ScotScape: Negotiating landscape transition in Scotland

Dealing with complex problems through a participatory and engaging strategy game approach.

By transforming the Scottish landscapes into an immersive strategy game and actively involving social actors in the design process, we represent different worldviews. This innovative process engages players in serious discussions about the pathways towards a sustainable and inclusive landscape.

The Project

We aim to investigate various landscape options that foster the revitalization of rivers in Tayside, Scotland. The well-being of local communities is closely tied to the quality of rivers, which, in turn, is linked to the provision of ecosystem services.

Revitalising rivers and watersheds poses a formidable challenge, especially given the complex social and ecological arrangements across landscapes. This requires cooperation among a diverse array of stakeholders, with often conflicting interests.

Our project seeks to comprehend these conflicting perspectives and worldviews to foster mutual understanding and inspire collaborative efforts.

To facilitate this collaboration, we employ a proven method: Strategy Games. These games are models of the socio-ecological system, crafted to simplify complexities, enabling players with divergent interests to explore and discuss alternative landscape scenarios and strategies.

The gaming approach

ScotScape is a strategy game built on robust scientific data integrated with the experiential knowledge of local and regional stakeholders across a diversity of perspectives. Using participatory approaches, it integrates rich quantitative and qualitative data to create a multifaceted and immersive experience.

Discover more

Latest news