Simulation games that integrate research, entertainment, and learning around ecosystem services

Abstract

a b s t r a c tHumans currently spend over 3 billion person-hours per week playing computer games. Most of these games are purely for entertainment, but use of computer games for education has also expanded dramatically. At the same time, experimental games have become a staple of social science research but have depended on relatively small sample sizes and simple, abstract situations, limiting their range and applicability. If only a fraction of the time spent playing computer games could be harnessed for research, it would open up a huge range of new opportunities. We review the use of games in research, education, and entertainment and develop ideas for integrating these three functions around the idea of ecosystem services valuation. This approach to valuation can be seen as a version of choice modeling that allows players to generate their own scenarios taking account of the trade-offs embedded in the game, rather than simply ranking pre-formed scenarios. We outline a prototype game called "Lagom Island" to test the proposition that gaming can be used to reveal the value of ecosystem services. Our prototype provides a potential pathway and functional building blocks for approaching the relatively untapped potential of games in the context of ecosystem services research.

Value Assessment of Artificial Wetland Derived from Mining Subsided Lake: A Case Study of Jiuli Lake Wetland in Xuzhou

“…Considering that ecosystem services value (ESV) represents a collective sum of utilitarian and non-utilitarian values from the artificial wetland ecosystem [19], we use it as the primary indicator for measuring the benefits of the artificial wetland. The spillover effect resulted from the ecological restoration of the artificial wetland is also included as a type of benefit in our analysis.…”

Exploring spatiotemporal changes in ecosystem service values and hotspots in Southwest of China, Mekong Region

“…Urban ecosystems are increasingly threatened by urban population growth, urban land use expansion(Storkey, Döring et al 2015, Leverkus and Castro 2017, Yang, Guan et al 2018, Kuriqi, Pinheiro et al 2019), and socio-economic activities(Mensah, Veldtman et al 2017, Song and Deng 2017), which affects the value of ecosystem services and ultimately the sustainable development of human society(Costanza, d’Arge et al 1997, Sun, Liu et al 2016). Accurate assessment of ecosystem services value (ESV) is essential for urban construction planning and the improvement and restoration of urban ecosystems(Cui, Xiao et al 2017), so it has received increasing attention from the research community(Costanza, Chichakly et al 2014, Costanza, De Groot et al 2014, Leverkus and Castro 2017, Ossola and Hopton 2017).…”

“…Monetary valuation of the importance of ecosystem services to society can serve as a powerful and essential communication tool to provide a basis for better and more balanced decisions(De Groot, Brander et al 2012). Scholars have found that basic income transfers can be a convenient way to determine ESVs globally and nationally, assuming a constant unit value per hectare for a given ecosystem type multiplied by the area of each type to arrive at a total (Costanza, De Groot et al 2014).…”

Challenges and perspectives in sustainable management of natural resources at regional level

“…This approach can make a revolution in ecosystem service research and assessment. Simulation games could contribute to understanding and managing ecosystems in the public interest [30].…”