WAT-A-GAME

Wat-A-Game is a useful tool for bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to play with scenarios. Because scenario building is presented in the context of a game, participants do not feel threatened or pressured to make binding decisions. Wat-A-Game uses simple materials and a supporting software for designing and running participatory simulations (i.e. role playing games) for water management, policy design and education. It can be easily adapted to a range of cases, at different scales and for various water related issues. The game illustrates how water flows, how it is polluted, transformed, shared, and used. Participants can choose how they obtain, use, and share water. They can decide among various actions or strategies for themselves and their community, with consequences on their household economy, their satisfaction, labor, and the surrounding ecosystems. New policies can be invented and tested in the group.