Friday, May 16th, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, the presentation event for the scientific board game “Biodivercity” will be held in the Vaccaro Room at the NA1 Territorial Research Area (ATdR) of the CNR in Naples.
The event is organized by the Flag s.r.l. agency of Naples and the Naples section of the Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET-NA).
The game was developed by IRET-NA within the framework of activities of Spoke 7 “Biodiversity and Society: Communication, Education, and Social Impact” of the PNRR-NBFC Project.
The event aims to introduce the game while also fostering reflection on the importance of games as a tool for communication as well as entertainment. Games can be especially useful in conveying complex and challenging scientific concepts, both in outreach and educational settings.
Biodivercity was created to engage school-age and family audiences through an exciting form of scientific communication centered on urban biodiversity. It is designed for 3–5 players aged 10 and up, and each game session lasts about 30–60 minutes.
The game will be available as a PDF on the websites of the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) and IRET-NA. Files for 3D printing custom game pieces will also be downloadable.
The level of biodiversity in cities is closely linked to human activities. Biodivercity seeks to model an approach that balances human well-being with the protection of urban biodiversity.
Each game invites players to continuously observe the system, imagine the consequences of their own and others’ choices, and act collaboratively in search of a balance between personal well-being and environmental integrity.
The game rewards those who make the greatest positive impact on system equilibrium. Clearly, if everyone aimed for balance, the resulting system would be stable… yet this rarely happens in real life.
This game offers a way to explore what might happen when different behaviors intertwine.
These themes will be discussed with the speakers on Friday, May 16th.
The event will begin with opening remarks by Dr. F. Anna Digilio, head of the IRET Naples section and coordinator of the Biodivercity game working group, who will also introduce the NBFC Center.
She will be followed by Dr. Rocco from INO-CNR, who will discuss games as tools for scientific communication, and game designer Luca Coppola, who will go into detail about Biodivercity and explain its game mechanics.
The presentation will be followed by gameplay sessions.
Attending the event will be the school principal, Prof. Maria Parsacandalo, along with several teachers and students from the first and third grades of the “D’Ovidio Nicolardi” middle school, with whom IRET-NA maintains an active science-education collaboration.