Videogames and citizen decisions: ludic governance

3rd November – Video games can be very useful to relate to large amounts of data and be able to understand them easily, but they are also an excellent means for collective decision-making and to implement other systems or test the decisions made in simulated environments before taking them to real life. In this sense, if currently most of the decisions about the city are made by algorithms (smart city) belonging to large private transnationals based on commercial interest, we propose to reverse this, returning the possibility of making decisions, based, tested, collective, to the citizens.

If the trend towards smart cities is depending on the commercial interests of the major technology companies that have the infrastructure and the power to process the large amounts of data that we citizens provide them with, the city is not being defined with the common good at the forefront. We need citizens to be able to take the reins of urban design if we want the needs of all stakeholders to be heard, only then will our cities be truly democratic. Without falling into the solutionism of data technologies, we must see in what ways technologies can be employed to increase social inclusion and direct democracy in decision making about urban space.

Reigstrations here

Address: Espai Societat Oberta (C/Sant Eusebi, 29 Barcelona)