STUDENTS BUILD ROTTERDAM FLOOD MANAGEMENT GAME
NEWS
Flood Control 2015 develops integrated solutions for crisis management during flooding. But who will develop the next generation of innovative solutions? How can we attract young talents to a career in the water sector? For this, the programme cooperates with the Rotterdam University and its students. Their first task: develop a Serious Game for the water management curriculum.
Innovation labs
On 9 February 2010, the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences’ Innovation Labs (i-labs) were given the go-ahead. These innovative experimental labs give multidisciplinary student teams the opportunity to develop various innovations under guidance of the Rotterdam University (HRO) and industry. The innovation programme Flood Control 2015 commissioned one of the six i-lab groups to build the Rotterdam Flood Management Game.
Serious game
This Serious Game is meant for future students. It will teach them how to deal with flood risks from the past, the present and the future. What could we have done, what can we do and what should we do to prevent future flooding? As games are very popular among students, it was an obvious choice to implement these facts in a serious game. Adding serious components to the game gives players the opportunity to not only learn but also experience the various aspects of flooding. In a strategic game, players can decide themselves how much attention is paid to, for example, prevention or preparation. If there is no balance between the various components, the economic effects and national effects will be clearly visible to the player.
First edition
The group plans to release the first edition of the game by the end of 2010. If it is ready on time, the game will become part of the educational curriculum. The next generation of students will further develop the concept so that it can become a regular part of the HRO’s Water Management curriculum.
We call attention to the following students as they will certainly have an impact on education in the future:
Peter de Ruijter (project leader), Bo Scheepers, (design and domain expert civil engineering), Erik Snoek (design and programming), Sebastiaan Rath (management and domain expert civil engineering), Jaswant Adhien (art), Jos Baars (design, domain expert civil engineering) en Danny Kort (design and programming).
The project is supervised by Harry Dommershuijzen (civil engineering professor), Tony Busker (ICT teacher), Roeland Nagel (IBM, client supervisor) and Piet Dircke (ARCADIS, client). For more information please contact Roeland Nagel.