Introduction

Simulation games have proved to be a helpful method for researchers in several inter- and transdisciplinary projects in order to gain insights into real-world dynamics and to test the effectiveness and societal impact of organisational arrangements as well as legislative and other institutional framework conditions. The proposed interactive session offers a forum for researchers and practitioners who have already gained experience with simulations games or who are interested in familiarising themselves(?) with their potential benefits. Furthermore, the session aims to define preconditions and jointly develop guidance on how to use simulation games to shape collaboration between experts and stakeholders from diverse disciplines and knowledge systems. The contributors will summarise the elaborated results as a freely accessible method profile. The session therefore contributes to topic 1. Enhancing the theoretical foundations of inter- and transdisciplinary.

Experience & State of Research

The research group sofia (engl.: Society for Institutional Analysis) applied simulation games in the fields of impact assessment in new organisational and legislative frameworks, particularly in the context of prospective legislative impact assessment, as well as in the realms of transformation research and behavioural insights for the assessment multi-actors dynamics.

As stated in the publication Simulation Games in Impact Assessment for Law, simulation games are relatively complex but offer high learning effects. They facilitate risk-free collection of practical experience, since practitioners participate in the simulation of future reality and test the effects of decisions in a controlled/protected environment. Participants may then fully understand both, single policy options and the interactions between them. The multi-stakeholder setting stimulates the homo ludens, thus minimise strategic behaviour: The dynamic interaction and change of perspectives during the simulation promote mutual understanding and facilitate joint problem framing, which in turn supports goal-orientated collaboration.

In a nutshell, a simulation game provides insights into how actors react to changing framework conditions and reveals their interactions and the related dynamic processes. This allows to uncover obstacles in the interaction and find suitable solutions.

Motivation and Objectives

The research group sofia, led by Prof. Dr. Kilian Bizer and Prof. Dr. Martin Führ, has conducted a dozen simulations games in the last years. Based on this experience a structure is offered to systemise different approaches for this interactive tool. Other researchers are invited to describe their experience using the proposed structure well ahead of the session.

The session functions as a platform for structured knowledge exchange between practitioners and supports sharing of best practices and mutual learning across disciplines and knowledge systems. Moreover, the session collaboratively validates, further develops and refines the common understanding of the applications, the potential and the limitations of simulation games in different settings. More specifically, it aims for co-creation of innovative solutions regarding the organisation and design of simulation games suitable for different types of wicked problems. Based on the results the hosts intend to create a method profile (e.g., via td-net toolbox). This aligns with the overriding objective to enhance the toolbox of researchers and organisations facing inter- and transdisciplinary challenges.

In addition, participants with less experience can familiarise themselves with the benefits of using this method to test solutions to wicked problems by sharing experiences, research results and insights with researchers from different disciplines.

Focus of Content

The session will critically examine the strengths, weaknesses, limitations, opportunities, and risks associated with the use of simulation games, fostering a deep understanding of their potential for collaborative research. Furthermore, the session will elaborate the use of simulation games for different types of inter- and transdisciplinary challenges, problem constellations, and stages of a project. On the basis of this, contributors and participants derive effective strategies for a purposeful design and meaningful implementation of simulation games into inter- and transdisciplinary projects.

Concept of the session

The proposed session will feature a combination of discussions and presentations from the hosts as well as contributors interested in sharing knowledge and experiences, ensuring a diverse and engaging experience for all participants. The session is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that encourages the integration of contributors from diverse backgrounds and the exploration of innovative formats. A Miro-Board facilitates the interactive nature of the session, allowing for active participation and collaboration among attendees. The board will be open for editing and contributions by participants both before and after the session, accompanying the whole process. It will provide templates for systematic knowledge exchange and presentations. Ideally, a preparatory online meeting with those who handed in their experience will help streamline the agenda for the session. This has proven to be the recipe for success in a recent collaborative workshop on "Modes of Change”.

Description of the session design

1) Presentation by our project team on experiences and takeaways from conducting simulation games in inter- and transdisciplinary projects (12-15 minutes)

2) Presentations of case studies from other institutions on their use of gaming simulations (15-20 minutes)

3) Jointly distinguish types and categories of simulation games (5 minutes)

4) Discuss Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and risks of the use of simulation games in inter- and transdisciplinary projects (10 minutes)

5) Development of strategies for the efficient and effective design of simulation games (10 Minutes)

6) Summary and conclusions (5 minutes)

1–3 key readings

Call for Participation

The hosting-team is looking for participants for this interactive session. If you would like to share your experience and insights regarding simulation games in different application scenarios, please feel to join our Miro-Board and to contact Anna (anna.zeitler@h-da.de). Your contribution is greatly appreciated and valuable to the session!

Simulation games in the Regulatory Impact Assessment – Simulation of the implementation of the EIA Amending Directive 2014/52/EU

Führ, M./Balla, S./Dopfer, J./Bunge, T. et al., elni Review 2018, 1: 17-24; https://doi.org/10.46850/elni.2018.004

https://www.elni.org/fileadmin/elni/dokumente/Archiv/2018/Heft_1/elni_2018-01_Fuehr.pdf

Simulation Games in Impact Assessment for Law – Part 2 – Recommendations from Selected Simulation Games (in german)

Führ, M./Balla, S./Dopfer, J./Bunge, T. et al., UVP-Report 2018, 32 (2): 79-86

https://www.uvp.de/de/uvp-report/jg32/jg32h2/1079-uvp-report-032-10