Transforming food systems through game design and play

Dates: 26–30 October 2026

About the course

The global food system has already crossed four of the nine planetary boundaries, making a fundamental redesign urgently needed. This course introduces analog serious games (e.g., board and card games, narrative games) as tools to explore and foster food system transformation. Participants will design, adapt, and test serious games using real food system case studies, either brought by participants or provided by the instructors.

The course covers the role of analog serious games in enabling inclusive, reflexive, and action-oriented processes for food system transformation. Participants will learn about existing serious games, design principles, facilitation techniques, and assessment methods, including Q-methodology, visual research methods, and thematic analysis. Frameworks such as the Nature Futures Framework, multispecies, post-growth, and boundary-crossing frameworks will be applied.

The teaching team includes members from Wageningen University & Research, the WUR Games Hub, the CiFoS team, Utrecht University, the University of Twente, Oxford University TABLE Debates, Alliance Bioversity International, and the United Nations. The course is supported by a physical game library (connected to WUR’s Teaching and Learning Centre) and a digital game library hosted by Oxford University TABLE Debates.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand and reflect on the role of analog serious games as participatory and reflexive tools for food system transformation.
• Analyze how values, power relations, political, and ethical considerations shape dialogue and decision-making in food system transformation.
• Apply frameworks for assessing game sessions (e.g., Nature Futures Framework, multispecies, post-growth, and boundary-crossing frameworks).
• Evaluate the opportunities and limitations of serious games for learning, dialogue, and impact in real-world food system transformation contexts.

Course structure

The course begins on Monday morning with an introduction, a keynote on the state of practice of analog serious games for food system transformation, and a collective game session. Monday afternoon and Tuesday feature interactive sessions combining short lectures with tutorials on game design, facilitation, data collection, and group work. A pizza night is organized on Monday evening for networking.

On Wednesday, an excursion takes place to the Twente Design Lab, focused on game design. Thursday continues with game design, prototyping, and play-testing sessions. The course concludes on Friday early afternoon with a public showcase, group presentations, and prototype testing.

Participants work in small interdisciplinary teams (4–5 people) to design or adapt analog serious games for real food system case studies, iteratively testing their games throughout the week.

Skills and competences

• Design, adapt, and prototype analog serious games for food system transformation.
• Facilitate serious game sessions in participatory and transdisciplinary food system contexts while engaging with multiple perspectives and values.
• Apply multiple methods to assess serious game sessions and outcomes (including Q-methodology, visual methods, and thematic analysis).
• Use conceptual frameworks to support serious game design and assessment for food system transformation.
• Organize and facilitate a game (prototype) session during a showcase event.

Requirements

Basic knowledge of farming or food systems, system thinking, and/or sustainability transitions.

Lecturers

• Federico Andreotti – Wageningen University
• Tamsin Blaxter – Oxford University, TABLE debates
• Robert-Jan den Haan – University of Twente
• Sarah Jones – Alliance Bioversity-CIAT
• Darko Petrovic – United Nations World Food Programme
• Jet Vervoort – Wageningen University
• Stefan Werning – Utrecht University

Contact

Federico Andreotti (Earth Systems and Global Change group, Wageningen University) – federico.andreotti@wur.nl

Gilian van Duijvendijk (PE&RC) – gilian.vanduijvendijk@wur.nl