Townscaper

Exploring Critical Utopian Gaming Pedagogy in a Youth Club in Barcelona

This study examines how commercial video games can be integrated into critical utopian pedagogy to help young people imagine alternative futures.

• The pedagogical design of a session mattered more than which game was chosen: facilitation, debriefing, and structured dialogue were the key drivers of critical reflection.
• Dystopian games were effective at prompting critique of socio-political issues but weaker at inspiring envisioned alternative futures.
• Architectural-mode games such as Townscaper and The Sims 4 helped participants articulate concrete future visions rooted in their own everyday experiences.