Steps to Design a Household Energy Game

Abstract

Research where gamification is used to influence household energy consumption is an emerging field. This paper reviews the design of games that aim to influence household energy consumption. The designs of ten games are analyzed. From this review, suggestions for the design of a new game have been identified, such as presence of a strong storyline, real live missions, customized game characters, monitoring the electricity meter, etc. Based on this comparative analysis, a new game focused on reducing energy consumption has been designed and its prototype is described and will be demonstrated at the conference. In the next stage of iterative design, end-users will be involved by means of focus groups. This considerate user-centered design process allows us to build a serious game that is effective in reducing household energy consumption.