This master's thesis explores the potential of persuasive games for addressing challenges in multiactor systems. For many multi-actor system problems, the different actors need to take action to handle these problems. Persuasive gaming is proposed as a method that can stimulate taking action. This thesis identifies a gap in the applicability of existing persuasive games to multi-actor systems problems and proposes an alternative approach: game-mediated persuasive strategy. The research uses an explorative strategy, defining seven criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of this strategy. A case study on the labor shortage in Rotterdam's port area is conducted, featuring a game utilizing a cat cafe metaphor to represent the labor market. The game is played by employees from both companies in the port area and the Port of Rotterdam itself. With observations and surveys, the effect of the game is evaluated. One of the key insights is the emergence of collaboration as a crucial factor in tackling the labor shortage, an outcome not predefined in the game but contributed by the players. Therefore, it is recommended to the Port of Rotterdam to invest in collaboration between companies. While the findings are based on a single case study and thus lack generalizability, they show the promise of this underexplored approach of persuasive gaming in addressing multi-actor system problems. In conclusion, the study underscores the potential of game-mediated persuasive strategy in promoting collaborative action among stakeholders in multi-actor systems. Although further research with a larger participant pool and across various contexts is necessary for broader validation, this study shows potential for a new method to help actors with multi-actor system problems. Gamemediated persuasive strategy deserves more research to further validate this method.

The accelerating development of algorithms causes a disruptive effect in many domains, including the complex decision-making of knowledge workers. Experts can manage difficult but repetitive decisions with software technologies like a Decision Support System (DSS). A DSS is used to monitor decisions, get additional insights and improve decisions over time. Their supportive performance characterises these systems to assist human decision-makers. To answer to the pressing demand for transparency in DSSs, Councyl developed Behavioural Artificial Intelligence Tenchnology (BAIT). BAIT is a DSS that adequately supports experts with making decisions. However, algorithms like BAIT may affect the autonomy of experts and their decisions in numerous ways. This thesis studies human moral autonomy (HMA) of end-users in the context of BAIT. We do this by measuring perceptions of end-users. The product arising from this study is the HMA Survey.

Throughout history, complex societal problems have plagued societies with their ever-changing dynamic natures and sheer societal consequences. In efforts to address such complex problems, many actors have turned to participatory methods as a means to incorporate community level knowledge and produce community-oriented solutions while addressing societal concerns. Simultaneously, in the field of serious game design, a large body of research has studied the positive effects of using serious game play for societal intervention. However, fewer efforts have been allocated to exploring the effectiveness of participatory serious game design as a means for societal intervention. In other words, can participatory serious game design act as an effective method for societal intervention?

Such inquiry is the basis of this research, where the complex societal problem of biased US policing serves as the application of this study. A mixed methods approach to this research was implemented to explore how to develop interventions where serious game design concepts are to be created between US communities and police. Through a mixed methods approach involving quantitative elements of inferential and descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative elements of content analysis, sentiment analysis, and micro-interlocutor analysis, group brainstorming data, workshop observation data, and semi-structured group interview data was explored in an effort to understand if and how participatory serious game design can be leveraged effectively as a means to societal intervention in the context of US policing and beyond.

The outcomes of this research are two-fold. First, with regard to improving police-community relations through societal intervention, results from this research indicate that current relations between US police and BIPOC communities, specifically black communities, are in a dire state of mistrust. As such, any attempt at intervention between these two groups will likely be received with caution and scepticism. However, in demonstrating that intervention efforts are long-term oriented and not just “throw away” events, more willing engagement could be facilitated. In addition, this research has also demonstrated that police accountability in intervention efforts can exhibit to communities that such efforts to improve police-community relations are serious. In maintaining police accountability throughout interventions, communities may be more willing to welcome police efforts in engagement and relation building.

Second, in considering participatory game design as an intervention study, results from this study indicate that participatory game design has the potential to be an effective intervention method if it is implemented in a way that appropriately caters to the desired audience. In using participatory game design as a means to societal intervention, participant “buy-in” must be facilitated early on to ensure effective engagement. This study also alludes to the fact that participatory game design could be particularly effective as an intervention method when the topic of intervention is taboo, discomforting, or difficult to talk about, as the game-like nature of such intervention can provide an adequate amount of abstraction from reality that helps facilitate less anxiety-inducing dialogue. In a similar vein, the reality-abstracted game-like nature of participatory game design interventions could also be effective at fostering safe and inclusive spaces where all participants can feel able to engage and contribute to discussion, regardless of their backgrounds. Finally, with regard to using participatory game design as an intervention study, this research has exhibited that in ensuring a diversity of participant backgrounds and perspectives, echo chambers, polarity, and groupthink can be avoided in participatory game design-based interventions. Similarly, more meaningful intervention outcomes and creative problem solving has the potential to arise if a healthy amount of group conflict and pressure is managed appropriately within participatory game design interventions.

To the best of our knowledge, this research represents the first mixed methods study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of participative serious game design as a societal intervention method for biased US policing. Therefore, this study provides several potential scientific contributions to the fields of intervention science and serious game design, and it also has several potential implications in the context of society and public policy.

A mixed-methods research to study the effect of a mediated environment on player experience and the result of the game Cue Kitchen, that aims to increase awareness about the invisible symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease in the social environment of people with Parkinson’s

Persuasive games have great properties for facilitating lasting attitude change for complex societal issues, making them a valuable tool for achieving attitude change towards cooperation and information sharing that is often necessary for effective multi-actor decision-making. It is assumed that persuasive game design principles are key drivers for conceiving successful persuasive games, however, their effect on attitude change and attitude reinforcement has not been validated. To get one step closer towards validated persuasive game design principles, this research aimed at validating the most frequently used persuasive game design principles for persuasive game for multi-actor decision- making: simulation. Game experiments in the form of laboratory experiment were conducted to control for possible confounding variables. Three versions of an existing game were conceived in which the persuasive game design principle simulation was varied. A mixed methods approach was used in which both quantitative and qualitative measures were conducted to assess the effect of the persuasive game design principle simulation on attitude change. Based on current findings it cannot be confirmed nor denied that the persuasive game design principle has affected attitude change regarding cooperation and information sharing. Still, the main scientific contribution of this research is the creation of a sufficient method for evaluating the effect of persuasive game design principles on attitude change in isolation which did not consist yet. Further research on the methodology is advised to validate its effect and for fine-tuning. Additionally, it is advised to conduct this research with a greater sample size in this future.

The self-driving vehicle technology can be a potential game changer. The image of traffic and transport we know nowadays can change rapidly over the next twenty years with the introduction of autonomous driving. Still, there seem to be some uncertainties with the development of autonomous driving. Apart from the fact that this technology is still full in progress, there are still questions on how to combine autonomous vehicles with conventional traffic and what the effect this collaboration has on the traffic flow. The goal of this research is to find out what effects autonomous driving can have on the traffic flows. This research uses microscopic traffic simulation to experiment with different scenarios in which autonomous driving can be introduced on the Dutch road. The effect that have been found did not indicate major changes. An autonomous lane ensures that autonomous vehicles can drive optimally at the cost of more lane changes on the regular lanes. The cooperative automatic car benefits the average speed on the road and helps decreasing the travel loss time. However, the effect of cooperative driving on the traffic demand should be taken into consideration. If this new way of traveling leads to an increase in traffic demand, the arrival of autonomous driving must be combined with other alternatives to ensure travel time loss reduction in the future.