Extended Abstract—Stories of Peso da Régua: The Enigma of the Ancient Vines - The Co-Creation Process of an Immersive Experience in Cibricity

Abstract

The processes of digitization and connectivity have transformed society, cities, and consequently, the spaces and ways of living, working, producing, and socializing knowledge, as well as teaching and learning. Geographically located spaces are expanded and enhanced in the digital realm, providing a way of being that is no longer solely physical-geographic but also digital across different platforms. This study aims to present the process of ideation and co-creation of an immersive experience in cybercity developed in the context of an international event that occurs in a hybrid format, articulating actions in a physical space – the city of Peso da Régua, Portugal – and in digital spaces. The immersive experience hybridizes physically located and co-created spaces in the Metaverse Spatial, involving co-authorship with Generative Artificial Intelligences. It also articulates immersion, hybridism, and cybercity concepts through a gamified narrative. Historical and fictional characters guide the experience through missions and challenges, which involve geographical clues (spaces of the city), live clues (people from the community), analog clues (cards), and digital clues (such as QRCodes and puzzles). The research employs the Cartographic Method of Research-Intervention rECOnectivo. As results, the article points to clues that can inspire pedagogical practices that integrate cybercity as a new way of teaching and learning in this third millennium.