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Spde - heat-transition game: THE THERMOS DILEMMA

Our challenge

The heat transition is characterized by an extensive and complex stakeholder field. Mutual understanding and insight are crucial to achieve more effective collaboration and better decision-making. SPDE, the Netherlands’ service point for questions about sustainable energy, asked us to develop a serious game to kickstart the conversation about collaboration, role divisions, and participation in the heat transition.

Our approach

  • The Thermos Dilemma is a multi-stakeholder board game in which between 8 and 16 players take on the roles of important stakeholders in the heat transition.
  • Over the course of four rounds, players collaborate to resolve fictional island Thermos’ dependency on natural gas. Although they share this common goal, players also have their own objectives and concerns. To win the game, players need to set aside their differences and work together.
  • The boardgame, its storyline, and the game dynamics were developed in co-creation with SPDE and correspond with the heat transition’s current challenges.
  • The game was developed using an Agile approach and reached its final form after many iterations and extensive testing among the target group.

The result

The game is currently being used among groups of stakeholders and decision-makers in the heat transition. In the game, players learn about the importance of collaboration and gain new insight into the different roles and stakes at play in the heat transition.