Breaking the Silos : an online serious game for multi-risk disaster risk reduction (DRR) management

Abstract. The increased complexity of disaster risk, due to climate change, expected
population growth and the increasing interconnectedness of disaster impacts
across communities and economic sectors, requires disaster risk reduction
(DRR) measures that are better able to address these growing complexities.
Especially disaster risk management (DRM) practitioners need to be able to
oversee these complexities. Nonetheless, in the traditional risk paradigm,
there is a strong focus on single hazards and the risk faced by individual
communities and economic sectors. The development of the game and how it
aims to support a shift from a single-risk to a multi-risk paradigm are discussed
in detail. Breaking the Silos is a serious game designed to support various
stakeholders (including policy makers, risk managers, researchers) in
understanding and managing the complexities of DRR measures in a
multi-risk (multi-hazard) setting, thereby moving away from hazard-silo thinking.
What sets Breaking the Silos apart from other disaster risk games is its
explicit focus on multi-risk challenges. The game includes different hazard
types and intensities (and their interactions), different impact indicators, and
(a)synergies between DRR measures. Moreover, the spread of expert knowledge
between different participants and the high levels of freedom and randomness
in the game design contribute to a realistic game. The game was launched
during the World Bank GFDRR's Understanding Risk 2020 Forum and later played
again with the same settings with researchers from the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. Feedback from the pre- and
post-game surveys indicates that Breaking the Silos was found useful by the
participants in increasing awareness of the complexities of risk.


