Introducing Petronia: A Launch and Discussion on Gaming for Good Governance
13 June 2018 • 5:30PM EDT
Through interactive animations, learners can set their own pace as they build their knowledge of the issues, stakeholders and complex trade-offs in managing resource wealth for development.
Register to attend this event in person. Real-world political economy inspires great entertainment. Black Panther, Game of Thrones and World of Warcraft remind us of the consequences of unmitigated control of resources and power.
Leveraging this appetite for intrigue, a number of transparency and governance organizations are using games and role-playing simulations to engage audiences with real-world governance and corruption challenges.
In this context, we at the Natural Resource Governance Institute are excited to announce the June launch of Petronia, the first online role-playing game/simulation of natural resource governance. To mark the launch, NRGI will host a discussion in Washington, D.C., about how games can be used to promote good governance and policy changes.
Petronia explores the policy challenges in a fictional developing country that has made a potentially game-changing oil discovery. In Petronia, online learners join a team of experts deployed to advise the country’s policy-makers in a series of resource governance decisions. Immersed in this world, learners can hear and seek advice from stakeholders throughout Petronia, analyze government and international reports, and develop recommendations with their team. Through interactive animations, learners can set their own pace as they build their knowledge of the issues, stakeholders and complex trade-offs in managing resource wealth for development. This course draws from the best of NRGI’s learning tools, including case studies, modelling tools, plain-language policy explanations and data analysis protocols.
The launch will be followed by an interactive discussion with leading academics in the field, game designers and practitioners from the anticorruption and transparency movement. Join us for as we explore the lessons learned and exciting future directions in gaming for good governance! Refreshments and a reception will follow the discussion.
Moderator
- Nada Zohdy, director, Open Gov Hub (moderator)
- Elizabeth Newbury, director, Wilson Center Serious Games Initiative
- Brittany Williams, game designer
- Irwin Chen, game designer, Kleptocrat
- Richard Funkhouser, game designer
- Delaine McCullogh, communications manager, International Budget Partnership
- Katarina Kuai , senior program officer, NRGI