Serious gaming helps students and locals in the Hague to discover hidden injustices in the energy transition
On the 6th of December, Buurtlab 070 and the Leiden University Green Office (LUGO) hosted an event at the Spinozahof in the Stationsbuurt, bringing students and local residents together to explore energy (in)justice through the serious game Sunjust.
After the postponement due to bad weather at the symposium hosted by Buurtlab 070 earlier this year, we were reinvited to the Spinozahof to play the Sunjust game. In collaboration with LUGO the event welcomed participants from across the neighbourhood and the university, offering a unique opportunity to learn about energy justice. After the game, participants shared a meal provided by the Volkskeuken, fostering meaningful connections between students and locals from the Hague.
The Game: Exploring Justice
Sunjust is an interactive board game developed by researches from the Leiden University and TU Delft as part of the JustETrans research project. The game challenges players to take part in participatory a decision-making process regarding the location of a future solar park.
During the game, participants must balance their everyday responsibilities while engaging in the decision-making process. This game has been cleverly designed to impact players differently, therefore highlighting how these inequalities create injustice and influence the final decision on the location of the solar park.
Insights from the Event
After just 20 minutes of playing, a winner was announced. But how did this player win? Were there maybe some unfair advantages or disadvantages that went unnoticed during the game? By confronting the participants with the impact of inequality, they could reflect on their own experiences of justice and think critically about the fairness of the decision-making process. This opened the conversation about equal opportunities and participation, as well as some frustrations about the current challenges.
Volkskeuken dinner
The day didn’t end with the game. After the gaming session, participants joined the Volkskeuken (community kitchen) at the Spinozahof for a shared dinner with more local residents -- and even a parrot! This informal setting and delicious food allowed for continued conversations about the game and energy justice, as well as “gezellige” connecting conversations.
Buurtlab 070
Buurtlab 070 conducts research on collaboration and knowledge-sharing between teachers, researchers, students, and local partners around sustainability issues in The Hague. The Buurtlab works with neighbourhoods in The Hague to identify sustainability challenges and connects students to these issues. This event was a perfect example of this collaboration in action.
Want to know more?
Are you interested in tackling questions like these together with students, residents, and scientists? Contact us at buurtlab070@leidenuniv.nl.