Announced at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany on Thursday, and developed with Cologne Game Lab, the challenge encourages developers to create games which entice players to come up with innovative solutions to integrating urban transportation systems.
“Gamification has proven to be an effective way to solve real-life problems in many areas,” said Ford in the announcement. “For instance, the games developed could reward participating commuters for successful journeys, based on criteria such as time-taken, cost, comfort and convenience. They also could utilise personal data and technology including smart phones and watches.”
In other words, Ford wants you to develop SimBikeAndRideTheTrainToWork, and they’ll give you a good chunk of change if you’re successful. The winning developers will receive €10,000 and have their work presented at Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona. A five-member panel including USC’s Tracy Fullerton and Turn 10 Studios’ Dan Greenawalt will determine the five finalists.
“The Smart Mobility Game Challenge is designed to harness the creativity of the gaming community and empower gamers to take a fresh approach to tackling today’s global mobility issues,” said Ken Washington, vice president, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “Applying the fun, engaging and rewarding aspects of games to journey planning can allow people to improve their commutes, track their success and become aware of how their behaviour impacts the transport infrastructure as a whole.”
This isn’t the first time Ford has flirted with “gamification.” Owners of some Ford hybrid vehicles are likely familiar with the company’s “SmartGauge,” which rewards drivers with “leaf” ratings when they drive in an economical manner.
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