Abstract
ABSTRACT | This is a project to create awareness of the refugee situation, and the proposed
format(s) have been tested for several years with optimum results. Please check the game’s
website (https://www.refugeoly.org/) to see how the game is played. The requirement for this
activity is a black floor space to place a vinyl sticker (3x3 meters) with the game. A TV monitor is
also required to introduce the game before playing it. There can be 2 to 3 sessions per day.
Refugeoly is a serious game whose main purpose is not just to play for fun but also to
understand a humanitarian crisis. This board game is designed to experience, based on
real facts, the dramatic journey of refugees trying to get into a country that can give them
asylum. Playing Refugeoly turns the player into a refugee and becomes conscious of the real
circumstances a refugee must go through on the journey to safety. Refugeoly has been built into
a game with the testimonies of refugees and NGO volunteers in refugee camps in Greece, Turkey,
Spain, and France, as well as information from different organisations. This paper aims to explain
the design process, the game mechanics, the different tested game formats, the feedback from
the general public, academics and students who have played it and its future development.
The proposal is a gaming activity in which the players embody the role of a refugee, and through
playing this floor game, they can have an immersive experience of the circumstances that
refugees have to go through in their journey to safety. This game has been played in several
institutions in the last few years and has received very good feedback, especially as a pedagogical
tool to understand and learn the realities around forced migration.
This serious game is supported by a website where users can download, print and play the game:
https://www.refugeoly.org/
format(s) have been tested for several years with optimum results. Please check the game’s
website (https://www.refugeoly.org/) to see how the game is played. The requirement for this
activity is a black floor space to place a vinyl sticker (3x3 meters) with the game. A TV monitor is
also required to introduce the game before playing it. There can be 2 to 3 sessions per day.
Refugeoly is a serious game whose main purpose is not just to play for fun but also to
understand a humanitarian crisis. This board game is designed to experience, based on
real facts, the dramatic journey of refugees trying to get into a country that can give them
asylum. Playing Refugeoly turns the player into a refugee and becomes conscious of the real
circumstances a refugee must go through on the journey to safety. Refugeoly has been built into
a game with the testimonies of refugees and NGO volunteers in refugee camps in Greece, Turkey,
Spain, and France, as well as information from different organisations. This paper aims to explain
the design process, the game mechanics, the different tested game formats, the feedback from
the general public, academics and students who have played it and its future development.
The proposal is a gaming activity in which the players embody the role of a refugee, and through
playing this floor game, they can have an immersive experience of the circumstances that
refugees have to go through in their journey to safety. This game has been played in several
institutions in the last few years and has received very good feedback, especially as a pedagogical
tool to understand and learn the realities around forced migration.
This serious game is supported by a website where users can download, print and play the game:
https://www.refugeoly.org/
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Design Across Borders. United in Creativity |
| Subtitle of host publication | Cumulus Conference Proceedings Series 2024 |
| Pages | 2031 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-952-7549-06-3 ( |
| Publication status | Published - 25 May 2025 |
