Gaming for Planners—More than SimCity

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."