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Provided by: Earth Sciences New Zealand |Published on: October 27, 2025
Games
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Synopsis
In this online game from NIWA, students will play as a member of a coastal community and make decisions to protect their home and the rest of the community from river floods, storm surge, and sea level rise.
The game consists of 8 rounds and each round takes no more than 5 minutes, with each round representing 10 more years into the future.
Students will love being able to select their character and making choices in the game.
The game includes helpful tips and explanations throughout, helping students understand their choices.
Prerequisites
Depending on the number of players, gameplay should take 15-20 minutes for all 8 rounds.
Students should understand climate change and how it impacts coastal communities. Students should be especially familiar with sea level rise and storm surge. Teachers may want to pair this game with these lessons to help build background knowledge.
The game includes many directions, so teachers may want to go over these as a class. Additionally, teachers may want to go over the character cards with students so students know how their choice of character impacts gameplay.
Differentiation & Implementation
Teachers can have students play on their own for a set amount of time, then switch to multiplayer mode with a group or partner. Alternatively, encourage students to play as different characters and note how this changed the game.
When the game gives an 8-round recap, it does not list the outcome of the player's decisions, such as damages or being forced to move. Teachers may want to have students record the results of their action or inaction after rolling the climate dice.
To make connections to the Sustainable Development Goals, teachers can have students discuss how SDG 9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, are interconnected in this concept.
In closing, teachers may want to highlight the importance of climate change mitigation strategies to limit these impacts from climate change. If students are unfamiliar with adaptation vs. mitigation, this lesson plan, though for elementary students, may provide teachers with some inspiration for explaining the concepts.
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