Swarming as a Bird/Fish: Investigating the Effect of First-Person Perspective Simulation on Players' Connectedness with Nature

Sotirios Piliouras, Jiaqi Li, Vivian Imani Dap, Ilse Arwert, Ross Towns, Tessa Verhoef

Abstract: During recent years, the need to promote environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behaviors has become more evident. The efforts towards effective environmental education include the use of simulations that aim to bring human players closer to the natural world. In the specific case of swarm simulators, they are often constructed in a two-dimensional space and experienced from a third-person perspective, lacking the immersive benefits of seeing a game world through the character’s eyes. In this study, we developed schooling and flocking simulators to examine whether playing the simulators can affect people’s understanding of swarming behavior and feeling of connectedness to nature, made quantifiable through pre- and post-simulator questionnaires. Experiencing the simulations in first-person perspective was found to increase feelings of kinship with animals, raising connectedness to nature. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between people’s engagement in the simulation and the increase of connectedness to nature. These findings could be useful insights in designing serious games for raising awareness or behavioral change related to environmental education.