Games for Environmental Change

Whats the project about

So far, the trade-offs involved have mainly been the subject of qualitative discussions on how to find some kind of acceptable compromise. The outcome of these discussions is often strongly biased, depending on the strength of the actors, with those representing the economic side often having the upper hand. There are also some more quantitative and mathematical approaches (e.g. optimization theory). Although they offer an opportunity for a more objective outcome, they quickly become very complex problems to solve mathematically and are dependent on the details of how the problem is formulated.

One approach that has not been explored much to date is to view land use conflicts as a ‘game’. Games have the potential to contain many variables and complex sets of relationships that can help players better understand the effects of the choices made by different land managers and decision makers. To set up such a game requires expertise in both game design and specific knowledge of the land use conflict itself. Through effective design and visualisation, games can help raise awareness and provide valuable insights to those who are not specialists in the field.

In the Environmental Game Project, we will also learn more about Ireland by looking at a local land use conflict. For example, recent Irish news reported that communities approximately 35km from the ATU in County Leitrim were left without power and water for 5 days following the effects of Storm Darragh. Local people and politicians on the radio claim that the main impact on the electricity grid is forestry! The area has many intensive forestry plantations owned by absentee landowners such as insurance companies. They claim that these forests are poorly managed and are flooding the electricity grids/cables/poles and that the grid suffers significant damage when there is a heavy storm. These have been planted piece by piece and the placement of the plantations is like a game of Jenga, piece by piece until it is complete. The link between land planning, forestry, utilities and local society/people is an example of a land use conflict. There is a ‘game going on’ that can be explored and better understood by designing, prototyping and playing a serious game.

Study areas

Globally, widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, land, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. The scale of recent changes across the climate system as a whole – and the present state of many aspects of the climate system – are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years.

Observed changes in Ireland's climate over the last century are in line with global and regional trends associated with human-induced climate change.

Over the coming centuries, global, regional and local changes are expected to continue and their rates to increase. Changes in the climate system causes changes in conditions in local and regional areas – rain leading to flooding, lack of precipitation leading to drought, high air temperatures leading to heat stresses

If you want to help understand how these changes effect our lives and/ or our planetthis may be the project for you. We challenge you to make an informative game about an aspect of climate change. 
While students may have a specific study area, we aim to get a team that has one or more of the following elements. 
A dream team will have all elements; Students in Game design and/or with Programming experience: (or willing to study this). Students in Environmental sciences who understand the mechanisms causing change on our environment. Students in Social sciences where participants recognise the impact slow or sudden changes have on society and our inherent response to these. 
 Students in (product or multimedia) design.. 

Participants may have one or more of the elements.  Alternatively, they could have a background in an area that may be impacted by climate change such as farming, fishing or forestry.

Contact

Paul van den Brink, Mid Sweden University