Play with your food: gaming can show youth how to level up their health

Young South Africans are being fed a diet of technology and fast food, with concerning results for their physical health. This modern lifestyle has sidelined essential life skills like cooking and making sustainable food choices. 

Busy family schedules, declining intergenerational culinary knowledge transfer, limited comprehensive food education in schools and the pervasive influence of convenience food delivery services add to the problem. 

This convergence has created a disconnect between nutrition and food preparation principles, and underscores the pressing need for innovative educational approaches to bridge this gap. As a result, many adults and children in SA lack basic skills and knowledge of food and nutrition. 

This deficiency manifests in alarming ways, with a noticeable increase in higher-than-optimal body mass index levels and a concerning surge in deaths attributed to noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers.

According to Newzoo gaming insights, nine out of 10 Gen Alpha and Gen Z individuals are game enthusiasts, highlighting the value of gamification as an educational tool. By integrating gamification into food literacy education, young people could be empowered to make healthier, more sustainable food choices.

Reading your plate

Food illiteracy is not merely a lack of cooking skills; it encompasses a broader inability to make informed food choices, understand nutritional information and appreciate the environmental impact of our dietary habits. This gap in knowledge poses significant risks to general health and has an impact on ecological sustainability, economic stability, cultural preservation, social equity, food security, ethical consumption and a sense of global responsibility. 

Despite efforts to enhance consumer education, traditional educational methods have struggled to engage Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Generation Alpha (those born from 2010 onwards) effectively. These generations have distinct learning preferences that differ significantly from their predecessors, making it challenging to capture their attention and interest through conventional educational approaches.

To tackle the issue of food illiteracy among youth who spend significant amounts of time online and respond more effectively to gamification than traditional educational methods, PhD candidates from the department of consumer and food sciences at the University of Pretoria, conducted an innovative study.

This qualitative research used an adventure-based, role-playing computer game to assess and enhance 15 Gen Alphas’ understanding, skills and food-related actions. The game comprises various levels and challenges designed to teach children about budgeting, shopping, making sustainable food choices, preparing healthy meals and developing healthy eating habits. Integrating gamification into education promotes motivation and participation, transforming learning into an engaging and interactive experience. 

Gamification transcends traditional educational methods by creating immersive learning environments where students can experiment, fail and succeed without real-world consequences, thereby fostering a deeper understanding and retention of knowledge. 

This approach effectively tackles food illiteracy by making learning about nutrition, cooking and sustainable living enjoyable and impactful. It counters the disinterest and stress often induced by conventional learning, teaching and evaluation methods, enhancing engagement and effectiveness in educating modern consumers.

Freedom to learn

Gamification serves as a catalyst for revitalising the essence of education, ensuring that learning is effective and enjoyable. The University of Pretoria study found success in using gamification as a way to promote interaction, teamwork and student involvement, and revolutionised conventional assessments and instruction into dynamic experiences. 

However, gamification is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It requires a thoughtful blend of objectives and game design that is customised for a target audience. A successful gamification programme seeks to use what Scot Osterweil, creative director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Education Arcade, calls the “four freedoms of play”. 

These are:

• The freedom to fail — games allow mistakes to be made with little consequence;
• The freedom to experiment — games allow players to explore and discover new strategies and pieces of information;
• The freedom to assume different identities — games encourage players to see problems from a different perspective; and
• The freedom of effort — games allow players to experience periods of intense activity and relative inactivity, allowing them to pause and reflect on their accomplishments.

To maximise the impact of gamification on food literacy, it is essential to leverage advanced digital platforms and design games that align with current trends and resonate with popular titles such as Super Mario, Fallout and Skyrim. 

Unlike traditional educational games, these innovative solutions are meticulously tailored to captivate Gen Z and Gen Alpha learners by emulating the immersive experiences they seek in their leisure time. The goal is to seamlessly intertwine learning with entertainment by mirroring the allure of their treasured games and motivating students to embark on educational quests with enthusiasm and dedication. 

This paradigm shift towards gamified methods heralds a new era in consumer education, promising to enhance student engagement and motivation significantly. By making learning an enjoyable and interactive experience, gamification has the potential to address the critical issue of food illiteracy among youth, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed food choices and adopt healthier lifestyles.

Why this research matters

Food literacy is crucial for encouraging healthier lifestyles, promoting sustainable practices and advancing global health goals. It empowers individuals to make informed food choices, understand nutritional information and develop essential cooking skills, combating issues like obesity, malnutrition and chronic diseases. By leveraging educational game design and digital tools, researchers are developing cost-effective, time-efficient strategies to enhance food literacy among youth. 

• About the authors: Nadine du Piesanie is an assistant lecturer, Dr Nadene Marx-Pienaar is a lecturer, Dr Nadine Sonnenberg is a senior lecturer and Dr Adeline Pretorius is a lecturer in the University of Pretoria's department of consumer and food Sciences.

This article was sponsored by the University of Pretoria.

^{*DataReportal’s Digital 2023: Global Overview Report.}