City Builders

A cooperative city-building game on sustainability.

1 game
5 000+ participants
100+ workshops with schools and businesses
Since 2016
A WASA Games project

You have just been elected to the city council. During your next term in office, as a team, you will build a neighbourhood, as sustainable as you can think of, covering topics such as housing, waste management, and governance, and you will be faced with social challenges and climate emergencies. How will you build your city to support your needs and those of your community? What is a 'sustainable city'? How do you organize and strengthen the social fabric of your community?

During the game, each team is responsible for their own city, and their decisions are their own to make. They build infrastructures, refurbish the streets, and propose regulations and community projects. Following the game session, the group takes part in a plenary session where cities are analyzed and discussed.

Our award-winning game is designed to help communities implement sustainable living ideas, but it also enables the development of 21st Century Skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, empathy, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. While playing, participants learn how their creativity can be powerful when they know how to nourish, adapt and communicate their ideas, turning their thoughts into real-life change.

“A little bit of maths, a little bit of sciences, a little bit of environment. There is a lot of content in this game.”

— High school teacher, translated from French

“This game is really instructive. Having to reach consensus on strategic decisions is insightful for business development.”

— Participant, Team Building, translated from French

“I learned that each of us, as citizens, have a responsibility to play”
“Because of this game, I learned to find solutions to social issues by myself.”

— High school students, translated from French

Colour Coded Wooden Tiles

A colour-coded language is created to guide and facilitate discussions on sustainability-related topics. Wood is our material of choice for its durability, sturdiness, and smell.

Agile Design

The game is designed to be a versatile tool. It is used as a frame to create other extensions. We have extensions on energy efficiency, urbanism, and immigration and integration. Designed for Open Space Method, it can be played in groups with children or adults.

Based on Real Life Cases

Design problems are provided in the form of maps and scenarios. Real city typologies and events inspire these.