Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

Students from the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM) have developed an educational game as a learning medium for waste management. This educational game, Dalang Board, stands for "recycle board."

This educational game was created by three students from the 2022 cohort of the Economics Study Program, namely Alda Zahra Zhafira, Maudy Nashira Fuadi, and Ayu Lintang Ramadhiani. They collaborated with Nada Avia Edwina (Veterinary Technology 2022) and Faturrahman Al Ramadhani (Cartography and Remote Sensing 2022) as part of the UGM 2024 Student Creativity Program in the field of Entrepreneurship (PKM-K), which successfully received a PKM grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

The lead developer of Dalang Board, Alda, revealed that the idea to create this educational game originated from their concern about the plastic waste problem faced by Indonesian society, including in the Yogyakarta Special Region. Plastic waste is crucial due to its non-biodegradable nature, posing potential health and environmental sustainability risks if not managed properly. "Excessive use of plastic waste is one of the impacts of a lack of awareness and education among the public about plastic waste. Therefore, we need simple education about non-biodegradable plastic waste for adults and children," she explained on Tuesday (7/9) at FEB UGM.

Alda said that educating children needs to be done naturally, one of which is through children's games. Delivering education through children's games containing in-depth information and knowledge about waste is expected to help children understand waste's nature, dangers, and utilization. The educational game is packaged by recycling plastic waste to enhance investment value and provide realistic education on plastic waste management. "We hope that with the presence of Dalang Board, it can become an innovative platform to increase children's environmental awareness and concern about waste," she said.

Dalang Board was developed as a monopoly game that contains general knowledge about waste, including the types of garbage. Besides educating people about the importance of waste management, this educational board game is also made using recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) waste to support environmental sustainability. Meanwhile, typical board games are made using new plastic-based materials like polystyrene.

Dalang Board consists of several components, including the game board, player tokens, and educational question cards about the environment. The supplementary components of Dalang Board are made from environmentally friendly materials, namely FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood and paper. Thus, the Dalang Board helps convey environmental messages and takes concrete steps to address urgent global issues like plastic waste.

"Dalang Board also uses Augmented Reality features as an educational tool. This board game creates interactive and fun learning while supporting efforts to tackle waste problems," Alda explained.

Maudy added that Dalang Board is an educational game medium that provides an interactive learning option to raise children's awareness of plastic waste issues. "Currently, this educational game is available on marketplaces like Shopee and Tokopedia and can be ordered through Instagram @pkmk_dalangboard," she added.

Maudy mentioned that for every two units of Dalang Board sold, a portion will be allocated to plant one mangrove seedling. This step is taken as a form of environmental care.

Reportage: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum 

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