Serious Game and Environmental Management Systems: Lessons Learned from Emergency and Crisis Preparedness

Abstract

Serious games are complementary tools to traditional approaches to awareness-raising and training. At INRAE, a serious game in the form of an escape game was developed to support units implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) in preparing for emergency and crisis situations. This experience report focuses particularly on how the game phase, debriefing and the EMS continuous improvement process are connected. The game combines physical materials, a digital application and an analysis grid. Trials conducted in several pilot units before the game was rolled out made it possible to test it in different contexts and adapt it to the realities of the units. The experience report suggests  that the value of the game lies not only in the simulated situation itself, but also in how it is connected to the debriefing and the EMS continuous improvement process, helping to turn the observations made during the game into improvement actions.