Innovation as humanity's resource: How play can make the UN's 2030 goals achievable

Abstract

With the ever-growing demand for solving problems common to all countries, world forums have seen a rise in its protagonism in the discussion of these issues. Since definition of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, discussions have increased on how the goals can be achieved to ultimately generate a more sustainable world. Each country should bring its, but so far, many goals are below expectations, worrying the UN - especially after the COVID-19 pandemic that shook the planet. Some of the adversities encountered in joining forces in the face of these challenges are the lack of unity between countries, distrust in supranational bodies, poor knowledge of how similar situations are treated and lack of creativity in generating ideas and solving these problems. From this, it is suggested that playful play can help to save humanity in setbacks since, through play, people can develop a sense of empathy, as well as an understanding of different material conditions, which leads to improving creativity and, as a result, innovative solutions. There are already some games both physical and digital that are in line with the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). However, the digital games industry is increasingly growing among young people and adults alike, and they can maximize the power of gamification, which is to make playable a real situation. This research, with an exploratory theoretical character, concludes that playability - especially gamification - is on the rise and can help civilization to build a more humane and sustainable world.