Chapter 7: Lost, Sweaty, and Engaged in Dialogue: The Civic Opportunities of Geospatial Play

This chapter explores the potential for youth civic engagement through geospatial gameplay. Geospatial gameplay includes activities that share the basic qualities common to most digital games—goals, rules, a feedback system, voluntary action (McGonigal, 2011)—but also includes a component of navigating players through a physical space. For example, think of the treasure hunt designed to teach new students about key resources in their school. In the last 10–15 years, digital tools and social network sites have substantially augmented the possibilities of geospatial play. The treasure hunt can be networked, global in scope, documented with pictures, or accompanied by Twitter conversations, as is the case with geocaching. With these new developments, educators have begun to think creatively about how to take advantage of these possibilities in their practice.