This page deals with the method of serious games, which is used as a tool to support social-ecological systems (SES) understanding and governance, often as part of the toolbox of participatory approaches. The content on this page discusses how serious games can be used to explore the consequences of collective decisions and of external drivers. It discusses how games can give people understanding of system dynamics, and allow for developing a joint representation of an SES, collecting information on collective behaviour, education on the complexity of SES, crisis management training and institutional arrangement as major applications of serious games used in SES research.

The Chapter summary video gives a brief introduction and summary of this group of methods, what SES problems/questions they are useful for, and key resources needed to conduct the methods. The methods video/s introduce specific methods, including their origin and broad purpose, what SES problems/questions the specific method is useful for, examples of the method in use and key resources needed. The Case Studies demonstrate the method in action in more detail, including an introduction to the context and issue, how the method was used, the outcomes of the process and the challenges of implementing the method. The labs/activities give an example of a teaching activity relating to this group of methods, including the objectives of the activity, resources needed, steps to follow and outcomes/evaluation options.

More details can be found in Chapter 12 of the Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems.