Climate game – a digital game from SLU about climate, biodiversity and food

SLU, together with 4H, Swedish Church Youth, Sverok Väst, WWF Sweden Youth, SLU Holding, Bioresurs, NTA School Development and the University of Skövde, has received funding from the Swedish Inheritance Fund to develop a digital game. The game, will allow young people to explore various issues and goal conflicts related to climate, biodiversity, plant nutrient management and consumption and production of food.

Digital games are effective tools for experiential learning and provide new opportunities to engage students in ways that may complement traditional teaching.

– What is unique about this particular game is that it addresses several key societal goals and the tensions between them. It covers climate, biodiversity and the balance between consumption and production of food. Food is a natural part of students' everyday lives, which makes it a good introduction to these big questions. The game will give young people the skills to handle complex issues that are crucial for the future. Here, students can take on a challenge and explore what is required to produce the food we need in Sweden, says researcher Christina Lundström, who leads the project at SLU.

Pre-study

The project is coordinated by SLU in Skara with funding from the Swedish Inheritance Fund, Formas and the Västra Götaland Region. In 2019-2020 SLU Future Food contributed to an early prototype of the Climate game by financing a pre-study and an application to the Swedish Inheritance Fund. The pre-study was carried out in collaboration with a scientific reference group and with young people from four organizations (4H, WWF Youth, Swedish Church Youth and Sverok) to ensure that young people's perspectives were incorporated in the project.

– It is inspiring to see how new tools are being developed to increase understanding and knowledge of such complex issues as the climate. We were attracted by the project group's commitment of anchoring the climate game in science, which is why we have been supporting the work with a scientific reference group, says Annsofie Wahlström, program manager for SLU Future Food.

The Climate game was tested in the spring of 2024 by teachers and students at Volvogymnasiet, Eriksdalsskolan in Skövde and De la Gardiegymnasiet in Lidköping, as well as the University of Gothenburg.

A new type of 'serious game' or learning game

The game is aimed at teachers and students in lower and upper secondary school. The game is free of charge and alighned to curriculum goals in subjects such as natural science, biology and geography at upper secondary school and biology, geography, home and consumer knowledge at lower secondary school.

In the game, players can explore different challenges, strategies and solutions.
– Complex issues such as the climate requires critical thinking, values-based reflection, and dialogue. We therefore, want to use the emotional and illustrative potential of computer games to make scientific knowledge accessible and engaging. In the long run, the tool can be further developed and used for other needs. We see opportunities to test the game in different contexts twhere conflicting interests must be managed, says Christina Lundström.

Why is the game needed?

Today, there are major challenges in achieving the targets for climate, biodiversity, and the needs for plant nutrition and food security. Arable land and the crops grown on it form the basis for our food production. This comes with a number of conflicts of interest:

• Meat production is questioned for it's climate impact, yet grazing animals are required to maintain our biodiversity and pasture cultivation and manure contribute to the long-term fertility of the arable land.
• Large- and small-scale production, industrial methods, genetically modified organisms, chemical pesticides and new technologies are supported or questioned by different groups in society.
• Consumers are expected to make informed choices, eat healthily and reduce food waste..
• The gap between urban and rural areas – and between food producers and consumers – needs to be narrowed.

To meet these goals, consumption and production must be better integrated, and society needs a deeper understanding of real-world challenges, complexity, goal conflicts and multiple perspectives.

Helping young people to explore strategies for climate action

Young people play a lot of computer games and climate change is the issue that young people are most concerned about. The Climate game brings these interests together.

The approach is based on the UN's 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals (SDG:s) and aims to illustrate the complexity of of food systems, climate and environmental challenges.

The game was launched at the Gothenburg Book Fair at the end of September 2024.

Read more and play the game.