Reduced inequalities

Game-example: Once upon a tile

Once Upon a Tile is a prototype for a mobile game about peace and sustainable development where players manage an evolving world by matching resource tiles and generating new results and products.

The game educates about the relationship between resources, production, growth, knowledge, and communities. Players learn about the matching logic and its immediate effect of generating products, about the effects of such products on the simulated community, about the community’s dynamics in different contexts. Players will discover connections to real-world situations, the emergence of diversity, and the range of possibilities. Via gameplay repetition, players develop familiarity with the diverse situations and the effects of their choices.

Intro

Greta Thunberg, Jeppe Bijker (sailing from Holland to the climate summit in Chili), Eva Dijkema (sailing with him; ProRail advisor on SD), Rosa Hofgärtner (also sailing; television documentary maker on SD), Anuna de Wever, Adélaïde Charlier and Kyta Gantois (Belgian climate activists), Won Smolbag (Vanuatu, climate activist)… All of them might be great examples of young people who meet the aim as described above.

Reflection

Ask students to think about themselves. Do they have an example from their personal or professional life that might demonstrate positive decision making? Ask them to write it down in a ‘tweet’.

Discussion

Presentation of some ‘tweets’; other students are challenged to mention the parts of the tweet that show the skill. Only positive remarks please!

Reflection

Ask students to reflect on what they need to increase this skill within themselves

Personal aims

Ask students to come up with a personal development plan that helps them develop this skill.

Game-example: Cantor’s World

At a juncture in human history when we are faced with an environmental crisis, it is critical to understand what impact development has on the environment. Indicators such as GDP and HDI that are used to measure a country’s development do not take into account the environment. To address this gap, in 2012, a trio of organizations under the UN umbrella released a report that spoke about an ‘Inclusive Wealth Index’ (IWI). The IWI is a way to acknowledge and articulate the interconnectedness of the economy, environment, and human wellbeing. The game Cantor’s World has been designed for students and policy makers to learn how the IWI complements other indices. In the game players can experiment with different policy choices and experience first hand the tug-of-war between short-term results and long-term sustainability. The game is designed for Masters’ students of economics, public policy, and sustainability studies, and will be played in universities worldwide. The game was developed by Fields of View in collaboration with UNESCO-MGIEP.

There are many learning benefits to the game. First of all, players are taking policy decisions and understanding their impacts on the three capitals (IWI) and the SDGs – 4 (Quality education), 10 (Reduced inequalities) and 13 (Climate action). During the game, participants experience how policy decisions of different temporal scales impact sustainability. They realize the nature of the relationship between Produced capital and Human capital, and also conflict between individual country-wise objectives and global objectives for achieving SDGs, in particular, SDGs 4, 10 and 13.
Through their own actions in the game, players experience trade-offs, resources, and constraints of policy operationalization and its impact on the productivity and sustainability.

General idea: make a project, campaign, poster 

Game-example: Play for Goal 10 

There are lots of different types of action that you can take for the Global Goals. Some you can do with your classmates, with your team or with your family. Every action counts and we would love it if you could share yours. Maybe you cleaned a beach, planted a tree or created a new Impact Game for the goal you care most about.

Game-example: Mission 1.5

Mission 1.5, will give learners a direct way to communicate to their governments the change they want to see.  

The campaign is based around a mobile game that educates people about climate policy and provides a platform for them to vote on the solutions they want to see happen. The votes will then be compiled and analysed by researchers at the University of Oxford before being delivered to government leaders and climate policymakers.

The game, developed by UNDP with partners, was beta-tested last September (2019) and 1.25 million players voted. It is launching in all six of the UN’s official languages, and more languages will be added as the campaign progresses throughout the year.

Mission 1.5 uses mobile gaming technology in an entirely new way. Instead of just a website, the game is delivered through ads in some of the most popular video games in the world.

General ideas: approach to the topic requires cooperation with local law enforcement organizations.

Game-example: Go Goals!

The aim of the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC) is to help people understand their role in the future of the planet as individuals, team players and responsible global citizens. Especially younger generations need to be key players for a brighter future. For this purpose, the UNRIC has created the “Go-Goals!” game for children aged 8-10. Designed to be fun and engaging, this game informs children while motivating them to actively pursue the SDGs.

Game-example: Oxygen Not Included

In the space-colony simulation game Oxygen Not Included learners will find that scarcities of oxygen, warmth and sustenance are constant threats to their colony’s survival. Guide colonists through the perils of subterranean asteroid living and watch as their population grows until they’re not simply surviving but thriving.

Activities in the simulation

Game-example: Bury me, my love

Bury me, my Love tells the story of a Syrian couple, Nour and Majd. They are separated, as Nour decides to leave her country and tries to reach Europe for a safer life, but Majd has to remain and take care of older relatives. The only way they can communicate is through a chat application on their smartphones. As a player, you witness those conversations and try to help Majd provide Nour with the best possible advice and support.

Game-example: The Human Security Challenge

The Human Security Challenge takes place on a board that symbolizes a virtual world. Six fictional nations invest in security and aim to gain the most power by the end of the last game round. The dynamics are similar to issues that world leaders grapple with: limited resources, crises, conflict and international negotiations. The players face crucial trade-offs between long-term stability and short-term national interests.

The world is becoming increasingly complex and this calls for appropriate tools on how to deal with the world’s commons. The Human Security Challenge aims to provide players with insights into the dynamics at play and to stimulate reflection on collaboration between different players with different interests and perspectives.

The Challenge focuses on hard and soft measures of security and is used as a tool to start the conversation about the different aspects of security. The game is designed in a way that ensures the participants gain an improved understanding of the complexity of security issues and also helps them reflect on how they, as individuals, make decisions and position themselves in relation to each other.

Game-example: Gifts of Culture

Gifts of Culture is a board game role-playing simulation of a diverse cultural community. Players become the representatives of various groups living in the flood-prone valley. Though they represent various views and ideals, they all have the same goal – for their group to have a better life. How will they achieve that with the constant threat of flood looming above their heads?

Each of the actions players can undertake has its advantages and disadvantages. Information sharing and collaboration can greatly improve their outcomes, however, diverse cultural backgrounds make it very difficult.

The Gift of Culture allows players to experience how cultural differences can lead to troubles but at the same time they can also be helpful. Play and use the “gift of culture” to improve community flood resilience.

Players understand different ways how cultural factors affect disaster preparedness and ability to cope.

Players improve collaboration and information sharing skills, especially in regards of collaboration between organizations and individuals representing diverse cultural backgrounds leading to improved disaster resilience

Players increase their understanding of disaster risk for heterogeneous cultural backgrounds.