were successful cake). This observation is somewhat surprising: in producing a video that captured their idea. The despite the attempt to be conscious about nature in the videos manage to take what would regularly be a walks and workshops, it seems that transcending an textual representation of the idea into a more tangible antagonistic relationship with non-human creatures audio-visual representation that effectively has not been fully realised. communicated and saved the produced idea. Effective The characters are predominantly humans, or communication is key when moving from an idea to an humans augmented with technology (game avatars). implementation. Non-human characters are only mentioned or have Based on these findings, future efforts in designing limited agency (the birds that eat cake and die), with playful systems for human-forest interaction would the notable exception of the grouse and the dragon benefit from a similar approach, since forest play and (both of which are killed, and the dragon is an informed discussions in combination provided a unnatural character). Most stories feature only one or strong foundation for creative undertakings. two characters, generally already related (friends, Still, there are also limitations to this approach. family). This suggests a perception that interactions Specifically, the solution is currently reliant on with forests and nature are a privileged space, where participants being able to be physically present at a social bonds among humans are reinforced or enjoyed. location that is suitable for driving ideation. This This could, in part, be attributed to the forest limitation could potentially be mitigated through the excursions that preceded the workshops. In the future, use of virtual reality solutions. Another limitation of it may be important to expand the stories to the study itself is that all of the participants were encompass larger social groups and include non- somehow engaged in academia. It is not possible to human characters. conclude how the approach would work with a All of the settings in the videos represent different participant demographic. environments with strong natural components There are many potential future directions for this (forests, paths, shorelines). In some cases, these are work, e.g. (1) implementing designs based on the mediated or completely virtual spaces. The elements findings, (2) conducting more workshops with a used to represent these spaces are limited, and include similar setup within the same topic area or a different a green base (representing grass), trees, moss, flowers, one, (3) conducting the workshops partially in virtual snow, and streams/puddles. Most spaces contain only reality in such a way that it is not necessary to visit the very few of these elements (between 3 and 7) to actual on-site locations, and (4) improving the symbolise large natural spaces. The elements workshop method and creating more specific generally have no specific significance but are generic guidelines into organising such workshops. indicators of ”nature”. Most environments also include some traces of human activity, such as structures or vehicles. 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