We are happy to announce that the preparations for the next Simulation Game are well underway and we will be bringing you many novelties in this, third round!
What is the Simulation Game?
The Simulation Game is an interactive learning tool for planning eco-villages, that was developed at the Institute of Wastewater Management and Water Protection at Hamburg University of Technology. This serious Game simulates complex challenges faced in real-world projects. These challenges often extend beyond technical and there is rarely a chance to strictly apply textbook solutions. This is especially true for the challenges encountered in RUVIVAL topics.
Through the Simulation Game, we want to encourage the participants to act in a holistic and creative way, while utilising the available resources in the best possible way. The Game can provide participants with engaging experiences in planning, problem solving, data management, crisis management, communication and collaboration. During the four weeks, students from different universities assume a role within a planning team in one of the four eco-villages, which are distributed across the globe. Each team is in charge of planning a specific aspect of the eco-village, such as land management, water utilisation, community impact, construction, transport, or waste management, to name a few. Depending on the location, they are faced with challenges related to different climatic zones, eco systems or socio-economic environments.
We started with students from the TUHH and HCU in Hamburg, last year students and researchers joined us from ICAM Paris and Toulouse.
Here are some of the impressions from the participants in the previous two Games:
“The idea of a major project was a nice change from the usual engineering courses, allowing students to think outside of the box and apply their previous knowledge, while learning new things through research and from others in the group work.”
“[I learned to] better coordinate with fellow members, do in depth research on a certain topic, manage time.”
Currently, we plan the next game and all former project partners will be part of it again and maybe ICAM Douala in Kamerun will join us with a group of students.
How can you take part?
The Game is also open for external participants, who can take on the role of village inhabitants. As the inhabitants, they can voice their opinions about the development of the village, or raise concerns in case they feel that their interests are not taken into consideration. In this way, even though they are not directly part of the planning teams, the inhabitants actively contribute to shaping local actions and policies. The level of engagement and amount of time spent in the Game is determined by the participant.
The next Simulation Game will take place in May 2018. We are happy that students from ICAM will join in again. You can apply to take part in the Game using our Contact Form and we will send you an e-mail with registration information and further explanations some weeks before the beginning. The beginning of the Game will also be announced on the website some weeks before. Stick around and join us in our simulated world to find out more!
More information: