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2050: A New World is a policy-making board game developed, by the authors, wherein players balance city planning strategies with climate change mitigation, in an attempt to provide a sustainable future for their region. Players make challenging decisions with limited resources and consider necessary trade-offs required for climate resilience. The game encourages creative thinking about sustainability, and emphasises the trade-offs and consequences involved in combating climate change. Social variables, such as inequality, population density, food security and aversion to technological solutions, are all embedded within the gameplay. In 2019, we presented the game at a live workshop within the University of Cambridge’s Festival of Ideas. The players consisted of a wide range of age groups, backgrounds, and interests. We found the compressed time frame of policy enactment and consequence provided a new perspective on real-life decisions for participants. We observed that a dynamic, low-risk environment facilitates debates around topics associated with complex societal challenges, including deforestation, diet, and the use of transgenic crops. The policies implemented by players reflect the values they brought to the table. We highlight insights gained from this process in the context of sustainability and science communication.

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