Origens: uma proposta de jogo educativo para combater cegueira botânica

Abstract

More than 80% of Brazilian population lives in urban regions with little contact with nature and other life forms, the unfamiliarity can lead to indifference in the protection of it. Botany life forms provide vital benefits to human survival. Plants are presents in food, clothes, medicine, construction, ecosystems services, climate regulation, etc., but this presence sometimes isn't evident. The first contact that people have with botany is not always positive, what creates a dislike to science and, if compared to other life forms, plants haven't a lot of affective appeal. It's necessary that be given the due valuation to plants. It was developed a card game to learn about botany e show science in a friendly way. The game is set inside a fictional context of severe climate crisis where adventurers need to search wild food species. The dynamic involves guessing countries through clues given by a storyteller and, when the players hit the answers, they gain cards of plants used in the food that have this country as origin. The food cards have information and curiosities about plants species. The game was tested and evaluation forms were applied. The period of application provided 11 forms. With the results, it is possible to notice that the game was very funny. The game captures the attention of players, who were immersed in the game universe. The way that the game evolves helps in the learning and has a relevant content. The game provides challenges in a certain extent and open opportunities to interaction or competition with other players. The design and game’s difficulty level are points that can be improved. The game contributes to learning about botany and it is efficient for a change in perception of players in relation to plants.