Exploring the Potential Impact of Serious Games on Social Learning and Stakeholder Collaborations for Transboundary Watershed Management of the St. Lawrence River Basin

Abstract

Abstract:The meaningful participation of stakeholders in decision-making is now widely recognized as a crucial element of effective water resource management, particularly with regards to adapting to climate and environmental change. Social learning is increasingly being cited as an important component of engagement if meaningful participation is to be achieved. The exact definition of social learning is still a matter under debate, but is taken to be a process in which individuals experience a change in understanding that is brought about by social interaction. Social learning has been identified as particularly important in transboundary contexts, where it is necessary to reframe problems from a local to a basin-wide perspective. In this study, social learning is explored in the context of transboundary water resource management in the St. Lawrence River Basin. The overarching goal of this paper is to explore the potential role of serious games to improve social learning in the St. Lawrence River. To achieve this end, a two-pronged approach is followed: (1) Assessing whether social learning is currently occurring and identifying what the barriers to social learning are through interviews with the region's water resource managers; (2) Undertaking a literature review to understand the mechanisms through which serious games enhance social learning to understand which barriers serious games can break down. Interview questions were designed to explore the relevance of social learning in the St. Lawrence River basin context, and to identify the practices currently employed that impact on social learning. While examples of social learning that is occurring have been identified, preliminary results suggest that these examples are exceptions rather than the rule, and that on the whole, social learning is not occurring to its full potential. The literature review of serious games offers an assessment of such collaborative mechanisms in terms of design principles, modes of play, and their potential impact on social learning for transboundary watershed management. Serious game simulations provide new opportunities for multidirectional collaborative processes by bringing diverse stakeholders to the table, providing more equal access to a virtual negotiation or learning space to develop and share knowledge, integrating different knowledge domains, and providing opportunities to test and analyze the outcomes of novel management solutions. This paper concludes with a discussion of how serious games can address specific barriers and weaknesses to social learning in the transboundary watershed context of the St. Lawrence River Basin.

Socio-Psychological Perspectives on the Potential for Serious Games to Promote Transcendental Values in IWRM Decision-Making

“…SGs are defined as games that are designed for an educational value beyond entertainment [33], and are increasingly explored in the context of these modern socio-environmental challenges. From this perspective, SGs are discussed in terms of their potential to address the sustainable governance of natural resources by supporting individuals or groups, as well as providing spaces for collaboration and knowledge co-creation [7,11,12,34,35]. SGs have more recently been explored to support social learning and collaboration in IWRM [11,36].…”

“…Alternatively, softer skills in IWRM game design could include policy formulation and conflict resolution in transboundary management, such as in the Shariva (Shared River) game [24]. Additionally, the balancing of economic and environmental goals in sustainable watershed management is addressed in the Aqua Republica game, which can be played by individuals or groups [12].…”

“…Despite a growing popularity of IWRM principles and practice across the globe, key challenges remain that need to be addressed [8][9][10]. Barriers to IWRM implementation are often related to inefficient governance structures, lack of scientific and predictive knowledge, lack of engagement or cooperative action between stakeholders, and the limited capacity of IWRM management organizations [11,12]. Other difficulties in implementing IWRM are due to the complexity of coordinating socio-political boundaries with natural resource management that involve multiple temporal and spatial scales [13].…”

Water Governance, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainable Water Resources Management

“…"Exploring the Potential Impact of Serious Games on Social Learning and Stakeholder Collaborations for Transboundary Watershed Management of the St. Lawrence River Basin" is one example [16]. Medema et al interviewed stakeholders in the transboundary St. Lawrence River Basin to determine the extent of social learning that has occurred through stakeholder collaborations and reviewed the literature of serious games, proposing such games as a means for increasing social learning.…”

Serious Gaming for Water Systems Planning and Management

“…Since then, vast amount of literature has been produced on this topic and its various application areas, including educational, science, training, military, government, corporate, healthcare, water management, to name but a few [5,[8][9][10]. Similarly, various definition of a SG exists, but most agree that they are games used for purposes other than mere entertainment.…”