Blog 2: En-ROADS: A Climate Change Simulation Game

En-ROADS : Hosted by Andrey Dyachenko of LEAF , we spent 3 hours role-playing different stake-holders in a forum brought together to make policies that will address the climate crisis. The interactive simulator allowed us to see the direct impact of our choices on variables such as energy costs, air quality, sea level rise, and more.

While the simulator allowed you to see the reality of our choices, we also had props and simple costume additions to help us get into our roles and enhance the immersive experience. Role playing in this context increases our understanding of the perspectives we take on and can also help us empathize with the diverse perspectives around us. Instead of reading about the policies proposed by a fossil fuel conglomerate on the one hand and climate activists on the other, participants are put in the position of arguing, justifying, and negotiating from their point of view. This allows for creativity and critical thinking, but also allows us to ask questions and engage in meaningful dialogue. And it’s fun! In a follow up survey about the afternoon, participants were enthusiastic about the experience. While it took some time to get into their roles, participants reported increased engagement as the simulation continued and their impact on the climate simulator was evident. The social interaction was also strong point of the experience and contributed to engagement and learning about different aspects of the climate challenge. To build on these strengths, feedback also suggested that we minimize instructions and find ways to vary the activities or the structure of the rounds. As we move forward, we hope to incorporate these lessons learned, as well as a similar level of discussion and dialogue in our planned megagame on AI and ethics. Finally, we want to say thank you to our hosts and to our colleagues and students who joined. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!