Gamifying agent-based models in Cormas: Towards the playable architecture for serious games in Pharo

Abstract

Agent-based modelling (ABM) and role-playing games (RPGs) are among the main practices used in the companion modelling approach (ComMod). While ABMs provide higher computational capabilities, RPGs are more accessible and more engaging for the local stakeholders. There is a growing interest in combining those two approaches, in fact, games can be seen as ABMs where human players act as agents. However, to the best of our knowledge, there a no ABM platforms that support gaming out-of the box. In this work, we propose to extend Cormas, an agent-based modelling platform to provide "playability" for model entities. This way, any model developed in Cormas can potentially be played as a game, and any game can be run as a simulation. "Playability" is achieved by extending the architecture of Cormas with several layers. Through the implementation of the serious game "Planet C", we established each layer one by one, reaching towards the desired architecture.

Keywords

agent-based modelling, serious games, companion modelling, cormas, pharo, software architecture, gamification

Links

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BibTeX

@inproceedings{kupusovic2025gamifying,
  title = {Gamifying agent-based models in Cormas: Towards the playable architecture for serious games in Pharo},
  author = {Kupusovic, Jovan and Zaitsev, Oleksandr and Bommel, Pierre and Le Page, Christophe and Rakić, Gordana},
  year = {2025},
  month = {July},
  booktitle = {International Workshop on Smalltalk Technologies},
  publisher = {CEUR-WS},
  address = {Gdansk, Poland},
  url = {https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-4139}
}