Another Successful SimGame Comes to an End

Another round of the RUVIVAL SimGame has officially come to an end. Over the course of one month, teams of students from Hamburg University of Technology in Germany and ICAM in France worked hard on planning 4 new Eco-Towns in a simulated world. They were supported by external participants, who assumed the role of Eco-Town inhabitants. From Wales to Ethiopia: the task was to find ways to incorporate different water and energy solutions with sustainable agricultural practices, while taking into consideration the specific challenges connected to the different geographic, political, economical and climatic conditions.

Just as in real life, the virtual Eco-Towns live from an intense exchange and interactions that take place, which is why it is all the more important that the Simulation Game itself also continues to grow. This round gathered 119 inhabitants. To paint a picture of the exchange
taking place – together they have written 180 articles for the Game’s own Newspaper, discussing different planing options and approaches. That is 130 more than in the previous round! Over the course of the Game, the inhabitants created 450 posts and discussed these in 2700 comments and approximately 35 000 likes.

The planers got inspired from each other  and the virtual Travel Agency was particularly busy, with over 20 trips across the world being realised. With 7 travelers, Pembrokeshire in Wales was the most visited Ecotown. Above on the right you see one of the inhabitants pursing travel tickets.

Notice the Earth in the picture above? We wouldn’t do it justice if we didn’t mention the omnipresent role it played in the Game. All communication with the outside world, as well as the Travel Agency and the Newspaper were coordinated and supervised by Earth.

The closing mass online conference, with more than 50 speakers as delegates for their subgroups, took place last week. The participants were logged in mainly from Hamburg, Paris and Toulouse. Is it possible to build bicycles from bamboo grown in constructed wetlands used for greywater treatment? How can we encourage sustainable behaviour without an restrictive penalty system and non authoritarian approached ? Which water storage system is the most suitable one for the specific climate and geographical conditions? These questions and more were answered during the final presentations.

The planning process in all Eco-Towns  benefited greatly from such a fruitful exchange. As the Simulation Game continues to grow, we look forward to the learning and knowledge transfer and exchange that is to come! We will let you know when the next round is on!

SimGame Earth

This article is also available in German.