GenB

Funding programme

Horizon Europe – Cluster 6, Coordination and Support Action (CSA)

Project reference

101060501

Period

2022–2025

Coordinating organisation

Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea (APRE), Italy

Participating countries

Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Greece

Official project website

Visit official website

GenB (Informing and educating young people on more sustainable behaviours and choices to build a future Generation informed and interested in Bioeconomy) aimed to increase awareness, knowledge and engagement among young people concerning sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

The project sought to prepare children and young people to understand the environmental, social and economic potential of bio-based products, renewable biological resources and circular production systems.

Its educational approach combined participatory learning, original board and card games, practical experiments, digital resources, lesson plans and the professional development of educators.

Specific learning objectives

• Bioeconomy literacy: Understand the concept of bioeconomy and its relationship with biological resources, production and sustainability.
• Circular economy: Recognise the importance of reducing waste, reusing resources and developing circular production systems.
• Biomass awareness: Identify different biological raw materials and their potential uses.
• Bio-based products: Discover how renewable biological resources can be transformed into everyday products.
• Sustainable production: Understand the relationships between raw materials, energy, industrial processing and responsible consumption.
• Resource efficiency: Explore how more efficient resource use can reduce environmental pressures.
• Waste valorisation: Recognise opportunities to transform organic waste and biological residues into useful materials, products or energy.
• Environmental sustainability: Increase awareness of the relationship between human activities, natural resources and environmental impacts.
• Climate awareness: Explore how sustainable bioeconomy approaches can contribute to reducing dependence on fossil-based resources.
• Sustainable consumption: Encourage reflection on purchasing choices, local products, resource use and waste reduction.
• Bioeconomy professions: Identify careers and occupational roles associated with circular and sustainable bioeconomy.
• Career awareness: Encourage young people to explore educational and professional pathways connected with bio-based sectors.
• Production processes: Understand the relationship between biomass collection, processing, product manufacturing and consumption.
• Scientific curiosity: Stimulate interest in scientific and technological developments associated with sustainability.
• Critical thinking: Encourage learners to examine environmental problems and consider potential solutions.
• Problem-solving: Practise addressing challenges concerning resources, production and sustainable actions.
• Strategic decision-making: Explore how different choices influence outcomes in simplified educational simulations.
• Collaboration: Promote communication and social interaction through game-based activities.
• Age-appropriate learning: Provide differentiated educational resources for children and young people aged approximately 4–19 years.
• Teacher competences: Equip formal and non-formal educators with practical resources for integrating bioeconomy education into learning activities.
• Family engagement: Encourage interaction between children, parents and educators around sustainable lifestyles.
• Environmental participation: Inspire young people to become active contributors to more sustainable communities.

Age-related educational objectives

• Children aged 4–8: Introduce familiar environmental concepts, bioeconomy professions and sustainable everyday actions through visual materials and accessible games.
• Children aged 9–13: Explore biomass, bio-based products, circular production processes and the transformation of natural resources through board and card games.
• Young people aged 14–19: Develop deeper awareness of green chemistry, environmental challenges, sustainable production and career opportunities in the bioeconomy.

The project addresses these objectives through a wider educational toolkit. Its Board Game-Based Learning contribution is particularly represented by BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet!, The BioRace and Green Chat Quartet.

The intended learning objectives should be distinguished from outcomes demonstrated through evaluation. GenB assessed knowledge and engagement associated with BioHeroes and The BioRace, but not every competence listed above was independently measured.

GenB developed three original physical educational board and card games addressing different aspects of sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

The games were designed for different age groups through a human-centred development process involving researchers, educational specialists, teachers, students and other stakeholders.

The collection combines career awareness, resource transformation, production simulation and knowledge acquisition through different tabletop game mechanics.

1. The BioRace – Educational Board Game

The BioRace is an educational board game designed primarily for children aged 9–13 years.

Players explore the production of bio-based products by collecting different biomass resources and energy units from several environments and transforming them into products at a biorefinery.

The game uses a physical board and a simplified representation of biological resource processing.

