Capacity Building in Water with Serious Games

Serious games are not a new concept, but serious games using real-life data-coupled with real-time modelling and combining the model results with social and economic factors opens up a new paradigm for active stakeholder participation and education. Aqua Republica combines a game layer with a water allocation model, MIKE HYDRO, to create an interactive, realistic virtual environment where players play the role of a democratic leader of a river catchment. Different versions of the game are developed to support different interests. Examples include a version for educating school-age children, a version for stakeholder participation workshops and a version for raising awareness