Friday, April 13, 2012

For Fans of FishBanks: The Renewable Resources Management Computer Simulation Game


For those of you who are fans of the FishBanks game, originally developed by Dennis Meadows, there is a new online version that has been created by Dennis and John Sterman at MIT. In this free online version you can play as an individual or part of a class. It can be accessed here: FishBanks Online Version.

I recently ran it twice (in French no less) using the Board game version (in the photo above) and it remains one of my favorite games to play that provides profound lessons about common pool renewable resources management, using systems thinking, growth against limits, and collaboration vs competition.

If you want the Board Game version (which comes with software for your laptop, instructions and all the role descriptions and pieces), you can access it here: FishBanks Board Game Version.

This second link tells you more about the game, how to use it and what kind of learning objectives it reaches, as well as how to order it.

Let's go fishing (sustainably)!

1 comment:

liffster said...

Hello! I have been using the Fishbanks simulation for over 10 years and once asked Dennis why there was no French version. He replied, 'There will be as soon as you translate it!'

While I have had great success with it in NGOs and a Hungarian Law Faculty, using it in French business schools - Grandes Ecoles - has been the most rewarding for me and for all the students.

Thanks for letting me know about the on-line version; I'm hoping to use it in some US business schools next.