I_Game aimed to bring together partners working in different fields of board game industry (manufacturing, structure & design, needs analysis, inclusion of people with disabilities, Minorities and/or Socially Excluded people) through 4 Learning Training Teaching Activities (LTTAs) in order to combine their different perspectives, experiences and expertises and to make the design of a serious board game up-to-date with modern board game industry techniques and mechanics that all can capitalize. The specific objectives were: OBJ1-Improve competencies of educators and other adult staff OBJ2-Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education OBJ3-Create upskilling pathways, improve accessibility and increasing take-up of adult education Our scope was through the series of 4 LTTAs, to update the pedagogy and didactics of Game Based Learning (GBL) and empower the utilization of board games as learning methodology. The project aimed also to disseminate the gained experience to relevant stakeholders (organizations and individuals supporting people with Disability and/or Minorities or Socially Excluded people, board game Industry professionals and societies) in order to enable more institutions to benefit from the project’s results.
Serious games are one of the most effective forms of learning. Board games especially can offer a variety of advantages such as their social aspect, as people are required to socially interact with their peers, decision making and other cognitive and soft skills development, lower budget needed to print and play or buy a game (instead of having ownership of a computer or/and other digital devices), inclusive aspects and intricate game mechanics that can offer extra immersion to any topic. Moreover the recreational nature of games allows the participant to enjoy the learning process, thus paying more attention and absorbing the offered knowledge and skills. However, most educational projects and their results focus on serious games that are based on old concepts (eg. Snakes and Ladders), lacking understanding of the capabilities the modern gaming industry and mechanics offer, or are limited to digital game versions. I-GAME project was envisioned to bridge the knowledge gap of creating inclusive serious board games, by bringing together organizations with a variable set of expertise and facilitating a modern understanding of the potential uses of board games within education, for different target groups.