Designing for collective survival:: Design fiction game for the apocalyptic world

Abstract

As various global crises increasing (environmental, poverty, population aging, wellbeing), we might be facing a future that is close to some apocalyptic visions. What role can design and HCI practitioners play in the far away future and what can we learn from that experience for today is something we need to explore. In this workshop, we want to create a design fiction based game which aims to explore the different ways how the more-than-human world will need to collaborate to be able to create livable conditions for all. Throughout the workshop, the participants will co-create a game that will envision an apocalyptic future and explore what role we could play in it. Through solving different apocalyptic scenarios, we want to explore the different skills and approaches designers might need to engage with to be able to contribute to the world. We hope this playful experience will help designers, HCI practitioners and researchers to reflect over their own current practices in relation to which future they are helping to co-create.