The game also includes facts related to poverty that can be accessed via QR code. On “Saturdays of Reflection,” players discuss what happened to their characters during their previous in-game week. A weekly calendar mat lists out a player’s daily tasks, and throughout the game, players can track crucial goals they may have missed such as going to school, work, or completing a health check.ĭwell includes steps toward dialogue, debriefing, and reflection throughout gameplay. Each player must move through Dwelville depicted on the gameboard over a four-week span while trying to negotiate conditions such as living arrangements, healthcare, transportation, childcare, and work schedules. Participants can play one of five unique characters that reside in, “Dwellville,” each having specific limitations on resources, possessions, and finances. “Dwell™ was developed by an interdisciplinary team led by faculty at the University of Miami’s School of Communication and School of Nursing and Health Studies as an engaging tabletop simulation game to teach about poverty’s impact on one’s choices, health, livelihood, communities, and families.” (Excerpt from ) Investigators: Lien Tran, Jill Sanko, Deborah Salani, Yui Matsuda.
“Dwell: An Interactive Tabletop Simulation Game Teaching How Poverty Impacts Health and Healthcare Access” funded by Center for Communication, Culture, and Change ( 4C), University of Miami, June 2017 – December 2018, $5,000.
