Participatory Chinatown

Participatory Chinatown is a 3-D immersive game designed to be part of the master planning process for Boston’s Chinatown. Residents assumed the role of one of 15 virtual residents and worked to complete their assigned quest—finding a job, housing, or place to socialize. Sometimes the language skills, income level, or other circumstances of their resident made their task more challenging. Residents were then tasked with considering the future of the neighborhood by walking through and commenting on proposed development sites. This game-style meeting is a recognized process of  the 2010 Chinatown Master Plan. This game was a partnership between the Engagement Game Lab (EGL), the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the non-profit Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), and Muzzy Lane Software (ML).

Winner: Best Direct Impact Game, 2011 — Games for Change

Go to project website

Funded by the MacArthur Foundation

Project directors: Eric Gordon (EGL), Holly St. Clair (MAPC), Janelle Chan (ACDC)
Research and content development: Steven Schirra (EGL), Mariana Arcaya (MAPC)
GIS / 3D environment: Chris Brown (MAPC)
Youth coordinator: Catherine Lim (ACDC)
Technical coordinator: Christian Spanring (MAPC)
UI designer: Bret Kulakovich (EGL)
Software development: Bert Snow, Owen Heneghan (ML)