Games and playful activities have emerged as powerful tools for public engagement and education, particularly in nurturing the learning of new generations. The INAF National Working Group on Game and Creative Learning has dedicated years to developing tailored games for astrophysics education. In this presentation, we examine the research conducted on two exemplary cases: PIXEL - Picture (of) the Universe and Cosmo Hunters, both meticulously crafted board games designed to engage learners of varying ages.
PIXEL provides a dynamic platform for high school education, immersing players in the intricacies of astrophysics research by emphasizing observation and analysis of cosmic bodies at varying resolutions. Conversely, Cosmo Hunters is tailored for middle school education, serving as an interactive introduction to the diverse frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum and corresponding telescopes for astronomical observations.
Throughout this presentation, we delve into the preliminary results of our research to assess the effectiveness of these games and associated activities as educational tools. Specifically, we present the qualitative analysis of the national-scale PCTO program for PIXEL and the quantitative analysis of the OAA-OACa collaboration for Cosmo Hunters.
Following the presentation, we offer the possibility to play these games and new prototypes.

Breve CV del Dr. Giannandrea Inchingolo:

Giannandrea Inchingolo è un Creative Scientist con un dottorato in Fisica presso l'INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Arcetri. Ha guidato l' “Into the (un)known”, una mostra d'arte scientifica immersiva esposta al Festival Scienze 2020 di Genoval e alla Biennale di Venezia nel 2021. Dal 2020, è stato un membro del Game Science Research Center e Lead Game Developer, contribuendo alla creazione di giochi da tavolo dell'INAF per l'educazione astronomica.