Fish Business is a game designed to show the problems related to the exploitation of natural resources in the realm of competition.
The game enables the players to search for the ways to avoid the trap of the excessive exploitation of resources, often called “the tragedy of the commons”. The players represent the boards of fishing companies and by way of making decisions aimed at their firms’ development, they have a significant impact on the environment.
The players have to face the challenge of succeeding in the long run, i.e. of attaining sustainable development. The tragedy of the commons points to the value and indispensability of cooperation while exploiting common goods with a limited volume. That cooperation, however, is difficult to achieve, since even just one firm that is not willing to work together with others may thwart reaching a mutual agreement. The idea of the game is based on the “Wicked Fish Game” created by Dennis Meadows.
Game overview:
The game consists in managing a fleet of fishing cutters. Each player has a limited sum of money at their disposal to pay for the maintaining of the fleet. With this money, he or she can also buy new boats. The income is generated by selling the caught fish on the free market or by selling the cutters themselves. The winner of the game is the player whose fishing company has amassed the largest capital.
Who will benefit from the game:
- individuals interested in the subject of sustainable development
- organizations interested in the improvement of communication skills
Organizational details:
- a facilitator must be present to play the game
- duration: 3-5 hours
- number of players: 5-25
- language of the game: Polish, English
- summary of the game: game results analysis