With the planet facing a potential climate crisis, scientists are looking at every possible way of teaching people how to change their lifestyles and adapt. An interesting example from New Zealand is the Marae-opoly board game launched late last year. How has the launch of a board game inspired by the country’s indigenous culture helped to give us a new way of looking at this issue?
All About Marae-opoly
This game was created by the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Their aim was to combine the knowledge and values found in the traditional Maori culture with the latest scientific findings on climate change. Players can then create their own solutions and see over time whether they help the planet. Dr. Paula Blackett is one of the lead scientists in this project and she said that it’s an experimental approach that is just real enough to be relevant, letting us see the benefit of wise decisions as time passes.
The Maori people are renowned for their close connection to the land and their complex tribal structure. The name of the game comes from the word marae, which is a kind of assembly where people meet to discuss matters. Blackett pointed out that the positioning of many of these structures put them in danger from climate change affecting the coastline or the flood plains, making this subject particularly relevant to them.
It was easy to convince to Maori community near Napier to join the game, which isn’t really all that similar to Monopoly despite the name. Rather, it’s a map of the current buildings and rivers with the players trying to work out what to spend their allocated money on. Blackett stated that the game led to some very difficult discussions about whether to move these buildings or not, with the community then able to see the outcome of their decisions by looking at simulated weather conditions in the future. Sadly, this area was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle shortly after the game was played there.
What Games Are Popular in NZ Now?
Marae-opoly is more about starting a community discussion than the actual gameplay itself. However, the strong gaming culture in this country means that this could work as an ideal way of introducing other complex themes to people who are used to playing in a variety of ways.
Other board and card games are still popular across the country, with some NZ-based companies even producing their own. Popular titles include Rugby: The Game and Kiwis Against Morality, a national take on the popular Cards Against Humanity game.
Pokies are also traditionally popular here too, and with online versions available many operators are available in the market today, such as LeoVegas and SkyCity. These sites offer welcome promotions such as free spins on selected pokies or bonus funds to use. As for the games themselves, they cover a wide range of themes and the features also vary from one pokie to another while being based on the same basic mechanism.
The concept of Marae-opoly is intriguing and it could potentially be adapted to work in other parts of the world facing climate challenges. Given the love of gaming in New Zealand, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find other efforts like this appearing in the future to help simulate difficult decisions without any real-life impact.
