Game on: exploring game-based tools for citizen engagement in climate research and policy

The climate crisis requires far-reaching changes which need to be supported by citizens and policymakers alike. New methods of public engagement are necessary to transform the public’s needs into actionable knowledge. Games offer potential for engagement through their central role in contemporary culture, allowing citizens to experience the policy process and voice their concerns. The EU-funded project GREAT involves citizens and policy stakeholders as players and co-researchers to explore new formats of political participation regarding climate change. In a series of workshops, local actors have been engaged in distinct phases of the research process: the exploration of current climate issues and the definition of research questions, transferring these issues into a collaborative serious game, and the analysis and interpretation of the data collected during the execution of the game. An initial review of the methodical approaches implemented with policymakers and citizens reveal potential, but also several limitations and challenges encountered in the engagement process. Our initial analysis confirms the potential of game-based approaches for citizen participation and engagement with climate change and their transferability to other social issues. These experiences demonstrate how the ever-growing cultural role of games could be leveraged for supporting the changes necessary to address societal challenges.