Playing the right game: A decision tree for choosing approaches to strengthen water governance

An emerging body of literature explores “serious games”— participatory behavioral games created for purposes other than entertainment—as learning tools and interventions for improving natural resource management. Such games, particularly when combined with other tools, have the potential to help agricultural communities make more productive and sustainable use of water resources, by changing individual behavior and fostering cooperation. They represent a structured, replicable approach to support learning, enhance constructive interaction, strengthen norms and governance, and eventually change resource use behavior.