Documented characteristics

• Game type: Custom-designed educational board game.
• Recommended age: 9–13 years.
• Number of players: 4–6.
• Educational focus: Bioeconomy, biomass, biorefineries, bio-based products and circular production.
• Game setting: Four environments: city, forest, countryside and seaside.
• Resources: Biomass and Energy Units.
• Production objectives: Bio-product recipes requiring specific combinations of resources.
• Scoring: Sustainability Points obtained by completing bio-product recipes.
• Difficulty levels: Simple and Pro versions.

Main game mechanics

1. Board movement: Players move their Bio-Character counters around the board.
2. Resource collection: Different environments provide biomass resources and energy units.
3. Recipe completion: Players gather the specific resources required by bio-product recipes.
4. Resource transformation: Collected materials are taken to the Bio-Refinery to manufacture bio-based products.
5. Point accumulation: Completed recipes provide Sustainability Points according to their difficulty.
6. Educational challenges: Quizzes, activities and interactions introduce additional bioeconomy concepts.
7. Differentiated gameplay: The Simple version requires completion of four bio-formulas, while the Pro version introduces requirements involving the different environments.
8. Strategic decisions: Participants decide how to collect and transform resources to achieve their production goals.

The game’s educational contribution is directly connected with its mechanics: collecting biomass, using energy and transforming raw materials into products represents a simplified bioeconomy production process.

Its design was developed through Living Lab activities in Rome involving school students and external experts.

The BioRace was also used in the project’s school-based educational evaluation.

The BioRace – Official Project Resource Page

2. BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet! – Educational Card Game

BioHeroes is an educational card game designed to introduce younger children to professions associated with sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

The game uses a narrative in which the planet faces environmental threats and different professional roles must complete tasks to restore balance.

Documented characteristics

• Game type: Custom-designed educational card game.
• Core target group: Children aged 4–8 years, with a simpler format suitable for younger children.
• Recommended independent gameplay: Approximately six years and above, according to the published game description.
• Number of players: 2–6.
• Educational focus: Bioeconomy professions, professional tasks and sustainable behaviours.
• Game components: Profession Cards, Task Cards and Action Cards.
• Difficulty levels: Discover the Tasks and Get to Work.
• Game objective: Complete the tasks associated with the represented bioeconomy professions.

Six represented roles

• Bioeconomy researcher: Develops innovative products, explores new food solutions and conducts experiments.
• Farmer: Uses sustainable agricultural practices such as biological pest control, rainwater harvesting and composting.
• Transporter: Selects sustainable routes, transport methods and packaging.
• Seller: Promotes bio-based, circular, recycled and locally produced goods.
• Recycling centre operator: Separates waste and produces compost or biogas.
• Buyer: Represents the consumer and promotes responsible purchasing, reuse and recycling.

Main game mechanics

1. Profession and task matching: Players connect professional roles with the tasks associated with them.
2. Set completion: Completing the tasks represented on a profession card contributes to winning the game.
3. Card collection and management: Players use cards to complete professional objectives.
4. Action cards: Special effects introduce additional interaction and strategic decisions.
5. Player interaction: Some cards influence other players’ hands, turns or progress.
6. Differentiated difficulty: Two playing modes accommodate different ages and levels of familiarity.
7. Competitive scoring: Players seek to complete more profession cards than their opponents.

Examples of Action Cards

• Tornado: All players pass their hands to the player on their right.
• Lack of Resources: A player may take an unfinished task card from another player’s profession.
• Pollution: A selected opponent misses a turn.
• Recycling: A player discards their hand and draws three new cards.

The game uses image-based representations of professions and tasks to facilitate understanding among younger children and reduce language barriers.

Its development was led by AIJU, which conducted internal and child-centred playtesting, followed by revisions of the rules and visual design.

BioHeroes – Official Project Resource Page

BioHeroes – Print-and-Play Game File (European Schoolnet)

3. Green Chat Quartet – Educational Card Game

Green Chat Quartet is a physical card game designed to help children discover different types of biomass and the bio-based products that can be manufactured from them.

The game adapts the familiar quartet card-game format to educational content concerning sustainability and circular bioeconomy.

Documented characteristics

• Game type: Educational quartet card game.
• Recommended age: Nine years and above, especially children aged 9–13.
• Game components: Twelve sets of four related cards, 48 cards in total.
• Educational focus: Biomass types, biological raw materials and bio-based products.
• Examples of content: Agricultural biomass, biological residues, household bio-waste and innovative materials such as mycelium.
• Game objective: Collect as many complete quartets as possible.
• Facilitator: No moderator required for standard gameplay.
• Publication: First printed edition released in November 2024.

