The Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Challenge game: Short Sea Shipping (SSS) Edition is a table-top strategy board game, designed for policy-makers and stakeholders involved in MSP, short-sea shipping and the Blue Economy. It is a ‘serious game’, allowing the development of a better understanding of the issues involved in MSP through creative and imaginative role playing, taking into account the relevant professional and personal experience of the players. The authors present and discuss the use of the MSP Challenge board game to test how, and to what extent, the concept can help stakeholders understand Maritime Spatial Planning.
The MSP (Marine Spatial Planning) Challenge Simulation Platform uses game technology and role-play to support communication and learning for Marine and Maritime Spatial Planning. Since 2011, a role-playing game, a board game and a digital interactive simulation platform have been developed. The MSP Challenge Simulation Platform editions have been used in workshops, conferences, education, as well as for real life stakeholder engagement. The researchers give an overview of the development of the MSP Challenge Simulation Platform and reflect on the value of the approach as an engaging and ‘fun’ tool for building mutual understanding and communicating MSP. We apply MSP Challenge Simulation Platform in workshops and demos to help develop a global learning MSP community. Funding: NorthSEE, Baltic LINes, the Scottish Government, thanks to SIMCelt.
