What it does
Operation Atlantis is an educational game for children aged 8–10 that guides them in building flood-resilient cities. It uses sensors and actuators to simulate flooding when poor choices are made, encouraging learning and awareness.
Your inspiration
The management of hydrogeological emergencies is divided into prevention, response, and post-emergency phases. Today, prevention mainly takes place in schools, where Civil Protection teaches children to recognize danger signals and how to behave during an emergency. However, these lessons tend to focus on immediate response, often overlooking key topics such as sustainable land management and the fight against climate change. As a result, children learn how to react, but not how to prevent. A more comprehensive education is needed—one that promotes a culture of prevention and sustainability from an early age.
How it works
Operation Atlantis is based on the concept of “Sponge Cities” — urban areas that manage rainwater using natural solutions such as trees, green spaces, and sustainable drainage systems. Children use tokens like Tree, House, and Concrete to build a resilient city, reflecting on the consequences of their choices. The modular board allows for team play, encouraging collaboration, constructive competition, and discussion. The integration of electronic components makes the game interactive: LDR sensors detect incorrect placements and trigger, via Arduino, a flood simulation. The system, powered by AAA batteries, tolerates up to two mistakes; on the third, it releases water from a reservoir. All electronic components are protected and safe. The box includes two boards, a sand timer, QUIZ and MISSION cards, tokens, and materials for the simulation. At the end of the game, children reflect together on the strategies they used.
Design process
The project originated within the Product Design 2 course, developed around the theme of hydrogeological emergencies. The process began with a general research phase aimed at understanding the causes and implications of landslides, floods, and hydrogeological instability, with particular attention to the effects of climate change and uncontrolled urbanization. Following this initial analysis, the focus shifted to the field of education, identified as a key area for promoting a culture of prevention among younger generations. Through interviews and direct meetings with the Civil Protection of Venice, the role of school education in emergency management was further explored. In particular, the need emerged to move beyond a purely informational approach by integrating more engaging and interactive methods. After analyzing the state of the art in both educational and gaming contexts, the design phase began. This included an in-depth study of existing analog and digital games, along with technical research on electronic components such as sensors and actuators, in order to integrate automatic reactions and realistic simulations into the game.
How it is different
Operation Atlantis stands out from other educational games by combining the construction of a flood-resilient city with a deeper reflection on prevention. Children use various tokens on a modular board that takes shape during the game, learning concepts related to sustainable land management. The game promotes responsible building and interaction with nature, drawing inspiration from the “Sponge City” model, where green areas and natural solutions help mitigate hydrogeological risk. This encourages children to reflect on their choices and develop environmental awareness. The most innovative and distinctive feature is the integration of electronics: optical LDR sensors detect incorrect token placements and, through an actuator controlled by Arduino, simulate a river flood. This responsive system makes the experience immersive, turning learning into concrete and engaging action.
Future plans
The next steps include testing the game in real school settings to evaluate its educational effectiveness and level of engagement. Feedback will be collected from teachers, students, and Civil Protection officials to improve both materials and game dynamics. A digital version is planned to support integrated teaching, along with the optimization of the electronic components to make them more compact and replicable. Finally, a small-scale production of the prototype is planned, with the aim of offering it to schools and organizations involved in environmental awareness initiatives.
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