Main game mechanics

1. Set collection: Players attempt to collect four cards belonging to the same biomass-related category.
2. Hidden hands: Players hold their cards without showing them to others.
3. Card requests: Players ask opponents for specific cards needed to complete a quartet.
4. Turn-taking: Successful and unsuccessful requests determine how turns proceed.
5. Knowledge sharing: When a quartet is completed, the player reads at least one educational fact aloud.
6. Competitive objective: The player with the most completed quartets wins.

The cards contain information connecting particular biological resources with products derived from them.

The educational content is therefore introduced through collection and recognition, with additional factual learning when completed sets are presented.

The game was developed by BTG in collaboration with SunnyConcepts, with testing activities at Museon Omniversum in The Hague.

Pilot versions were also presented at Dutch science and public engagement events.

The first printed edition was released in November 2024, with copies made available for play or purchase through Museon Omniversum.

The project scientific publication uses the title Green Chat Quartet, although some sources also use Green Chart Quartet or EcoChat Quarter Game.

A complete free print-and-play version has not been independently identified.

GenB Virtual Library – Educational Game Resources

4. Escape4Future – Chemistry Meets Circular Bioeconomy

GenB also developed an educational escape game addressing green chemistry, circular production and sustainable lifestyles.

The activity is intended primarily for secondary school students aged approximately 13–19 years.

Players work together to solve interconnected challenges and practical problems involving sustainable chemistry and circular bioeconomy.

Its implementation was documented at public educational events in Italy.

Classification note: Escape4Future should be considered a complementary Game-Based Learning resource rather than a conventional board or card game within the Observatory’s BGBL analysis.

Escape4Future – Official Project Resource Page

Overall game approach

The appropriate primary classification is Custom-Designed Educational Games.

The three physical games were developed specifically for GenB rather than adapted from existing commercial board games.

They represent distinct learning mechanisms: profession and task matching, resource collection and transformation, and educational set collection.

These differences are important when assessing the relationship between game mechanics and educational objectives.

GenB adopted a research-informed, participatory Game-Based Learning methodology to introduce children and young people to circular bioeconomy through original educational games.

The project combined human-centred design, co-creation, experiential learning and age-appropriate educational content within a broader model of sustainability education.

The game development process involved collaboration between researchers, game designers, educational specialists, teachers, children and parents.

Pedagogical foundations

• Game-Based Learning: Bioeconomy concepts are incorporated into structured tabletop game activities involving challenges, decisions and player interaction.
• Human-centred design: Educational resources are developed and refined according to the needs and characteristics of their intended users.
• Participatory co-creation: Students, teachers and other stakeholders contribute to the development and testing of educational games.
• Experiential learning: Games provide opportunities to explore sustainable practices through simplified situations and processes.
• Manipulative learning: Physical components allow children to represent and manipulate resources, tasks and production processes.
• Inquiry-based learning: Educational questions and activities encourage exploration of bioeconomy concepts.
• Collaborative learning: Game sessions provide opportunities for discussion, interaction and shared problem-solving.
• Age-appropriate education: Different game formats and difficulty levels address the needs of children at different developmental stages.
• Environmental education: Games support the introduction of sustainable resource use, biological production and responsible consumption.

Game development methodology

1. Educational needs identification: The consortium investigated young people’s understanding of and interest in sustainable and circular bioeconomy.
2. Stakeholder consultation: Teachers, students, parents and experts participated in focus groups, Living Labs and other co-creation activities.
3. Learning objective definition: Educational content was selected according to the intended age groups and specific bioeconomy topics.
4. Game concept development: Different formats were selected to represent professional roles, biological production processes and relationships between biomass and bio-based products.
5. Prototype creation: Researchers and designers developed initial versions of the games.
6. Scientific validation: Specialists reviewed the technical accuracy and educational appropriateness of the bioeconomy content.
7. Internal playtesting: Game developers examined mechanics, usability, accessibility and the interaction between educational content and gameplay.
8. Target-user testing: Children and educators played the developing games and provided feedback.
9. Iterative refinement: The consortium modified rules, instructions, visual elements and game components in response to testing.
10. Educational implementation: The games were introduced in classrooms and other educational settings.
11. Impact assessment: Selected games were examined through a school-based evaluation involving knowledge questionnaires, engagement measures and follow-up assessments.
12. Resource dissemination: Educational games and supporting materials were incorporated into the GenB Toolkit and Virtual Library.

