Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

This paper introduces ReBiome, a hybrid serious board game that combines physical tabletop play with digital technologies to encourage environmental awareness and critical engagement with current ecological challenges. Its key contribution lies in the hybrid design approach, which connects analog and digital forms of play and situates real-world environmental concerns within a speculative post-apocalyptic setting. The game was developed following research into issues such as air and water pollution, harmful substances, and diseases. Designed for 3 to 6 players aged 14 and above, ReBiome is a board game in which participants roleplay as investors navigating a society shaped by the overexploitation of Earth’s resources. By prioritizing narrative immersion and role assumption, the game seeks to foster more conscious gameplay and a deeper understanding of the long-term social and environmental consequences of economic choices.