Scrappy City: A waste management simulation video game promoting environmental awareness

ABSTRACT: “Scrappy City” is an innovative 2D waste management simulation video game designed to address the gap between young people’s passion for environmental issues and their limited understanding of waste management complexities. Traditional educational methods often leave students disconnected from real-world applications, making it essential to adopt interactive approaches that bridge theoretical knowledge with practical environmental stewardship. Developed using the Unity Game Engine, this Android-based mobile application gamifies waste management education, offering an engaging platform for learning about waste disposal practices and environmental awareness. To address the challenges of creating interactive and educational experiences, improving practical knowledge through simulations, and visualizing environmental impact through decision-making scenarios, the game incorporates three methodologies aligned with the study’s objectives. These include an eco-achievement system that tracks player progress and provides rewards for environmental milestones, educational non-playable characters that teach waste management concepts and community activities through contextual dialogue, and interactive missions that simulate real-world environmental restoration tasks through a star system to unlock areas. Developed using Unity Game Engine for Android, the application was evaluated over 30 days with 100 users logging over 10,000 interactions. Performance metrics demonstrate excellence with response times averaging under 150ms and optimized memory usage for mobile devices. User evaluation results show reception across all criteria, with participants rating the game’s educational value, usability, and environmental impact visualization as “Excellent.” The research contributes to serious games for environmental education by demonstrating how algorithmic precision in game mechanics can bridge the gap between abstract environmental concepts and practical behavioral change, offering a scalable solution for sustainable waste management education among young adults and teenagers.

Filipiniana