At the Serious Gaming workshop held in South Africa, game-maker Tygron showcased their game "The Climategame" and examined game play for lessons in how planners might improve their professional practice.
Janetta Deppa reviews the events of the Serious Gaming workshop, especially the interaction of a group of planners with a game by Tygron. "Tygron’s products," according to Deppa, "were created out of a need for city planners to be able to conceptualise development initiatives before they are put into policy."
The workshop allowed four teams to approach a planning challenges within a certain time frame and "while staying within allocated budgets and real-life governmental regulations."
Deppa provides more details on the lessons produced by the game play exercise, but to summarize: "By allowing the audience to partake in rounds of game simulation, it provided us a first-hand look at how serious games can be used to work around real-life problems. It presented a compelling case for the continued use of such games to increase collaboration and debate between stakeholders."
FULL STORY: Serious Games for urban planning
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