Game for change?

Civic Sense Game
Aug 24, 2017 · 3 min read

There are scores of apps, aimed at making our lives easier and simpler, but only a select few which focus on making our surroundings better. Civic Sense Game belongs to the latter category.

It is a free-to-download-and-play iOS and Android mobile game, designed to educate players of all ages about civic issues, such as waste management. There are three different modes of gameplay — Arcade, Endless and Timer, 12 different environments like home, school, amusement park, metro station, mall, cinema theatre, hospital etc, each with 10 levels.

After being welcomed into the game by a monkey holding a coconut, three monkeys seated at the top of three conveyor belts keep dispatching waste items like plastic, paper and food. The player needs to segregate the waste by swiping different waste items onto their corresponding conveyor belts, and ensuring that each lands in their designated bins.

The game has a feature which enables the player to view details of the game played, and also lists the waste items that weren’t disposed of properly, providing an opportunity to learn as the game progresses.

Waste items can also be combined to gain multiple points and higher scores. With high scores, the player can move to different levels, which means more complexities along the way, like bombs, monsters, brick walls and bubbles.

There’s also a store to help the player buy powers using coconuts, which is the game currency; in turn, you can buy coconuts from the app stores as well, using in-app purchases.

“How many schools and households can you go to? It is not possible, but with the intervention of technology, it is,” says S Ashwin Kumar, CMO, Civic Sense Private Limited. The company’s name is synonymous with its core philosophy. Founded by Sidharth Reddy and Suresh Bhimavarapu in August 2016, the idea is to address civic issues through the use of technology. Located in Bengaluru’s Electronic City, the outfit approached BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) to collaborate, and let it place a few eco-friendly bins for different kinds of waste in a few streets in the area. “BBMP was keen, but rightly said that people don’t know about segregation yet, which is when we thought of doing something to create awareness amongst children. For any change to come about, the first step is awareness followed by engagement,” emphasises Kumar. Civic Sense Game was born in April this year.

There have been more than 1,000 downloads of the app on iOS and 100 on Android. While the colourful landscape, attractive design, custom background music for different levels and environments, and the perky monkey character, it appeals to adults too. “Based on the average time and maturity level and other skills, we can gauge that a lot of adults are playing the game themselves and they are the ones who will actually download it on their phone and give it to their kids.”

With time and response, the game is slated to be enriched with more features. “We are entering into collaborations with other players like Bint Biotech, Clean up Nepal and Waste Ventures. Through animes and references, we will try to educate people about recycled objects being made by these companies and where they are available.”

They also plan to introduce more fun characters like a unicorn, cat and dog. Between games, they plan a video interlude of a unicorn explaining the process of composting.

“We also plan to launch contests. Based on scores and skills, we will announce winners who will get eco-friendly bins, which are being designed right now,” Kumar adds.


Originally published at www.thehindu.com.

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Civic Sense Game

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Civic Sense is a game to spread awareness of waste management to kids, parents and all age groups. Spread the awareness. Spread the Joy. Spread Civic Sense!

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