What is the idea?

“Catch&Go” is a game promoting the Italian cities recognised as Capitals of Culture. Before I explain the game’s details I want to say something about Capitals of Culture. When Matera was declared “European Capital of Culture 2019”, the Italian government has created the title “Italian Capital of Culture” to reward the five cities that have reached the final. From 2016 on every year a panel of judges declares a city that becomes the Italian Capital of Culture and the chosen city wins money to enhance and promote its culture. So there were five Italian Capitals of Culture in 2015: Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena. 2016 was Mantova’s turn and now Pistoia is the reigning city. 2018’s Capital has not been declared yet, but we are waiting for 2019 when Matera will be the European Capital of Culture.

The concept of the game Catch&Go.

Where was the idea born?

In November 2016 I organized “Mantova Maker Days” that has been the first series of events, laboratories, workshops and exhibitions about digital fabrication in Mantova. Since Mantova was going through its Italian Capital of Culture year, we gathered the other Capitals of Culture in Italy, represented by their FabLabs. So I called one FabLab for every Capital and we were becoming the main characters of the event “Maker and Capitals of Culture”. We decided to make something together to promote Capitals’ Culture and their FabLabs. From the first meeting we thought that a game could be the solution. This month I participated to an Ideas Call in Mantova where the game has become a series of games named “Connecting Capitals of Culture” with a first proposal named “Catch&Go” only for children.

Capitals of Culture Fablab's manager during Mantova Maker Days.

How can you play with Catch&Go?

There are fourteen pieces that you can put together to connect Italian Capitals of Culture as you prefer. When you have joined tracks’ signs the Culture’s train can go on crossing all the cities. You have eight cities’ pieces – one for each Capital – and six tracks’ pieces. If you want to learn more about the Capitals’ culture, you can play with the extra objects that you can insert into the city piece’s corresponding hole. For example, you can learn that a Mantuan traditional dish is “Tortelli di Zucca” putting the 3D Tortello into the corresponding hole inside Mantova piece. There are three series about 3D objects: traditional dishes, historic characters and cultural buildings or monuments.

A sketch of Catch&Go.

What are the digital components of the game?

I think it is possible to make cities’ and tracks’ pieces using computer-controlled cutting technologies, while 3D objects can be made with 3D scans, 3D prints and also with molding and casting technologies. I would like that every 3D object can light up only when the player puts it in the right position or that the train can move through remote-control or it may light up when it crosses a Capital.

The piece of Mantova.

But FabAcademy has just begun and I have to learn a lot of technologies before deciding all the details…