Pollution Runner: a Serious Game to Promote Awareness towards Air Pollution

Engaging the general public in science and providingeasy access to scientific knowledge poses significant challenges. Inthe context of air pollution, we present an integrated approachthat combines citizen science, serious games, and accessibletechnologies as a strategic solution to engage the general public inscientific endeavors. We propose the use of a Serious Game thatemploys real-time sensor data to raise awareness, disseminateinformation, and potentially encourage an attitude change. Theintegration of real-time sensors conjugated with the peculiaritiesof Serious Games and player motivation theories representthe core concept of providing real-time data in a playful andcomprehensible manner.The paper discusses the design and development of the PollutionRunner, a 3D runner game implemented in Unity; the gamefeatures game mechanics, interfaces, and difficulty levels basedon real-time data fetched from air quality sensors adhering toEPA standards and shared through The World Air Quality Indexproject. Such data are exported in HTML5 format to maximizeits reach, compatibility, accessibility, and ease of use. Through theimplementation of this integrated approach, we aim to facilitatepublic engagement in understanding and addressing sensor datarelated to air pollution while providing an enjoyable gamingexperience, aimed to have a meaningful impact.