Variable time scales, agent-based models, and role-playing games: The PIEPLUE river basin management game

Abstract

This article presents a specific association of a role-playing game (RPG) and an agent-based model (ABM) aimed at dealing with a large range of time scales. Applications to the field of natural resource management lead one to consider the short time scale of resource use in practice at the same time as the longer ones related to resource dynamics or actors' investments. In their daily practice, stakeholders are translating their long-term strategies, a translation that is contextualized and combined with some cooccurring events. Long-term thinking is required for sustainable use of natural resources, but it should take into account its necessary adaptation on a short time scale. This raises the necessity for tools able to tackle jointly these various time scales. The similarity of architecture between computerized ABMs and RPGs makes them easy to associate in a hybrid tool, targeted at meeting this requirement. The proposition of this article is to allocate the representation of short time scales to computerized ABMs and the long ones to RPGs, while keeping the same static structural conceptual model, shared as a common root by both. This synergy is illustrated with PIEPLUE, an interactive setting tackling water-sharing issues

A review of decision-support models for adaptation to climate change in the context of development

“…Stakeholders will likely view computer-based tools as "black boxes, which raises the issue of their legitimacy and acceptability" (Barreteau & Abrami, 2007). Roleplay games (RPGs) may be useful in explaining an ABM or GBM (Barreteau, Bousquet, & Attonaty, 2001).…”

“…Role-play simulations conducted in communities can help to create local climate adaptation plans that have the necessary political momentum to be implemented (Susskind, 2010). RPGs and ABMs have the same conceptual structure (autonomous agents interacting dynamically in a shared environment), allowing them to be combined into a hybrid tool (Barreteau & Abrami, 2007). RPGs can be used to gain understanding of a social system for input into an ABM -information about interactions among actors and their institutions -and to convey an ABM to stakeholders, whereas an ABM can be used to repeat RPGs and explore outside their parameter space (Barreteau et al, 2001).…”

Companion Modelling

“…From this point of view, it can prove useful to couple the role-playing game with a computerized simulation model (Barreteau and Abrami 2007). Unlike a virtual agent, a human agent very quickly gets bored with repetitive activity.…”

Technosocial predictive analytics for security informatics

“…[24], [25], [26]). A new generation of approaches is also emerging where modeling and simulation is coupled with social intelligence practices, such as role playing and gaming, to stimulate collaborative decision-making [27][28][29][30][31]. Aided by knowledge management capabilities that automate the extraction and analysis of evidence from traditional and social media sources [32][33][34], these modeling and gaming methods offer a new platform for decision making that can help overcome human limitations [35].…”