WeAR Smart: A Pilot Study on AI-Driven Game-As-Reality (GAR) for Citizen-Centered Smart City and Urban Resilience in Indonesia

Introduction: Indonesia's ambitious goal of becoming a "100 Smart Cities" nation faces a major socio-technical barrier: a significant civic-digital literacy gap that renders a viable trillion-dollar investment in infrastructure an operational liability. Although Internet penetration is high, a lack of understanding of urban complexities among citizens prevents their ability to participate in circular economies and climate mitigation. This paper introduces WeAR Smart, part of a pioneering Game-As-Reality (GAR) platform that connects the physical city with digitally enabled citizens through the use of an immersive, interactive, and educational application for climate adaptation. It aims to educate and engage citizens in “green” actions.

Methods: Using the GAMERS protocol (geste, ambiance, mechanics, engine, reality, and sustainability), we conduct a quasi-experimental pilot study (pre-post design) using 32 participants to utilize multimodal AI detection and augmented reality (AR) in the urban and climate resilience actions. Outcomes were measured using pre-post Urban Climate Literacy (UCL) surveys in knowledge (100-point scale), attitude (5-point scale), and in-app behavioral logging (15-point scale).

Results: Our program demonstrated significant improvements across all UCL dimensions. Knowledge scores increased from a baseline mean of 41.61 to 84.52 (p < 0.0001). Attitudes toward climate-positive behaviors improved from 2.96 to 3.81 (p < 0.0001). Verified and self-reported behaviors increase significantly from 4.28 to 13.84 (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that the GAR paradigm, with its WeAR smart, is prospective to increase urban and climate literacy. While it used a limited sample, this pilot provides a justified statistical foundation for future large-scale studies. It paves the way to increase its scale and integrate AI-driven solutions into formal policy management to ensure that cities move beyond being simply smart to becoming resilient against climate-induced disruptions with its citizen-centered intelligence.