Educational integration of individual games

The BioRace uses a simplified resource-transformation model in which learners collect biomass and energy units to manufacture bio-based products.

The relationship between biomass, energy, processing and products is therefore represented directly through the game actions required to achieve objectives.

BioHeroes connects professional roles with their associated tasks, helping younger children recognise how different occupations contribute to sustainable production and consumption.

Its image-based components and two difficulty modes support adaptation to different levels of reading ability and prior knowledge.

Green Chat Quartet uses a familiar set-collection mechanism to introduce different biomass categories and their associated products.

Its learning component includes the recognition of related resources and products and the reading of educational facts when sets are completed.

Role of facilitators

Teachers and other educators support the introduction and implementation of the games.

The level of facilitation varies according to the game and target group.

• BioHeroes: Young children may require assistance interpreting images, understanding professional roles and following card-game instructions.
• The BioRace: Educators may need to explain the resource-production model, game objectives and differences between the Simple and Pro versions.
• Green Chat Quartet: The published game description indicates that standard gameplay does not require a moderator, although teachers can extend learning through additional discussion.

Debriefing and reflection

The wider GenB educational model encourages the connection of game activities with subsequent learning tasks and reflection on sustainable choices.

However, a single standardised post-game debriefing protocol applicable to all three physical games has not been independently identified.

For educational reuse, structured reflection could help participants connect the simplified game mechanisms with real production systems, professional activities and environmental consequences.

Transferability

The games provide adaptable resources for schools, science education activities, museums and non-formal educational settings.

The availability of printable materials for selected games and methodological documentation supports their reuse, although accessibility differs between titles.

GenB offers a useful example of integrating several tabletop games with different mechanical structures into a coherent sustainability education programme.

GenB was implemented between November 2022 and April 2025 as a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action involving ten organisations from eight European countries.

The project combined educational research, participatory design, the development of original learning materials, school-based implementation, teacher training, community engagement and impact evaluation.

Board and card games formed part of a wider educational strategy designed to make sustainable and circular bioeconomy more accessible to young people.

Participating organisations

• APRE – Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea (Italy): Project coordination and development of bioeconomy educational activities.
• AIJU – Technological Institute for Children’s Products and Leisure (Spain): Educational resource development, game design, child-centred research and impact assessment.
• European Schoolnet (Belgium): School networks, educator engagement and educational resources.
• BTG Biomass Technology Group (Netherlands): Scientific expertise and development of bioeconomy-related educational content.
• FVA New Media Research (Italy): Educational communication and digital resource development.
• LOBA / GLOBAZ (Portugal): Communication and development of educational materials.
• Zentrum für Soziale Innovation – ZSI (Austria): Social innovation, participation and educational development.
• PEDAL Consulting (Slovakia): Project implementation and educational engagement.
• Q-PLAN International (Greece): Project implementation and engagement activities.
• Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (Greece): Environmental education and project activities.

Game development and implementation

1. Research and co-creation, 2022–2023: The consortium investigated educational needs and developed game concepts through workshops, focus groups and Living Labs.
2. The BioRace development, 2023: Students from two school classes in Rome participated in a series of four co-creation workshops between March and May 2023, followed by expert feedback.
3. BioHeroes development, 2023–2024: AIJU developed and tested the game using internal playtesting, expert validation and sessions involving children and teachers.
4. BioHeroes testing, 2024–2025: The project documented testing involving 323 children aged 5–10 and 22 teachers at the AIJU Toy Lab Experience in Spain, together with activities involving international educators.
5. Green Chat Quartet development, 2024: BTG and SunnyConcepts developed and tested the card-game design with museum visitors and participants in public events in the Netherlands.
6. Green Chat Quartet publication, November 2024: The first physical edition was released and made available through Museon Omniversum in The Hague.
7. Educational implementation: BioHeroes and The BioRace were used in school-based learning activities and selected for the project’s formal impact assessment.
8. Impact evaluation, 2024–2025: The consortium collected baseline, immediate post-intervention and follow-up data on knowledge, satisfaction and engagement.
9. Final dissemination, 2025: Educational resources and the GenB model were disseminated through the project’s toolkits, Virtual Library and scientific publications.

