Enhancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Literacy Through SIGLA SDG Discussion-Based Game

A widespread lack of public awareness and engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) hinders the success of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which issues a universal call to action. This awareness-action gap, which is noticeable even in institutions of higher learning, is a major obstacle to organizing the group effort needed for change. In order to directly address this challenge, this study presents a novel tool called the SIGLA SDG Discussion-Based Game. For four to eight players, SIGLA is a tabletop discussion-based card game that intends to provide a strategic and enjoyable understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It details how the game's design combines elements of role-playing, discussion-based learning, and gamification to produce an immersive, captivating, and thought-provoking learning experience. In addition to providing SDG literacy, the paper offers a theoretical analysis of the game's mechanics and makes the case that its design is particularly well-suited to impart critical thinking, evidence-based communication, teamwork, and perspective-taking—all of which are critical 21st-century skills. The game is a useful addition to the field of ESD and the larger endeavor of global citizenship education since it provides a concrete model for changing SDG education from passive information dissemination to active, experiential, and socially constructed knowledge.