Paul Steinberg´s presentation during the GamesforNature Workshop, held on November 2011 in Cambridge, UK. Find more about GamesforNature at www.gamesfornature.org

1. Academic, Activist, or Entertainer?
Balancing Multiple Objectives in the Design of Environmental
Games for Adults
Paul F. Steinberg
Harvey Mudd College
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2. The Social Rules Project
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3. The Social Rules Project
Sweater is from Pakistan Tropical hardwood trim Windows conform with Knowledge base facilitated by legal
following 2005 international from illegally harvested American Society for Testing prohibition against sex discrimination in
trade rules to eliminate quotas Indonesian timber absent and Materials standard E283-04 education. (Title IX, Education
and favor low-cost producers effective national policies test method for air leakage Amendments of 1972, US Code)
Wall materials meet National Language of thought due to
Fire Protection Association compulsory English language
testing standard # 251 instruction in school
Patrons must exit building by Employees must wash hands
10 pm or face trespassing before returning to work.
charges
Makeup may contain lead but
Blood contains chemical not mercury under Food and
bisphenol A from plastics Drug Administration rules
banned in Canada and Europe
but allowed in US
Adheres to cultural norms for
gender appropriate clothing
DNA: Father immigrated
from China after 1965 repeal
of the US Asian Exclusion Coffee purchasing agreement
Act of 1924. for certified fair trade beans
Book content protected by Recycled paper US Patriot Act allows Wood table finish Cafe owner protected by state
copyright law, constitutional meets EPA water cell phone wiretap protected by US law limiting personal liability
guarantee of free speech effluent standards without a warrant patent # 3758427 for corporate debt
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4. The Social Rules Project
Academic
Make the research literature on “institutions” accessible to a broad
audience
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5. The Social Rules Project
Academic
Make the research literature on “institutions” accessible to a broad
audience
Google scholar:
<institutional + institutions>: 2.5 million publications
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6. The Social Rules Project
Academic
Make the research literature on “institutions” accessible to a broad
audience
Google scholar:
<institutional + institutions>: 2.5 million publications
+ conservation: 304,000 publications
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7. The Social Rules Project
Academic
Make the research literature on “institutions” accessible to a broad
audience
Activist
Nudge people beyond the current obsession with small, individual actions
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8. The Social Rules Project
Academic
Make the research literature on “institutions” accessible to a broad
audience
Activist
Nudge people beyond the current obsession with small, individual actions
Entertainer
...through compelling multi-media approaches
animation social media website
video game trade book
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9. Green Dominion
The Earth’s tropical forests are being destroyed. According to the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization, every year 7 million hectares - an
area the size of Panama - is cleared for agriculture, roads, and
settlements.
What will it take to reverse these trends?
Play to find out.
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10. Rules for managing common-pool resources
Advantages
Large empirical literature to draw on
“Local” rulemaking is tangible
Popular topic in college courses
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11. My Love,
Please return to the village right away - I need
your help.
I am sorry to interrupt your studies. But there
is much I have not told you. The forests here
are dying. The people don’t even talk to each
other anymore.
And your father…
Please hurry.
Love,
Mom
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16. The community has new rules!
But... the central government isn’t happy about it
[pass new national legislation]
The community has real decision-making power!
But... they are harvesting too heavily absent economic
incentives to conserve
[payment for environmental services rules]
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17. Strengths
Rich in content
Balances entertainment and education
captive audience in classroom
players will want more than ‘fun’
Provides value to faculty/students on a popular topic
Weaknesses
Whatever happened to activism?
Remote from experience of most players in
Europe/North America
Future level: urban setting in wealthy country?
Story coherence can distract from core concept
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18. Advice for educators and activists experimenting with gaming
Know your audience
Identify and prioritize learning goals
Experiment, assess, revise
Put on the director’s hat – be a full participant in the creative
process
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