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The Week in Germany: Business and Technology

August 19, 2005

Climate change board game a hit

Just four months after it went on the market, "Keep Cool," a board game that teaches about the perils of global warming, has completely sold out of stores, becoming an unlikely hit among Germany's gaming enthusiasts.

A game of "Keep Cool." Photo courtesy of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Developed for ages 12 and up by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, "Keep Cool" sets three to six players against each other, challenging them to learn the lessons of sustainable development.

Players represent groups of countries such as Europe, OPEC, or developing countries in the game, which lasts one to two hours. Along the way, they try to grow their respective economies while controlling the emissions that lead the global warming. Players must adapt as climate change impacts the course of the game.

In the game as in real life, climate change threatens to disrupt farming, raise sea levels and spark extreme weather like drought and floods, say experts who blame emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars for warming the planet.

The changes increase in severity as global temperatures rise. The winner is the player who most effectively reconciles climate protection with economic interests. If a player is too ruthless, everybody loses.

German board game developers have for years dominated the market for new games, drawing on the success of brands such as "The Settlers of Catan" and "Bohnanza."

But few games have had the environmental consciousness of "Keep Cool." "With 'Keep Cool,' we've been able to open new channels for dialogue between scientists and the public," says physicist Gerhard Petschel-Held, one of the game's developers.

The game has had some help along the way to make it a success. Already, "Keep Cool" is being used at schools, universities and by environmental groups to get people thinking about climate change. Further success has been fostered by organized game sessions such as in Berlin's "Long Science Night" and at gaming conventions. Even the German Federal Ministry for the Environment has picked up a computer simulation of the game as part of the teaching materials it distributes.

Apart from its educational use, "Keep Cool" relies on players' abilities to negotiate with others, according to co-developer Klaus Eisenack. "People who like to communicate can experience the game in new ways every time," Eisenack told The Week in Germany.

Although no plans currently exist to market the game in the United States, the bi-lingual German-English game is already built for easy use by English-speakers.

Links:

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Keep Cool — The Game

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