School-based evaluation

Deliverable D4.3, Impact Monitoring and Assessment Report – Second Period, documents a comparative school-based evaluation conducted in Spain and Slovakia.

The study specifically selected BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet! and The BioRace as educational game interventions.

Study characteristics

• Total sample: 469 children and young people.
• Intervention group: 234 participants who used GenB educational materials.
• Comparison group: 235 participants who did not take part in the intervention.
• Countries: Spain and Slovakia.
• Educational settings: Six schools.
• Age groups: 4–8, 9–13 and 14–18 years.
• Games evaluated: BioHeroes and The BioRace.
• Evaluation design: Baseline assessment, immediate post-intervention questionnaire and follow-up assessment at least one week later.
• Assessment domains: Bioeconomy knowledge, satisfaction, engagement, learning-related attitudes and self-perceived learning.

Knowledge results

The report presents an initial overall correct-response rate of approximately 27%.

At follow-up, the intervention group achieved an average correct-response rate of 45%, representing an increase of approximately 18 percentage points.

The comparison group achieved approximately 34–35% correct responses at follow-up, compared with the initial overall rate of 27%.

These findings suggest greater improvement among participants who received the educational intervention.

However, the available report does not establish that allocation to the intervention and comparison groups was randomised. Therefore, the observed differences should not be interpreted as definitive causal evidence attributable exclusively to gameplay.

Differences between age groups and games

Children aged 4–8 who played BioHeroes obtained an average follow-up correct-response rate of approximately 56%.

Participants in the older age groups who played The BioRace obtained an average of approximately 34% correct responses.

The authors interpreted the lower performance among older students partly in relation to the difficulty and scope of the assessment questions.

They emphasised that The BioRace was designed to provide an introduction to bioeconomy production processes, rather than comprehensive technical instruction covering every topic assessed.

The project also reported that students aged 9–13 sometimes required additional time to understand The BioRace mechanics.

These findings underline the importance of aligning evaluation instruments with the specific knowledge and competences addressed by each game.

Engagement and satisfaction

The report documented positive affective engagement during the educational activities.

On a four-point scale, participants reported average ratings of 3.33 for feeling happy and 3.26 for feeling excited during the activity.

Qualitative observations indicated that younger children engaged readily with BioHeroes, while older students demonstrated growing interest in the strategic elements of The BioRace.

However, these responses should not be treated as evidence of improved learning independently of the knowledge assessments.

Misconceptions and negative findings

The evaluation also identified subjects for which the percentage of correct responses decreased.

Particularly noteworthy was a reduction of approximately 21 percentage points in correct responses to a question about whether all bio-based plastics are biodegradable.

The authors suggested that the positive emphasis on bio-based materials may have encouraged an oversimplified interpretation of their environmental properties.

Another question concerning examples of green jobs also showed a decline in correct responses.

These findings indicate that introducing simplified environmental messages through educational games can sometimes reinforce misconceptions unless important distinctions are explicitly addressed.

Limitations of the evaluation

• Non-randomised comparison: Random allocation to intervention and comparison groups is not established by the reviewed documentation.
• Game-specific attribution: The aggregate results combine different games, ages and educational contexts.
• Differences in learning objectives: BioHeroes and The BioRace address different content, complicating direct comparisons between them.
• Assessment alignment: Some evaluation questions covered technical topics beyond the intended scope of the games.
• Repeated assessment: The comparison group’s improvement suggests possible testing effects or information exchange between participants.
• Limited follow-up: The assessment addressed relatively short-term knowledge retention rather than long-term learning.
• Behavioural outcomes: The study did not establish sustained changes in actual consumption or environmental behaviour attributable to the games.
• Green Chat Quartet: Its development and public testing were documented, but it was not included in the same comparative school evaluation.

Scientific dissemination

Blasco-López and colleagues presented a dedicated analysis of the educational games developed within GenB at the International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED2025).

