A Serious Game for Sustainable Decisions

Skogens spelplan (“Forest’s Game”) is a research-driven serious game that explores how games can help people understand and navigate the complex realities of forest management. Developed in collaboration with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Skogforsk, the project uses game design as a tool for learning, dialogue, and better decision-making around sustainability.

From Creative Crowd’s perspective, the core idea is simple: complex systems are easier to understand when you can play with them. Forests are shaped by long-term decisions involving climate impact, biodiversity, and economic value. These trade-offs are difficult to grasp through reports and models alone. By transforming scientific data and future scenarios into an interactive game experience, Skogens spelplan allows players to explore consequences, test strategies, and reflect on outcomes over time.

This is a clear example of a Game for Good. The purpose is not entertainment, but insight. Players are invited to engage with real-world challenges in a safe, experimental space where choices matter and feedback is immediate. The game becomes a shared platform for discussion between researchers, forest owners, policymakers, and the public - supporting understanding rather than prescribing answers.

For Creative Crowd, Skogens spelplan demonstrates how serious games can function as tools for systemic thinking. Through meaningful mechanics, clear feedback, and scenario-based play, games can help people see connections, understand trade-offs, and engage more deeply with sustainability challenges. When designed with intention, games become a powerful medium for learning, collaboration, and positive change.

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