In his latest article, Oscar Garcia Pañella, PhD, reflects on key insights from our project meeting in Estonia, exploring the intersection of co-creation, serious games, cultural heritage, education, AI, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
“…A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the fourth plenary meeting of the European i-Game Project, held in the Estonian cities of Tartu and Tallinn. Estonia is a remarkably green country—both literally and metaphorically. It is a place where pragmatism, innovation, and applicability seem to coexist naturally. I was genuinely fascinated.
At first glance, this might have appeared to be just another project meeting: reviewing progress, discussing results, preparing pilot activities, refining tools, evaluating indicators, and planning future events. And yes, we did all of that – and much more.
Through my work at Cookie Box Group and ENTI – Escola de Noves Tecnologies, where I lead gamification initiatives and mentor video game development projects, I have often observed a strong focus on game design itself. There is, understandably, a fascination with creating the game. What i-Game is teaching me, however, is that we should spend at least as much time designing the ecosystems that enable those games to emerge. This means moving beyond the traditional, linear model in which designers create, artists develop, programmers implement, and players consume. Instead, it invites us to think about something far more powerful: the creation of communities.
When games are applied to fields such as education, health, culture, or heritage, the landscape becomes significantly more complex. Expertise is no longer concentrated solely among game developers. Meaningful innovation requires co-creation. In this environment, everyone becomes a kind of superhero—each bringing different superpowers to the table. Educators, museum professionals, researchers, students, designers, technologists, accessibility experts, and citizens all contribute unique perspectives. Through intensive collaborative processes, they generate concepts that are innovative, relevant, inclusive, and impactful.
This is precisely what we explore within i-Game.
What happens when educators, museum curators, researchers, students, designers, technologists, and citizens participate together in the creation of a gaming experience?
The answer is simple: we do not just generate better ideas. We uncover perspectives that would never emerge within a room populated exclusively by developers.
In Estonia, this vision became even clearer. We listened to museums that are organizing game jams to create prototypes using i-Game tools and to activate cultural heritage through play. Their willingness to experiment and embrace new approaches is truly inspiring.
We met researchers who view co-creation as a powerful methodology for collective learning. Professionals who recognize video games not only as entertainment products but also as cultural artifacts worthy of preservation. Educators who see game creation as an innovative and effective learning strategy.
In this context, the game is no longer merely the outcome. It becomes part of the process itself. And that changes everything. The balance between process and product shifts. Success is measured not only by what is created, but by the conversations, connections, learning opportunities, and communities that emerge along the way. This, in many ways, captures the essence of i-Game: community.
I have often reflected on how professionals tend to stay within their own circles. Physiotherapists speak with physiotherapists. Engineers discuss technology with engineers. Educators exchange ideas with educators. Gamers engage with fellow gamers.
– But what happens when these worlds intersect?
Something remarkable. We move from vertical structures to horizontal ones. We begin to understand what others do, how they think, and what challenges they face. New ideas emerge at the intersections.
A recent example took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, during one of our i-Game game jams. Students, developers, artists, designers, researchers, and sustainable fashion specialists worked together over several days to create inclusive gaming experiences. The prototypes they produced were impressive. But what struck me most was something else entirely. It was watching people from completely different disciplines discover a common language. Seeing a fashion designer collaborate with a programmer. An artist co-create alongside a researcher. An accessibility specialist directly influence key design decisions.
Those interactions were every bit as valuable as the games themselves.
Of course, we are deeply interested in technological innovation. Artificial Intelligence, Extended Reality (XR), and digital platforms are central to many of our activities. These technologies offer extraordinary possibilities. Yet we must not lose sight of the human dimension that gives these innovations meaning.
Within i-Game, we develop digital tools and AI-powered solutions to support co-creation processes and transform scattered ideas into actionable design concepts.
But Estonia reminded us of something equally important:
True innovation rarely comes from technology alone.
More often, it emerges when diverse people come together to think, create, and learn collectively.
Perhaps that is why, when I think about the future of Serious Games, education, museums, and innovation, I find myself becoming less interested in one question:
“What game are we going to build?”
And increasingly interested in another:
“What community are we helping to build around that game?”
Because games may end.
Communities continue creating value, knowledge, and connections long after the game itself is finished.
And that may be one of the most valuable lessons I brought home from Estonia. …”
Read the article in Spanish language >> here