The climate and environmental catastrophe can be difficult to handle, not the least for young people. On the one hand, we are bombarded with information about the critical state of world. On the other hand, it can be hard to figure out what to do about it. Research indicates that people find it hard to relate to climate change because it may appear as an abstract and incomprehensible process, far removed in time or geographically. Other research shows that a narrow focus on catastrophe and the dystopic elements may lead to anxiety, apathy, and feelings of powerlessness. Playing with disaster (PWD) addresses these problems by examining and facilitating eco literacy – that is, both comprehension and agency – in relation to adolescents via playful and co-creative processes. The project examines the use of cli-fi roleplaying games to enable youth to explore alternate futures and themes like hope, responsibility, and coexistence together. Role playing games have been successfully used for educational purposes for some decades now. However, in relation to sustainability issues these have primarily take the form of fact-based simulations. PWD differs from the existing research in and use of roleplaying games in relation to sustainability by exploring the use of fictive future worlds, fantasy and shared creative processes in order to fully use the potential of roleplaying games to engage and motivate youth in society’s the green transition.

The project will officially begin September 1st 2024. Please contact project leader Sara Mosberg Iversen siv@sdu.dk or PI Michael Paulsen mpaulsen@sdu.dk if the project peaks your interest.