European Research Rolls The Dice On ‘Serious Games’
European Research Rolls The Dice On ‘Serious Games’
European Research Rolls The Dice On ‘Serious Games’
By Fintan Burke
November 21, 2022
Summary
Why some researchers are using 'serious games' to engage stakeholders in complicated decisions.
"Water is the key medium through which climate change is showing its impact," says Prof. Dragan Savic, CEO of the KW Research Institute in the Netherlands and Professor of Hydroinformatics at the University of Exeter in the UK. "It's either too much water [creating] flooding or too little water [ creating] droughts." Savic is part of the NextGen project, which is finding ways to bring circular economy principles and technological innovation to Europe's water sector.
In the game, players take the role of a mayor dealing with a water crisis.
Behind the game is a complex simulation model developed by the NextGen project based on their years of research on water systems.
As far back as 2013 researchers have described how some European countries have the most supportive policies for researchers to use board games in their work.
More recent studies have shown that serious games have become popular among European researchers when engaging stakeholders on topics like climate change adaption, energy governance, eco-industrial parks and cyberbullying.
Reference
Burke, F. (2022, November 21). European research rolls the dice on 'serious games'. EuroScientist journal. Retrieved December 22, 2022, from https://www.euroscientist.com/european-research-rolls-the-dice-on-serious-games/