Utrecht University

Game gets students thinking about sustainability

Challenge

Game that gets students thinking about sustainability. They also want to pass this on to their students. How can we ensure that we get students thinking and inspire them to form and develop a vision of sustainability from the perspective of their future profession?

Challenge: Design a poster for climate change and organise a climate march

Students go into Utrecht in teams and complete sustainability challenges they find in the app

Solution

IJsfontein developed the Sustainability Game on behalf of Utrecht University. This multiplayer game is played on your phone during the Utrecht introduction week. First-year students go out with their mentor group in Utrecht and perform challenges related to sustainability.

The aim of the game is for students to look around and search for solutions with an open mind. At the same time, they get to know each other and the city better and better. Underlying the game are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To start the game, the students are presented with statements about the SDGs. They answer two questions; what do you think is important? And what do you think you can influence? Based on their answers, they receive a profile. All solutions are plotted on the map of Utrecht. This way, students can see each other's solutions and get a picture of the city's sustainable potential.

Impact

The larger goal of the game is that all students together shape the Utrecht of 2040. What should really be there in 2040 and what is completely different? At the end of the game, the students gather in a lecture hall and classically evaluate each other's findings and the winner is announced.

The Sustainability Game: Utrecht 2040 gets students thinking about sustainability and the role they can play in their future careers.