The publication describes the human-centred design process, game mechanics, target audiences and formative validation of BioHeroes, The BioRace, Green Chat Quartet and Escape4Future.

Overall evaluation status

GenB provides strong evidence of educational game development, implementation and research-informed evaluation.

The comparative assessment supports the conclusion that the evaluated educational activities were associated with greater bioeconomy knowledge than the comparison condition, while also identifying weaknesses and misconceptions.

Nevertheless, the project does not establish fully isolated causal effects for each individual game or demonstrate long-term changes in sustainable behaviour.

GenB produced an extensive collection of educational resources designed to support bioeconomy learning in formal and non-formal educational settings.

The resources include original board and card games, an educational escape game, printable learning materials, teacher toolkits, a MOOC, lesson plans, practical experiments and a multilingual digital library.

1. The BioRace – Educational Board Game

The BioRace introduces children to the processes involved in manufacturing bio-based products from different sources of biomass.

Its educational materials are intended to support a physical board-game activity using resource collection, product recipes, biorefinery transformation and Sustainability Points.

The official project page is identified in the GenB educational documentation.

The BioRace – Official Project Resource Page

Availability: The game is described by the consortium as a downloadable educational resource. However, direct retrieval of its complete print-and-play package could not be independently verified during this review because the main project website was intermittently inaccessible.

2. BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet! – Print-and-Play Card Game

BioHeroes is a physical educational card game addressing bioeconomy professions, tasks and sustainable practices.

The game was developed by AIJU and includes two difficulty levels, visual Profession and Task Cards, and Action Cards introducing interactive effects.

A print-and-play resource is referenced in European Schoolnet educational materials.

BioHeroes – Print-and-Play Card Game (European Schoolnet PDF)

BioHeroes – Official Project Resource Page

Availability: A public print-and-play file is identified in institutional documentation. The file’s current download functionality could not be independently verified in this review.

3. Green Chat Quartet – Physical Card Game

Green Chat Quartet contains twelve groups of four related cards covering different types of biomass and bio-based products.

The game was developed by BTG with graphic design contributions from SunnyConcepts and tested at Museon Omniversum in the Netherlands.

Its first physical edition was released in November 2024.

The published scientific description states that the card game could be played at the museum and purchased from its shop.

Availability: A complete public print-and-play download has not been identified. The physical edition was distributed through Museon Omniversum.

GenB Virtual Library – Game and Educational Resources

4. Escape4Future – Chemistry Meets Circular Bioeconomy

Escape4Future is an educational escape game addressing green chemistry, sustainable production and circular bioeconomy.

It uses interconnected puzzles, experiments and problem-solving challenges for groups of secondary school students.

The game is a complementary resource within the wider GenB Game-Based Learning collection.

Escape4Future – Official Project Resource Page

5. GenB Virtual Library

The GenB Virtual Library is a searchable repository of educational resources addressing bioeconomy and sustainability.

It includes materials for children, young people, teachers, parents, multipliers and policymakers.

Users can explore different content formats and languages, including games, teaching resources, quizzes, publications, factsheets, videos and training materials.

GenB Virtual Library

6. GenB Toolkits for Young People, Teachers and Other Multipliers

Deliverable D1.3 provides extensive documentation of the project’s educational resources and their development.

The report describes the design of BioHeroes, its professional roles, educational objectives, card effects, development process and playtesting.

It also covers other materials and tools intended for use with different age groups.

GenB – D1.3 Toolkits for Young People, Teachers and Other Multipliers (PDF)

7. GenB Educational Model

The project developed an educational model to support the integration of sustainable and circular bioeconomy into formal and non-formal education.

The model connects educational objectives, target audiences, participatory methods and learning resources.

The project also published a summary of the educational model in the 24 official languages of the European Union.

GenB Educational Model – Available through the Virtual Library

8. GenB Teacher Training and MOOC

GenB developed a Massive Open Online Course and other teacher training resources in collaboration with European Schoolnet and Scientix.

The materials introduce bioeconomy concepts and pedagogical approaches, including Game-Based Learning, inquiry-based learning and project-based learning.

The course materials explicitly reference BioHeroes and The BioRace as examples of educational games.

GenB MOOC – Complete Educational Content (PDF)

9. GenB Impact Monitoring and Assessment Report

Deliverable D4.3 documents the project’s educational evaluation and wider impact monitoring activities.

