Stephen Walter 11/12/24 Stephen Walter 11/12/24

UpRiver

UpRiver is a two part early warning / early action game for understanding and forecasting water levels along flood-prone areas of rivers. The first part is an analog game designed to help those in flood-prone communities better understand the models of river flooding and the importance of upstream-downstream communication for reducing flood losses. The second part, an SMS-based game played on cell phones, aims to both put into place an actual communication network that relays upstream information (thus triggering preparedness measures downstream), and to crowd-source river level data to improve computer models.

Stephen Walter 11/2/24 Stephen Walter 11/2/24

UNDP Games For Development Workshops + Fellowship

I helped launch a multiyear partnership between the United Nations Development Programme and the Engagement Lab and grew interest UN-wide over the power of serious games for issues related to international development, human rights, and sustainability. This started with co-designing and leading a series of game design for social change workshops in Cairo, Moldova, and Bhutan, where a number of projects, both big and small, were born, some of which are still going strong today, 10 years later. Watch a video!

Stephen Walter 11/2/24 Stephen Walter 11/2/24

Risk horizon

The global view of risk management as an unaffordable cost, especially in developing countries. The game Risk Horizon allows participants to learn risk management through experiential gameplay. More than 5,000 government employees worldwide found it to be the most memorable part of the course, highlighting its potential to change perceptions of risk management as a development tool.

Stephen Walter 11/1/24 Stephen Walter 11/1/24

Unlocking Health

A digital game that immerses players in a fictional world called Zariba, where they act as World Bank Results-Based Financing (RBF) for Health consultants, designing and implementing an RBF program. They face real-world challenges and adapt their strategies to meet healthcare service goals. The game has two phases and lasts 45 minutes, with the option to replay. In Phase 1, players explore, gather information, and create an RBF program proposal. In Phase 2, they monitor and adapt the program in real time. Developed with the World Bank and played by hundreds of health policy experts around the world.