In this JYU.Wisdom game night we get to play the game Fish Banks. The game was developed by Dennis L. Meadows, one of the authors of the book Limits to Growth. FishBanks is a web-based simulation in the form of a board game. The playing teams are key decision-makers of major fishing companies around the world, who are trying to run a business that is as prosperous as possible for as long as possible, while they also compete against other companies and deal with variations in weather and fish stocks.
The game night is open for all, including but not limited to students, teachers, and researchers. It will be interesting for all, because you can approach the game from multiple different viewpoints, for example:
- Learn more about the sustainable use of natural resources.
- Investigate how a board game can distribute information from the natural sciences.
- Get to know an interesting game and think of potential applications in teaching or other purposes.
- Enjoy a night of gaming and a shared experience.
The game night is hosted by Attila Králl, biologist, ecologist and sustainable food systems enthusiast. Attila moved to Jyväskylä from Hungary a year ago and works for BirdLife Europe and international research and development projects on sustainable agriculture.
Sign up for the game night via the link below! You may join by yourself or with a friend, the playing teams will be formed at the start of the event.Please note that you should be able to stay for the entire duration of the event, as it would be complicated to join or leave in the middle of the game.
JYU.Wisdom will provide some snacks for participants. The exact location will be informed to participants before the event.
Fish Banks
The game will help you understand the careful and efficient use of natural resources. Renewable natural resources are essential elements of our environment and economy, providing a wide range of benefits. These resources include renewable energy sources, such as sunlight, wind, and hydropower, as well as biological resources like forests, fisheries, and crops. Protection and sustainable use of renewable resources are key to ensuring their long-term availability, but before going into conservation efforts and responsible harvesting practices it is necessary to understand the basic functioning of these systems.
Renewable resources have their characteristics: the size of the stock, the cost of access, and the dynamics of renewal. Some resources, such as solar and wind energy are practically inexhaustible, while some others, like forests, can take years or even decades to regenerate fully after harvesting. Depletion of renewable resources occurs when their extraction exceeds the natural renewal rates: overfishing, deforestation, and excessive water consumption are some common examples of depletion, but we can also think of the depletion of less tangible, but not less important resources such as trust, enthusiasm, and social inclusion. A particular challenge is to ensure the sustainable use of resources shared by many, the so-called commons so that the needs of the present do not reduce the opportunities of either contemporary users or future generations.