The report includes the school-based comparison examining BioHeroes and The BioRace, participant characteristics, survey instruments, knowledge results, engagement and satisfaction findings, and methodological conclusions.

GenB – D4.3 Impact Monitoring and Assessment Report, Second Period (PDF)

10. Scientific Publication on Educational Games

Blasco-López et al. (2025). Educational Games for Bioeconomy Learning: Insights from the Horizon Europe GenB Project. INTED2025 Proceedings, pp. 4640–4649.

This publication describes the development, design principles, mechanics, learning objectives and formative validation of the four games included in the wider GenB collection.

Educational Games for Bioeconomy Learning – INTED2025

Full Scientific Conference Paper (PDF)

Resource availability and licensing

The GenB Virtual Library remains accessible, and project documents continue to be available through indexed institutional and research repositories.

The original project website experienced intermittent access errors during the November 2026 review.

The educational game collection includes downloadable and printed resources, but the accessibility and completeness of individual files vary.

The publicly available project deliverables D1.3 and D4.3 identify a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. This licence should not automatically be assumed to cover every separately published game or its graphic components.

Users should verify the specific licensing conditions and current availability of each individual game before reproduction, adaptation or redistribution.

GenB is a particularly relevant case for the European Board Game-Based Learning Observatory because it combines multiple original physical educational games, participatory design, documented classroom implementation and a comparative assessment of educational outcomes.

Its main methodological contribution lies in demonstrating how different tabletop game mechanisms can be selected according to the learning objectives and developmental characteristics of the intended audience.

The project also provides valuable evidence concerning the strengths and limitations of using games to introduce complex environmental and scientific concepts.

Methodological strengths

1. Substantial BGBL integration: Physical board and card games constitute an important part of the project’s educational toolkit.
2. Multiple game formats: The collection includes resource-management board games, profession-matching card games and quartet set-collection activities.
3. Age-sensitive design: Different games were designed for children with different cognitive, linguistic and educational needs.
4. Human-centred development: The consortium involved students, teachers, parents and specialists in the design and validation of educational games.
5. Scientific content validation: Bioeconomy experts reviewed the accuracy and appropriateness of educational information.
6. Iterative playtesting: Prototype testing influenced game rules, instructions, visual design and usability.
7. Direct representation of production processes: The BioRace incorporates biomass collection, energy use and product transformation into its core game mechanics.
8. Accessible career education: BioHeroes uses visual cards and professional tasks to introduce younger learners to bioeconomy occupations.
9. Familiar game mechanisms: Green Chat Quartet adapts an established card-game structure to communicate new educational content.
10. Documented implementation: The games were tested and used in schools and public educational contexts.
11. Comparative educational evaluation: The project assessed knowledge using an intervention group and a non-participating comparison group.
12. Follow-up assessment: Knowledge was reassessed after the educational activities rather than relying exclusively on immediate post-game perceptions.
13. Publication of limitations: The evaluation report documents misconceptions, difficulties with game rules and weaknesses in the alignment between activities and assessment questions.

Methodological limitations and considerations

1. Unequal integration between mechanics and learning: The three physical games differ considerably in how their gameplay represents the underlying educational processes.
2. Knowledge acquisition versus practical competence: Recognising bioeconomy concepts or completing simulated production tasks does not necessarily demonstrate the ability to make sustainable decisions in real life.
3. Limited causal attribution: Although the educational evaluation included a comparison group, random allocation and complete control of possible confounding variables were not established.
4. Differences between age groups: BioHeroes and The BioRace were used with different populations, limiting direct comparisons of their educational performance.
5. Assessment misalignment: Some knowledge questions addressed technical information that was not directly covered by the evaluated games.
6. Misconception risks: The evaluation identified reduced accuracy in questions concerning biodegradability and green jobs, suggesting that simplified positive messages can lead to incorrect generalisations.
7. Short implementation sessions: Participants aged 9–13 sometimes needed more time to understand The BioRace mechanics and engage fully with the activity.
8. Limited long-term behavioural evidence: The evaluation does not demonstrate that gameplay produced sustained changes in environmental behaviour.
9. Uneven resource accessibility: Some games are available as educational downloads, while Green Chat Quartet was distributed as a physical printed product.
10. Limited standardised debriefing: No common formal post-game reflection protocol was identified for all three tabletop games.

