Smogville – Fino all’ultimo respiro
What
Website and Web Game Development
Year
2023
Category
Website, Education
Technology
Ren’Py Visual Novel Engine (for the game)
WordPress (for the website)
Client
To develop your project
How it all started
Following the success of the web game “Pandemia – Scrivi la tua storia”, Synesthesia’s Technologies team was once again engaged by Fondazione Veronesi for the development of the project “Smogville – Fino all’ultimo respiro” (Smogville – Until the Last Breath).
Smogville – Fino all’ultimo respiro is a graphic adventure created by Fondazione Veronesi to highlight the risks associated with air pollutants.
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is the “greatest environmental health risk”: every year in Europe, there are 400,000 premature deaths linked to air pollutants, with 80,000 occurring in Italy alone.
The goal of Smogville – Fino all’ultimo respiro is to raise awareness of air pollutants and their effects on human health. The graphic adventure is designed to uncover the main sources of air pollution, both indoors and outdoors. Set in a futuristic city called Smogville, the web game targets students aged 11 and up. Players can explore various urban environments and navigate through the city, with the choices they make determining the fate of the two protagonists—Skyler and Noveria.
The solution
Synesthesia’s Technologies, in collaboration with Fondazione Veronesi’s team, focused on:
- Defining the game design
- Developing the game
- Creating a dedicated website
For the development of the web game, the Ren’Py engine was used, which is ideal for creating Visual Novel Games. The game is accessible on both desktop and mobile platforms, allowing users to immerse themselves in the Smogville environment through engaging audio effects, graphic animations, and detailed illustrations.
At the end of the game, the system provides an “adventure score” based on how risky the player’s decisions were—reflecting their exposure to air pollution risks.
The project involved multiple partners: Fondazione Veronesi, in collaboration with Symmaceo Communications, developed the story, script, character design, maps, and illustrations. Game design was handled by Luca Gambadoro and Marco Mazzaglia.
Results
“Smogville was integrated into the “Tutti per aria!” project, an educational initiative by Fondazione CRT, conceived and developed by Fondazione Veronesi. The program featured workshops addressing air pollution and the importance of protecting both oneself and the environment.
From March to April 2023, over 2,100 middle school students from Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta participated in these workshops, with Smogville serving as the centerpiece of the educational offering. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the program will expand across Italy.
We strongly believe in video games as an innovative tool for informal education in schools. We used it to create an engaging and challenging story while ensuring the scientific message and its accuracy remained intact. It’s crucial for us to promote projects focused on health education, especially when the topic—air pollution—affects us all so closely. The Synesthesia team helped us transform an idea into a complete game; it was an incredibly stimulating project!”.
Alessandro Vitale (Scientific Supervisor, Fondazione Veronesi)
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