Interview with Ricardo Ruiz from 3Ecologias

This interview, published in the 2016 issue of a games studies journal, profiles 3Ecologias, a Brazilian company founded by Ricardo Brazileiro and Ricardo Ruiz that develops open-technology solutions for education, culture, and sustainability, and focuses on its game project Contos de Ifá. The company, which employs roughly fifteen people, takes its name from Félix Guattari's concept of three interconnected ecologies of mind, society, and environment. Contos de Ifá is a video game designed to counter prejudice against Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Candomblé, by teaching players its mythology through challenges organized around the xirê, the traditional order of orisha worship, beginning with Exú.

The project's scope and development are described in detail. Developed since 2010 in partnership with the Coco de Umbigada Cultural Center in Olinda, Pernambuco, the game currently offers four playable phases dedicated to individual orishas, with two more in development and a stated goal of 256 stories. The interview reports that between August 2014 and May 2015 the platform attracted more than 33,000 users, with roughly 6,500 Facebook followers, and that participants in its community labs reported a renewed sense of cultural identity. The authors also cite a reported 3,700% rise in religious intolerance complaints over five years, though these figures are presented as the interviewee's account rather than independently verified data.

The interview also addresses the project's recognition, including a Bank of Brazil Foundation award, its integration of gamification and interactive installations, and future plans. These include expansion across Latin America and the PlayLabito initiative, a transcultural youth lab spanning Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Spain. The conversation is largely descriptive and self-reported, offering a detailed view of a community-centered approach to game development rather than a systematic evaluation of its outcomes.