This paper delves into the potential advantages of integrating gamification into seismic risk management education, with a specific emphasis on the efficacy of serious games in augmenting the learning process. It offers an illustration of gamification within the framework of a seismic risk preparedness project involving multiple countries, languages, and cultures and across the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The innovation of this approach largely lies in shifting the focus from competition, which is typical in most games, to collaboration. Three digital serious games were implemented to tackle facets of seismic risk management that are particularly favourable for empowering communities at risk. These games were first used in a hybrid event where students from Algeria, Morocco, and Italy engaged in gameplay both in person within their respective classrooms and remotely with classes in each country. The evaluation study showed the positive impact of gamification in captivating young participants and thereby instilling best practices in seismic risk management.
This paper illustrates how youth education can foster resilience and promote risk awareness through interactive learning. It presents Shake It!, an engaging, hands-on educational module designed for middle school students that integrates risk education with experiential activities. The module begins with an introduction to structural components, construction materials, and seismic behaviour. Students then engage in experiential learning by building and testing models on educational shaking tables. Through this process, they explore key concepts such as building vulnerability, resonance, and earthquake-resistant constructions. The central message is that building response to earthquakes can be understood through hands-on learning, and that effective protection is achievable, making the engagement of younger generations in resilience education a key step toward building safer communities. Shake It! has been successfully tested with several hundred students, both during open days at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology and in classroom settings. The activity consistently receives positive feedback for its ability to actively involve students and effectively raise awareness about earthquake risks in an accessible way that enhances retention.
The paper presents the main features of a Web-GIS platform designed to compute real-time scenario-based seismic risk assessments at the national level. Based on the Italian experience, the platform enables DRM scientist and policymakers to readily generate seismic scenarios supporting the entire DRM cycle, including training, emergency planning, calibrating operations during response, and providing seismic risk estimates for National Disaster Risk Assessment or seismic risk reduction programs. The platform is immediately operational, relying on preloaded freeware datasets on exposure and vulnerability, and requiring only basic earthquake parameters to perform real-time analysis. At a later stage, these datasets should be replaced with more detailed and accurate national-level data. The platform generates earthquake impact assessments that include physical damage, economic and human losses, and key emergency response indicators, such as estimated displaced population, required tent camps, and EMT and USAR needs. Its key innovation lies in the ability to operate at the national scale, offering immediate usability with the possibility of further customization. As a web-based service with a user-friendly graphical interface, it is particularly suited for civil protection and DRM experts.