Sustain2030 simulation game - now available for teaching
The simulation game Sustain2030 is now available to instructors at the University of Cologne and can be used in courses across the university (in English and German): https://sustain2030.de/en/
This simulation and role-playing game focuses on teaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their interdependencies, while also fostering communication, collaboration, negotiation skills, and creative problem-solving among students. To conduct the game, a game leader is needed to launch the browser-based simulation on a screen, and each participant receives a role along with materials indicating which measures align best with their interests.
In each round of the game, based on randomly occurring events and the available budget, the participants decide which measures they, as a "citizens' council," want to implement to promote the SDGs.
The impacts of the group's decisions are simulated for each of the 17 SDGs every round. The goal of the game is to achieve high values for as many SDGs as possible after a set number of rounds.
During the game, students must ensure that no SDG is neglected. Poor performance in one SDG can negatively affect many other SDGs and, in the worst case, maneuver the citizens' council into increasingly difficult problems.
The game does not need to be played to completion; conducting a few rounds is usually sufficient. At least two to three seminar sessions, including preparation and follow-up, should be planned (game states can be saved). The number of participants is flexible, allowing the game to be used in larger seminars. The materials are available digitally, but the Sustainability Office also plans to print a version for borrowing.
If you are interested in using the simulation game, please contact nachhaltigkeit@verw.uni-koeln.de. There are a total of six people who have recently completed a Train-the-Trainer workshop and can demonstrate the game’s usage in a low-threshold manner and, if necessary, facilitate the game upon request:
Contacts:
Sustainability Team: Dr. Pamela Kilian (Head of Sustainability Office), Martin Speer (Advisor), Allen Drew Nelson (Guest Lecturer, expert for the English version), Judith Schmidtlein (student assistant)
Teacher Education: Marlin Penzenstadler
IMES/Geography: Dr. Hannes Laermanns