The Great Climate Poker
The Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Bern has developed the new computer game, “The Great Climate Poker.” This game makes the abstract ideas of variability and trends in the climate system tangible. In the Climate Poker game, global climate variability and change is portrayed as the results of a dice game. Various important climate forcing mechanisms (volcanic eruptions, solar variability, El Niño - Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation) are each described by a separate die.
However, one die is loaded: greenhouse gas concentration, and correspondingly the anthropogenic influence on climate, is not random. This die changes over time. After the dice have been thrown, the effects of the climate forcings are shown on a global map and both the local and global temperature anomalies are graphed. After the dice have been thrown several times, the effect of the loaded die slowly becomes visible; both climate change and natural variability can be recognized. There are three different play modes. On the page “Climate Poker,” climate is rolled by the dice, as described above. On the page “Climate master,” the player can pick the numbers on the dice and compare the results of various combinations. Once the basics of the game have been understood, the player can advance to the “Climate detective” page, where they can work backwards and guess the dice combinations based only on a map of the global temperature anomalies.
“The Great Climate Poker” is very well suited for teaching purposes. The game can be used at various educational levels depending on the goals of the teacher. In-depth exercises are possible as well (for example, the time series can be downloaded in order to perform statistical analyses). The “Mode for students”, rather than the “Standard Mode”, is particularly well suited for exercises, as it shows fewer explanations and hints about the rolled temperature anomalies. The game is available online and can be used in classrooms as well as by students at home (for example as an introduction to topics on climate change, the climate system, or climate forcings).
“The Great Climate Poker” may be used in English, Spanish, French, and German.