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M. Zorn:
"Let´s Roll The Dice! Exploring Games and Play as an Inclusive Design Method";
Betreuer/in(nen): S. Knierbein; Institut für Raumplanung, Interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Culture and Public Space, Forschungsbereich 285-02, 2021.

The thesis at hand aims to explore how games and playful activities can be used as tools and methods for co-producing socio-spatial knowledge.
Games and play are increasingly gaining attention for their potential of being used beyond the pur- pose of mere entertainment. Games that aim to add a pedagogical aspect are commonly referred to as "serious games". In architectural and urban design professions, serious games seem to carry high potential as tools for inclusive and participato- ry processes. Discovering the possibilities of serious games was the initial research interest of this the- sis. Literature studies about participatory planning, stakeholder collaboration, and serious games, pro- vide a basis for the thesis analysis.
A research trip to South Africa made it possible for the games to be developed, tested, and evaluated in the field. The fieldwork activities were conducted in the form of participatory action research (PAR). It describes a methodological approach which seeks active interaction between the researcher and the researched. PAR aims at understanding the world through intervention and transformation. During the fieldwork I was constantly challenged to ask critical questions about what it is, that really matters when
people from different cultures take part in collabo- rative action. The research interest shifted in a di- rection of a more inclusive approach being: the co-production of socio-spatial knowledge through play. It became clear that there are socio-spatial dynamics occurring beyond stakeholder diagrams and game systems. Collectively striving for horizon- tal and inclusive dialogue, seems to raise the rele- vance of mutual learning and genuinely trying to un- derstand different perspectives.
Critical reflections about experiences from the field study reveal ambivalent conclusions: Games and play show high value for the co-production of so- cio-spatial knowledge. However, their implemen- tation may subconsciously impose questionable euro-centric norms upon others. This can happen through translating culture into play.
The following implications to the field of architec- ture and planning can be drawn: Architects are of- ten trained to design an environment for others. This bias through education can strongly influence the perspective of an architect and make it hard to shift towards an inclusive approach of co-produc- tion: designing with others. It can be suggested that serious games become part of the methodological
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toolbox that is used to create architecture, contrib- uting to a more inclusive approach of the urban de- sign professions. However, serious games and play should be used with special care, including the cul- tural understanding of games, their origins, and practice of play.
Hope remains that other urban professional can also learn from this experience. The provided con- clusion and implications might provide a basis for a more sensitive positionality of co-production in the urban environment.

https://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/publik_301123.pdf