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A board game version reproduces the main features of the AtollGame simulator
(Dray et al. 2006). Sixteen players—eight on each island—are able to interact
according to a set of predefined rules. Their choices and actions are directly
incorporated into the simulator at the end of each round of the game. During the
game, players can ask for more information from the simulator or discuss the results
provided by the simulator (salinity index, global demand). Landowners, traditional
or new buyers, are the essential actors in the negotiations with the government.
The connection between land tenure issues and water management is essential. It
drives the land-use restrictions and land lease discussions. The population increase,
mainly through immigration, is perceived as a threat in terms of water consumption,
pollution generation and pressure on the land. Financial issues linked with water
management usually deal with land leases, equipment investment and, seldom,
water pricing. Hence, the model features:
– Agents/players becoming a local landowners
– Land and water allocation conflicting rules and various sources of incomes
– An increasing number of new settlers on agents/players’ land
The individual objective of the players is to minimise the number of angry or
sick people in their house. People may become angry because they didn’t have
enough water to drink during the round. People may become sick if they drank
unhealthy (polluted or salty) water during the round. Pollution depends on the
number of people living on the island and contaminating the freshwater lens. Salty
water depends on the recharge rate of the fresh water lens and the location of the
people on the island.
At first, representatives from the different islands displayed different viewpoints
about the water reserves. Hence, the group meetings organised in the villages
prior the workshop allowed for a really open debate. On the institutional side,
the position of the different officers attending the workshop demonstrated a clear
commitment to the project. All the participants showed the same level of motivation
either to express their views on the issue or to genuinely try to understand other
viewpoints. Participants also accepted to follow the rules proposed by the project
team, especially the necessity to look at the problem from a broader perspective.
During the first rounds, the players quickly handled the game and entered into
interpersonal discussions and comparisons. The atmosphere was good, and the game
seemed playful enough to maintain the participants’ interest alive. The second day,
the introduction of a water management agency and the selection of its (virtual)
director created a little tension among the participants. But, after a while, the players
accepted the new situation as a gaming scenario and started to interact with the
newly created institution. At this stage, players started to mix arguments based on
the game with other ones coming directly from the reality. On Island 1, players
entered direct negotiations with the (virtual) director of the water management
agency. On Island 2, discussions opposed players willing or not to pay the fee.