The Food Security Quest

Faculty member: Kosha Bramesfeld, Andrea Moraes, Arla Good
Type: Learning Game

Description: The Food Security Quest is a learning game focused on the topic of food security. The game allows players to step into the life of a fictional character in order to help the character navigate different decisions while trying to stay food secure. By the end of the game learners should be able to:

Define food security within the context of the five A’s of food security (availability, accessibility, adequacy, acceptability, and agency).
Identify key risk factors associated with food insecurity in Ontario (and Canada more broadly).
Recognize how history, structural inequality, policy, and discriminatory practices puts some populations of individuals at higher risk for food insecurity.
Appreciate the resiliency, strength, and resolve required to persevere when living with food insecurity.

Play the Game

Play in web browser

(archive file) Download for Windows

(archive file) Download for Mac

Text only version

Research and Resources

Download the (PDF file) PDF Instructor Guide
Download the (PDF file) PDF Research and Development Report

More about Food Security

Ryerson University Centre for Studies in Food Security
PROOF Canada (external link, opens in new window)
Dieticians of Canada. (external link, opens in new window) (2016). Addressing household food insecurity in Canada: Position statement and recommendations from Dieticians of Canada.
The Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) (external link, opens in new window)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (external link, opens in new window)

Food security in First Nations communities

Baskin, C., Guarisco, B., Koleszar-Green, R., Melanson, N., & Osawamick, C. (2008). Struggles, strengths and solutions: Exploring food security with young Aboriginal moms. Ryerson University Centre for Studies in Food Security.
Chan, L., Receveur, O., Batal, M., David, W., Schwartz, H., Ing, A., ... & Tikhonov, C. (2014). First nations food, nutrition and environment study (FNFNES) (opens in new window) : results from Ontario (2011/2012). Ottawa: University of Ottawa.
Veeraraghavan, G., Burnett, K., & Skinner, K. (2016). Paying for nutrition: a report on food costing in the North. (external link, opens in new window) Ottawa (ON): Food Secure Canada.

Food security and diabetes

Chan, J., DeMelo, M., Gingras, J., & Gucciardi, E. (2015). Challenges of diabetes self-management in adults affected by food insecurity in a large urban centre of Ontario, Canada. International journal of endocrinology, 2015.
Vick, A. (2014). Living and working precariously with an episodic disability: Barriers in the Canadian context. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 3(3), 1-28.

The development and evaluation of the Food Security Quest was supported by a 2016 - 2018 Research and Innovation grant through eCampusOntario. (external link) The Food Security Quest was also part of a 2017 - 2018 pilot project with the Ryerson University Collaboratory.

Kosha Bramesfeld, PhD - Principal Investigator, Project Manager
Andrea Moraes, PhD - Principal Investigator, Subject Matter Expert
Arla Good, PhD - Research Supervisor
Cecilia Rocha, PhD - Project Administrator
Kieran Ramnarine - Lead Game Developer
Meredith Burling - Creative Assets Developer
Samantha Kranyak - Concept Artist and Illustrator
Marissa Frosst - Technology consultant
Jennifer Biewald - Food Security Storytelling and Research Assistant
Joleine Kasper - Aboriginal Food Security Research Assistant
Timothy MtPleasant - Indigenous Resource Consultant
Lina Rahouma - Food Security Storytelling and Research Assistant
Nicole Forget - Project Volunteer: Learner Experience
Leen Al-Feyez - Project Volunteer: Learner Experience
Jenessa Clark - Project Volunteer: Learner Experience

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend a special thank you to the following Ryerson University faculty, staff, and students for their feedback and guidance on the development of the Food Security Quest:

Student experience: Leen Al-Feyez, Jenessa Clark, and Nicole Forget.

Food security content matter expertise: Donna Appavoo, Lauren Baker, Cyndy Baskin, Mustafa Koç, Monika Korzun, Reg Noble, Cecilia Rocha, and Fiona Yeudall.

eLearning, educational development, and game design: Namir Ahmed, Restiani Andriati, Adam Chaboryk, Kelly Dermody, Naza Djafarova, Wendy Freeman, Igor Karasyov, Brian Nammari, Sushila Parikh, Tanya Pobuda, Nada Savicevic, Lars Svekis, Fangmin Wang, Sally Wilson, and Leonora Zefi.

This project was supported by a 2016-2018 eCampusOntario Research and Innovation grant and as a Ryerson University Library “Collaboratory” pilot project.

Project Leads

Dr. Kosha Bramesfeld

Dr. Kosha Bramesfeld, PhD
Co-investigator and Project Lead

Dr. Kosha Bramesfeld has a PhD in Social Psychology from The Pennsylvania University. She has been an educator and researcher for over 15 years. She is particularly interested in knowledge mobilization activities focused on the psychology of privilege, power, oppression, and poverty from an intersectionality perspective. Prior to this project, Dr. Bramesfeld developed and evaluated a poverty simulation board game (Bramesfeld, 2015, Bramesfeld & Good, 2015) and an intersectionality awareness game (Bramesfeld, 2015, Bramesfeld & Good, 2016).

Dr. Bramesfeld brings to the team years of educational project management experience, a strong commitment to the advancement of experiential learning, and a great deal of energy and excitement for game-based learning. Dr. Bramesfeld has been thrilled to participate in this project. She has been particularly impressed with the student leadership team and has enjoyed working with and learning from so many incredibly talented and motivated individuals.

Dr. Arla Good

Dr. Arla Good, PhD
Research Supervisor

At the time of publication Arla Good was a Postdoctoral Researcher working in the field of social and community psychology at Ryerson University. As the research supervisor of the Food Security Quest, she was given the opportunity to watch our amazing team of student research assistants harness their passion for food and nutrition and develop the captivating characters and stories that make up the game.

Food security was not a topic that she knew much about before joining this team. Her role in the project has afforded both a theoretical and empirical exploration of what it means to be ‘food insecure.’ In particular, hearing the stories of individuals with lived experience opened her eyes to the complex social injustices surrounding food security. She believes educating the next generation is a great place to start tackling these issues. She hope you enjoy playing the game as much as she enjoyed making it.

Dr. Andrea Moraes

Dr. Andrea Moraes, PhD
Co-Investigator and Subject Matter Expert

At the time of publication Andrea Moraes was a Contract Lecturer at both the School of Nutrition and The Certificate in Food Security at the Chang School. She first dreamed of a food security game as a way to engage and mobilize my students with the problem of food insecurity in Canada. She participated most intensively in the first part of the research for the elaboration of the characters and structure of the game.

She is both Brazilian and Canadian. She holds a PhD in Rural Sociology. She is passionate about food studies in general and water and food security in particular. What she likes most about teaching is the contact with students and the intense learning that comes from it. Her favourite character is Dolores because she symbolizes the ‘pain and delight’ of every mom.