summ( )n

I have recently came across an interesting project/game called EnerCities. Supported by EU and co-developed by a consortium of diverse partners (including Dutch game design studio Paladin), this is indeed a ‘serious game’ aimed to help people to imagine and enact possible scenarios of energy use in the cities of tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I was not able to really play it as yet, despite downloading the necessary plug-in (and even the full developer tool), so I have to use the screenshots from their site/facebook page

The idea behind the project, namely, to make a game where people could enact the futures and play with them, interacting with other people, and other scenarios, is excellent, a very ‘summ()n one. I may have some reservations with the somewhat childish, Sim City lookalike of the world, but that I do without playing the game, which is not fair.

I am currently trying to contact the Paladin Studio, to learn more about their work (both this game and other similar projects); with some surprise I’ve found ‘Philips Design’ among their ‘clients’; curiousier and curiousier.