Research

In short: This game ensures intergenerational and fun learning experiences about flood resilience. It simulates four flood phases in the Downtown area of Santa Cruz, CA. The phases are long before something is happening, shortly before, during and after a flood. Each phase represents different actions that people can take, such as subscribing to the local alert system, checking on their neighbors or donating items. Players have to be smart about when to play which action to get the most points. They also have to collaborate to get the high score because every player can only play 4 cards, but needs points in 5 categories. The actions provided in this game are linked to verified local information sources and resources that can be replaced when building your own version.
The related research publication:
Linda Hirsch, James Fey, Ian Leung, Jerry Peng, Ananya Setty, and Katherine Isbister. 2026. "I have a plan to start: Empowering Awareness and Sense of Agency through a Collaborative Flood Resilience Game" in CHI'26. 10.1145/3772318.3790433

Blueprint: How to Replicate the Game
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