Smart Cities and Serious Games: Maik Rehorst's Graduation Journey

The TransitieGame was originally developed by Anera Interactive, the company I co-founded with two fellow students in October 2023 after a shared internship. During that internship, we created the first version of the game, which focuses on the sustainability of Dutch business parks. Since then, multiple parties, including municipalities and research institutions, have approached us to explore whether the same game concept could be adapted for other urban environments.

For our graduation, we set out to develop a prototype of the new game: TransitieGame Urban, aimed at urban residential areas. Each team member was responsible for translating their area of expertise to suit this new context. My role involved researching the complexities of Dutch urban residential areas and adapting the game mechanics and content accordingly, using the original TransitieGame as a framework.

Smart Cities provided a professional and supportive work environment that greatly assisted me throughout my process. The team was knowledgeable, approachable, and always willing to offer feedback. My coach, Timothy Geesing, had expertise in both the subject matter and application development, and his guidance was invaluable during my ten-month stay. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed the shared lunch walks—a cultural difference I appreciated, as lunch walks are less common in Germany.

This project challenged me beyond just refining my design skills. It taught me persistence and adaptability. I encountered numerous obstacles, including having to redo my graduation and facing setbacks such as a failed collaboration with a Smart Solutions Semester group and difficulties in testing with the target audience. Fortunately, Smart Cities supported me by providing additional research material and organizing a playtest session. Through this experience, I also deepened my understanding of sustainability challenges in urban residential areas.

Looking ahead, I hope to secure a role in the game industry as a professional game designer, ideally focusing on narrative or game systems design. Anera Interactive remains a side project for now, but we remain open to the possibility of pursuing it full-time if the right opportunity arises. In the meantime, we are excited to participate in a closing meeting for sustainable neighborhoods in Deventer, where we will showcase the prototype of our new game, thanks to an invitation from Smart Cities.

Even though I had to redo my graduation and needed a second attempt, I did not regret extending my stay at Smart Cities by one quartile. In general, my time at Smart Cities was very enjoyable and I hope that I will have an opportunity to continue to work with them. In fact, Anera Interactive will likely take an opportunity offered to us by Smart Cities, attending a closing meeting for sustainable neighborhoods in Deventer to show off the prototype of the new game.

I can only recommend Smart Cities to other students if they want to experience professional expertise paired with friendly and approachable people and an enjoyable work environment.

Ready for a New Challenge?

Did this story spark your enthusiasm for Smart Cities as a dynamic learning environment? If so, we’d love to hear from you! As a research group, we’re always eager to meet new students and explore opportunities for completing your graduation project or internship with us. Interested? Simply send us a WhatsApp or stop by our office (G6.25). We look forward to connecting with you soon!