Abstract

Higher frequency and intensity of disasters has raised the need to increase community resilience skills. The problem of fostering social skills is being solved with gamification. Gamification con-sists of mixing game mechanisms with social life based on the idea that games have positive im-plications at the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral levels. We analyzed if the Costa Resiliente Serious Game improves resilience skills in a coastal community of Southern Chile. Participants (N = 349) answered a questionnaire with six social-psychological scales, before and after play-ing the game. We tested changes in participants' responses regarding the group type (board game, video game and control group), age (10-19; 20-44; >45) and their location (facing the sea or in-land). The positive significant effect of the game on community resilience is confirmed in the Neighborhood Interaction and Objective Knowledge scales (cognitive aspects). Such effect varies by age group and group type. The Intention of Evacuation to Elevated Areas (behavioral aspect) decreased in people living in coastal areas facing the sea, and the Home Place Attachment (affec-tive aspect) increased in the same group, which is considered a negative effect of the game on community resilience. The closeness between home and evacuation sites, and the possible effect of past experiences and informal exchanges on knowledge about risk may explain these results. Costa Resiliente Serious Game has the potential for changing cognitive responses in particular age groups, with their positive effect for resilience. Recommendations are elaborated for the game in order to have a positive effect on other resilience skills.