S1. Moderator guidelines and storyline S2.DRR measures calculation tool and description S3.Minister of Finance calculator S4.Overview of gameplay and coins spent per team for UR2020 S1.MODERATOR GUIDELINES AND STOYLINE 1. Moderate to narrate the background story "During today's game you are all taking on the role of an important decision maker or key stakeholder who are all involved in the disaster management of a fictional country.Today's game takes place in a country with a strong economic dependence on the agricultural sector.80% of the population of this country depends on this sector for their livelihood.The socioeconomic inequality in the country is high.
The island is impacted by different climate-related hazards.Risk knowledge is very fragmented.The country has gone through political unrest during the past decade and has therefore not been able to maintain or improve its Disaster Risk Reduction measures.You want to show that your country can efficiently deal with disasters and be a world example.If you do so, you will attract financial aid from the international community."2. Round 1 a.Call the players to the centre of the main board game (there is a function on the top right of your MIRO screen where you can bring everyone to where you are at) b. Moderator to read the first-round story: "Let's start the first round.The country was hit by a medium intensity tropical cyclone a week ago.The impacts were substantial: close to 20,000 people were impacted, more than 400 buildings were damaged or completely demolished, 2 hospitals were severely damaged, 1 airport.Finally, the tropical cyclone destroyed agricultural areas, threatening food security.The key decision makers and stakeholders (identified as such by the president) are getting together today for your daily briefing.The meeting is chaired by the president.The main agenda item for this meeting is to make a decision on how to spend up to 30,000 coins on disaster risk reduction.Everyone has their own interests, knowledge and perception; some of them may be conflicting.As knowledge is fragmented, you will need to collaborate to get a complete picture.Different DRR measures take different amounts of time to implement, have different costs, and target the risk of different hazards.This may help you to prepare for the next disaster."c.Moderator to remind participants to please focus on their own information cards rather than reading other people's roles.d.Put timer to 3 minutes in MIRO to allow the participants to read their role card and remind them that it is up to them whether they share knowledge."Please be reminded that the president has the final say, that the Minister of Finance is responsible for doing the calculations of the total costs of the DRR measures and for making sure you do not go over budget and remember that the international community can provide financial support after the first-round if, by the end of the first round, you meet their requirements.
You will now have exactly 15 minutes to discuss what DRR measures each of you would like to take and then you have another 10 minutes to come to a final decision that is within your budget."f. (Moderator starts the timer in Miro for 15 minutes.g.After 15 minutes, set the timer for 10 minutes and ask the president to use a maximum of 10 minutes to come to a final decision that is within the budget. 3. End of round 1 a.Now that all the icons are on the board, fill in the DRR measures.b.If they planted crops in an area that is too highly populated (identified by crosses in Excel) they can't plant those crops.c.Check that they did not go over budget how much they have left.This is automatically calculated.If they overspend it is your call what measures you cut.Report back to the group after the break.d.Take a screenshot of the recovery objectives, the revised budget and the new impact table paste them next to the main board.Remove the previously impacted cell: in MIRO click on the red crosses, unlock it, and delete.Copy-paste the new crosses of the next disaster on the main board game: go to the "Crosses" frame (you can get a list of the frames by clicking on the lower left button ), unhide it ( ) then copy-paste the new crosses on the new impacted cells on the map.Don't forget to lock ( ) the group of crosses so that the players don't move them.e.Finally, add the crane icon to any NBS, dam and relocation icons on the board.The crane icon is in the hidden admin board frame.
4. Round 2 a. Discuss the recovery (the met/not met column).Have all the impacted hospitals, buildings, airports, crop requirements been met?"The international aid community set several targets for the country to meet in order to get additional finances.These were to take measures to address all the damages to hospitals, crops, airports, and the population.You met …… of these targets.But you did not meet….As a result, you receive an additional 5000 coins in funded / you receive no additional funding."b.Explains the situation: "It is now several months after the tropical cyclone caused severe damage and while recovery efforts are still ongoing, the country is now hit by a new disaster, a very severe drought in the South of the country.This has caused large damages to the important agricultural areas of the island.XX people were affected.This is XX more/fewer than would have been the case without your DRR measures XX buildings were damaged.This is XX more/fewer than would have been the case without your DRR measures.XX hospitals and XX main airports were affected.This is XX more/fewer than would have been the case without your DRR measures.XX cells of agricultural area were affected.This is XX more/fewer than would have been the case without your DRR measures.You find yourselves back in a meeting room with the same actors as months ago.This drought has created major disruptions in the construction of long-term DRR measures: even though you invested the money in these DRR measures, the construction of dams and NBS are heavily delayed due to economic disruption caused by the drought disaster.This is signalled by the crane icons on the NBS and dam icons of round 1.In other words: • If you planned DRR measures that took longer than months to complete (a dam, naturebased solutions or relocation incentives), they have not yet been constructed, so they do not work in this disaster!• If you moved people (refugees) after the tropical cyclone to the south, they are now impacted by the drought.• You have been allocated some new funds, both from tax collection and, if successful in round 1, from international aid: what will you do to help your country recover?Note that you can remove a DRR measure from previous rounds but will not recover funds already spent.You will now have exactly 7 minutes to discuss what DRR measures each of you would like to take and then you have another 3 minutes to come to a final decision that is within your new budget."c.Go through the 'updated budget'.Show them how much funds they have now from the screenshot.
In your new budget, you now have XX coins.This includes 10,000 from tax collection, 5000 or 0 from international funds, and any money you may have had left over from last year.The Minister of Finance needs to add the new numbers into the calculation sheet and clear its budget sheet.c.Start timer give them 7 min to discuss things, followed by 3 minutes to come to a final conclusion -start the timer again.
5. Repeat from point 3 on for subsequent rounds.

S2. DRR measures calculation tool for moderators
This tool is not visible to the players.It allows the moderator to copy the location and number of DRR measures implemented per DRR measure.The tool automatically calculates: -The amount of coins spend; -Whether the requirement to be eligible for international aid has been met; -The (a)synergies between DRR measures; -The impacts of the disasters and the change in risk due to the implemented DRR measures compared to a status quo.
The tool consists of the following parts: -Random disaster and impact generator for round 1.
Random disaster and impact generator for round 1.
Overview of implemented DRR measures.
-Overview of coins spent on DRR measures.
Overview of coins spent on DRR measures.
-Random disaster and impact generator for round 2 and later (Fig. S2.4), including an overview of the effects of the implemented DRR measures Random disaster and impact generator for round 2.

S3. Minister of Finance calculator
This calculator is placed next to the role card of the Minister of Finance and allows them to assess how many coins are spend on the different DRR measures.
Minister of finance calculator.
S4. Overview of gameplay and coins spent per team for UR2020

Overview of gameplay and coins spent
For the achieved risk change, the negative numbers show that the impacts of the second and third events with the implemented DRR measures are smaller than they would have been had the team not implemented the DRR measures.

Budget
Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4