Relationship between game mechanics and educational objectives

The three tabletop games illustrate different degrees of mechanical integration.

The BioRace – Learning through simulated processes

The BioRace integrates the educational topic into the game’s actions: players collect biological raw materials, obtain energy, visit a biorefinery and manufacture bio-based products.

The production process is therefore represented through decisions and resource-management mechanisms rather than solely through explanatory text or quizzes.

This approach offers opportunities for learners to understand relationships between materials, energy and production.

However, the simulation necessarily simplifies the scientific and technological complexity of real bioeconomy systems.

BioHeroes – Learning through role-task associations

BioHeroes connects professional roles with the tasks that characterise their contribution to a sustainable bioeconomy.

Its educational content is embedded in the matching and completion of profession-related cards.

The image-based format is particularly appropriate for younger children, although the relationship between the special Action Cards and the represented professional tasks is less direct.

For example, cards that cause an opponent to miss a turn or exchange cards primarily introduce conventional competitive game dynamics rather than simulating actual bioeconomy processes.

Green Chat Quartet – Learning through categorisation

Green Chat Quartet incorporates educational content into a familiar set-collection game.

Players recognise related cards and encounter information about biomass and derived products when completing sets.

This format can support familiarisation with biological materials and their applications, although its mechanics mainly involve recognition, card requests and collection rather than simulation of production processes.

The different approaches are complementary but should not be considered methodologically equivalent.

Educational implications of the evaluation

The project provides an especially interesting example of how educational games may produce positive overall results while also revealing important limitations.

The comparative school evaluation reported a higher average correct-response rate among participants exposed to the educational materials than among the comparison group.

Nevertheless, some questions showed lower accuracy following the intervention.

This finding is methodologically important because educational games can transmit simplified models that are useful for introducing complex topics but may also encourage misconceptions.

For example, teaching that products derived from biological resources can offer environmental advantages must not lead students to conclude that all bio-based plastics are biodegradable or environmentally harmless.

Consequently, educational game design should consider not only the concepts participants are expected to acquire, but also the misunderstandings that may emerge from the simplification of scientific processes.

Comparison with modern commercial board games

GenB represents the development of custom-designed educational games rather than the pedagogical adaptation of existing commercial board games.

Its design process began with specific educational objectives and selected game formats intended to support those objectives.

However, the different game mechanisms demonstrate principles that are also relevant to adapting modern commercial board games for learning.

Resource management, production chains, set collection and differentiated card effects are widely used in recreational tabletop games.

The educational challenge is to identify when these mechanisms generate experiences directly related to the intended competences and when they function mainly as motivational structures around external information.

Implications for future BGBL initiatives

• Use different game formats according to the specific learning objectives and age characteristics of participants.
• Involve intended users in early prototype development and testing.
• Validate scientific content before and after integrating it into game mechanics.
• Develop gameplay activities that represent relevant processes rather than relying exclusively on factual questions.
• Distinguish mechanisms that simulate educational content from those primarily intended to increase engagement.
• Evaluate game usability separately from the learning generated by gameplay.
• Align assessment instruments with the knowledge and competences actually addressed by each game.
• Include comparison groups and follow-up assessments whenever feasible.
• Examine possible misconceptions and unintended learning effects alongside improvements in knowledge.
• Ensure that educational simplifications are explained through appropriate reflection and facilitator guidance.
• Assess individual games separately before attributing aggregate programme results to specific mechanics.
• Preserve complete rules, printable components and licensing information to facilitate educational replication.

Overall assessment

GenB is a strong example of research-informed educational game development within a European sustainability education initiative.

Its principal strengths are the diversity of original tabletop games, participatory development, age-appropriate educational design, documented school implementation and comparative assessment of learning-related outcomes.

The project provides favourable evidence concerning bioeconomy knowledge and student engagement, while also identifying assessment limitations and misconceptions associated with simplified educational content.

For the European BGBL Observatory, GenB is particularly valuable as a case study of competence-oriented tabletop game design, differences between physical game mechanisms and the importance of evaluating both intended and unintended educational outcomes.