City Pets at Lucca Comics & Games: a journey through play, storytelling, and urban inclusion

IN-HABIT’s City Pets at Lucca Comics & Games: a journey through play, storytelling, and urban inclusion

This year at Lucca Comics & Games, held in Lucca from October 30 to November 3, 2024, City Pets made an exciting performance! The collaborative card game, developed by the University of Pisa and Lucca Crea, invited kids and families to explore how pets can contribute to more connected and compassionate cities. At Real Collegio, our Lucca IN-HABIT team showcased the game and guided children through engaging play.

City Pets goes beyond traditional play; it combines gamification, storytelling, and urban insights to inspire young people to imagine communities where pets play a vital role in bringing people together. The experience sparked new ways of thinking about how animals can help shape a friendlier, more inclusive urban future.

The experience was made possible by the dedication of the IN-HABIT team in Lucca: Comune di Lucca, Università di Pisa and LuccaCrea, and the support of many individuals and institutions. 

• Cristina Consani, Councillor Ambiente, Transizione ecologica, Politiche giovanili, Tutela e benessere degli animali
• Simona Testaferrata, Councillor for Istruzione, Edilizia Scolastica, Famiglia, Natalità, Pari Opportunità
• Maria Cristina Panconi and Pamela Salvatore, Comune di Lucca, institutional referents for the IN-HABIT project 
• Alessandra Parenti, Local Community Activator, Comune di Lucca
• Chiara Mariti, Researcher at the University of Pisa and the UNIPI team, WP Leaders for the Lucca project area 
• Giovanni Russo and the   Lucca Crea team, IN-HABIT partner
• Pier Domenico Baccalario, Author and CEO of Book on a Tree,  IN-HABIT partner, and the BOT team
• Fabio Viola, Gamification Designer expert, cooperating with IN-HABIT project

A special mention also goes to the Play Educators, whose exceptional work in engaging with the project played a key role in fostering a spirit of connection, learning, and fun within our community.

Gamification and City Pets: Fabio Viola’s vision

During the event, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Fabio Viola, one of the world’s leading gamification designers, to explore how games can foster empathy and positive action in urban settings. Fabio pointed out that, just like with the classic Tamagotchi, City Pets taps into our natural desire to nurture and protect. Through playful engagement, kids can learn to care for animals, make a habit of responsible pet ownership, and even promote virtuous behaviors like cleaning up after pets in public spaces.

Fabio shared examples from other cities, like Alghero, where he developed Play Alghero, a project using gamified tasks to encourage locals and tourists to explore cultural sites. He highlighted how similar principles could be applied to Lucca’s goal of becoming Europe’s first truly pet-friendly city. By incorporating playful missions and rewards into daily life, gamification can motivate citizens to discover pet-friendly spaces, engage in eco-friendly activities, and reduce issues like over-tourism. This approach, he explained, has the potential to make Lucca a place where both people and pets feel included and valued.

Storytelling and community: Pier Domenico Baccalario’s insights

We also spoke with Pier Domenico Baccalario, a celebrated author, storytelling expert, and CEO of Book on a Tree, one of our partners in the IN-HABIT project. Pier Domenico underscored the timeless role of stories in building community bonds, explaining that storytelling has always helped us connect, whether it’s sharing where to find food or building a home. These shared stories, he noted, create a sense of belonging, passing down values from generation to generation and making everyone—from longtime residents to newcomers—feel part of the community.

In today’s digital age, storytelling has the added power to create inclusive spaces by giving voice to underrepresented groups, including youth. Pier Domenico explained that the best stories are simple yet memorable; they leave a mark, like a favorite movie scene or a gripping novel. City Pets brings this concept to life by helping kids imagine their neighborhoods as places where pets are celebrated, emphasizing inclusion and shared responsibility.

Why storytelling matters for urban Well-Being

Pier Domenico also touched on the role of storytelling in health and well-being, a core focus of the IN-HABIT project. Stories don’t just entertain—they help us process emotions and make sense of the world. This is why IN-HABIT integrates storytelling into urban planning, creating narratives that support a healthy, inclusive city life. Just like taking pets to work or providing safe, well-lit parks, storytelling can enhance public health by fostering connection and empathy among all community members. As Pier Domenico puts it, health is a public good, and storytelling can strengthen this by building a community that is “socially correct”—one where everyone feels included and valued.

Building empathy and inclusion through play and stories

At its heart, City Pets brings these concepts together, using play and storytelling to inspire kids to imagine more inclusive urban spaces. With support from gamification and storytelling experts like Fabio Viola and Pier Domenico Baccalario, City Pets shows how cities can evolve into places where both humans and animals thrive together.

Dive into the full interviews above to explore the inspiring insights of Fabio Viola and Pier Domenico Baccalario. And to everyone who joined us at Real Collegio during Lucca Comics & Games—thank you! We hope City Pets brought you joy, inspiration, and a fresh perspective on how pets can help build better communities.

Read the full interviews here: 

Fabio Viola and gamification

Pier Domenico Baccalario and storytelling