Interactive futures Workshop

Day 2: Friday, 13 September

Serious games (and particularly wargames) have a history of use in strategy and training. But play is an under-used research and co-production method. In this Interactive Futures Workshop we will use serious play as a way to (re)imagine and explore the future impacts of an ageing population for MethodsCon:Futures.Our workshop will:- Build skills of academics and practitioners in creative research methods using serious play;- Explore how methods and coproduction can interact as a futures methodology for policy impact;- Demonstrate the importance of creative methods and the way we conduct research to enhance interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral partnership and networking. Participants in our Interactive Futures Workshop will learn by doing, as they actually play 'Hopetown: A Game for Housing and Ageing' to explore the future driven by the challenges of supporting healthy ageing in place over time. Participants gain insight into creative research methods for positive real-world change by putting the methods into actionDeveloped by Professors Vikki McCall and Alasdair Rutherford (based at Stirling University and co-founders of social enterprise Socialudo) the serious games are an exciting evidence-based new area of social research (see www.socialudo.com). Players take on different roles, such as policymaker, service-provider, community group or developer, and negotiate using their resources to maximise the wellbeing of (ageing) residents in the fictional Hopetown.Our Interactive Futures Workshop will build understanding of ageing futures and provide insight into how we can help support research impact. We invite participants to come along and explore this innovative approach while also having fun!