Using a Board Game to Plan for a Changing Planet
Using a Board Game to Plan for a Changing Planet
Using a Board Game to Plan for a Changing Planet
By Eva Amsen
Summary
The hapū of Tangoio Marae have a serious decision to make about this place that is so central to their community, and one of their decision-making tools is unorthodox: a board game.
Called Marae-opoly, the Māori community designed the game in partnership with researchers from New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research with the explicit goal of helping the hapū decide how to manage the flood risk to their marae.
Investing money early in the game to save for larger expenses could leave them at risk of higher costs due to flood damage, but spending a small amount could mean insufficient protection against bigger floods.
According to Rebecca Bayeck, an expert on the educational value of games at Utah State University who was not involved in the Marae-opoly project, board games have inherent qualities that make them suitable learning environments.
Pandemic, a board game in which players work together to stop the global outbreak of several infectious diseases, has been used to teach group decision-making.
Why board games? Unlike video games, Bayeck sees board games as fostering a welcoming space because they facilitate in-person connections.
Playing a board game made it a bit easier to process.
Reference
Ansen, E. (2022, May 9). Using a board game to plan for a changing planet. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://hakaimagazine.com/news/using-a-board-game-to-plan-for-a-changing-planet/