Abstract
In this paper, we discuss the importance of gameplay as a valuable tool in citizen sensing initiatives aimed at enabling creative collaboration and civic engagement. We present a review of selected citizen science and civic technologies’ projects highlighting an emerging culture of massive collaborative initiatives that make use of crowdsourcing, enabling users to voluntarily contribute their time, effort and resources towards scientific research and civic issues. Moreover, we discuss how these initiatives could benefit from the inclusion of gameplay in their interaction processes. For that matter, we present a gamified citizen sensing project we are devising for users to enter and retrieve information on commercially available food products which contain ingredients associated with an increased risk of cancer and other diseases. Through gameplay, we expect to crowdsource an open database of potentially unhealthy food products, raising awareness among consumers about the risks of certain artificial additives. Finally, we argue that the use of gamification processes can engage voluntary participation in initiatives aimed at citizenship – including those which demand complex and repetitive tasks for the collection of data – and call for a more ethical, critical, and meaningful use of these new potential technologies, and for greater awareness of our new civic responsibilities. Keywords: interaction design, gamification, citizen sensing, mobile applications, artificial food additives.
Highlights
As foreseen by Mark Weiser over two decades ago, computer devices and systems have become intrinsically and transparently integrated into the fabric of our human existence (Weiser, 1991)
Smartphones have become affordable to more people around the globe – by the end of 2017, over 5 billion users had a mobile in their pockets, according to a study recently released by GSMA Intelligence (Sivakumaran and Iacopino, 2018) – and have gained substantial relevance in everyday life, as they become integrated in all social environments and are used “to help address the challenges of access, cost and quality of service in key industries, including healthcare, agriculture, utilities, education and financial services” (Sivakumaran and Iacopino, 2018, p. 4)
The students commented on the fact they had not been priory exposed to any information regarding artificial food additives, and were not aware of the danger they could cause to their health
Summary
As foreseen by Mark Weiser over two decades ago, computer devices and systems have become intrinsically and transparently integrated into the fabric of our human existence (Weiser, 1991). Ubiquitous mobile technologies have intertwined our physical and digital realities, creating new hybrid experiences and expanding both our individual and social frontiers. Thanks to the use of positioning systems and sensors, the growth of networks for wireless communication, as well as the increasing offer of applications and functional items, the amount of personal data and information gathered by these mobile devices is multiplying at an incredible rate. 3), with the fast growth of ubiquitous computing – which took place during this second decade – ordinary devices and technologies became smart and more attractive to users, and much more pervasive.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
