Mirroring Reality – Implementation in the NomadSed game
To reproduce the full complexity of nomadic resource utilisation while generating new insights within a few rounds of an easily understandable game is impossible. Instead, we focussed on a few key aspects to provide at least an outline of the complex interplay of climatic, ecological and socio-economic factors and of the nomads’ options. NomadSed is ideally played by three to six players. It is meant to be an interactive game; cooperation plays an important role, as it does in the actual life of nomads. Thanks to this approach, communication is not limited to the players but can also include real stakeholders, i.e. pastoralists. This enables dialogue and an exchange of knowledge between players and observers, since players often face the same type of decisions as nomads do.
Some examples:
Game board as a ‘Mosaic of pastures’
As mentioned above, rangeland is not only of central importance for nomadic resource use, but also a focal point where multiple changes in vital framework conditions converge.