Urban Nature Games database

This dataset consists of games with purposes other than just entertainment (serious games, role-play games, social simulations, computer simulations, browser games, board games, etc.) incorporating concepts of urban planning and Ecosystem Services (ES)/Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The games, termed ‘Urban Nature Games’, were developed by universities, researchers, NGOs, or other credible organizations, and were available in English. They were compiled from multiple sources (the last additions were made in May 2023). The full database comprises 69 games (sheet “All 69 Games described” in the .xls file), that were rated of high to low relevance to urban planning and ES/NbS, according to defined criteria. More extensive game assessments were conducted for Urban Nature Games of medium to the highest relevance (sheet “Ratings 37 High + Medium Games” in the .xls file), according to defined dimensions of assessment. High-relevance games were also assessed in terms of the urban planning processes they relate to and the Nature-based Solutions they exemplify (sheet “Categorized 22 High-relev Games” in the .xls file). The database can be consulted for game selection under different circumstances and needs of educators, practitioners, and researchers interested in incorporating Nature-based Solutions in urban planning. Practical considerations such as distribution, the number of players, costs, or duration of gameplay (available in the .xls sheet “All 69 Games described”), often represent constraints that pragmatically help select suitable games. The database can also be further developed with games that may be released in the future or are available in languages other than English. Specific abbreviations used in the dataset: ES = ecosystem services; NbS = nature-based solutions; UP = urban planning; NN = Nature for Nature; NS = Nature for Society; NC = Nature as Culture;