The Save and Play project is based on a simple yet powerful idea: using games as an educational tool to turn sustainability into a concrete, participatory and memorable experience. One of the main results of the Save and Play project is the development of 9 model games: educational games designed to bring young people and youth workers closer to sustainability topics through practical, collaborative and easily adaptable experiences.
In the model games developed by the project partners, girls and boys do not simply receive information about climate, biodiversity, responsible consumption or sustainable communities: they are invited to make decisions, solve problems, collaborate, explore the environment and reflect on the consequences of their choices.
The games designed by the partners address different but complementary topics: food sustainability, air quality, responsible tourism, urban biodiversity, sustainable entrepreneurship and youth-led community cooperation. Together, they form an educational pathway showing that sustainability is not an abstract concept, but something that concerns the food we choose, the air we breathe, the way we travel, the green spaces we inhabit, the businesses we imagine and the everyday actions we can promote within our communities.
The model games are not intended only as finished products to be used “as they are”, but also as working bases, examples and sources of inspiration. They can be replicated, modified, adapted to different local contexts and personalised according to the age of the participants, the educational objectives, the spaces available and the topics most relevant to a community.
Below is a preview of some of the games developed by the project partners: escape games, board games, outdoor challenges and community activities that show how sustainability can become a concrete, participatory and engaging experience.
The Last Harvest
The Last Harvest, developed by EGLE, is a physical escape game set in a solarpunk community that is trying to build a small utopia on an island. The community has already organised energy, housing and clean water, but still needs to face a fundamental challenge: creating a sustainable food system before the first harvest arrives.
Players must help the inhabitants decide how to produce food for everyone using limited resources. Through puzzles and game cards, they reflect on the impact of food choices on biodiversity, land use, emissions, waste and the differences between local, imported or innovative production systems.
The Parc Wardens
The Parc Wardens, developed by YuzuPulse, is a board game with escape game elements and turn-based survival dynamics. Players are newly appointed park wardens responsible for protecting a natural park before an official inspection. They have ten turns to intervene, manage critical events and keep the park in good condition.
The educational content focuses on sustainable tourism and the protection of natural environments.
The Druid’s Potions
The Druid’s Potions, designed by WIP, is a collaborative outdoor game centred on urban biodiversity. The story revolves around an old druid who can prepare magical potions to solve environmental problems in cities, such as increasing biodiversity, regenerating soil or attracting pollinating insects. However, the druid is too old to search for the ingredients himself: it is up to the players to explore the environment and collect what is needed. Participants must find and photograph natural elements present in the city or in green areas. The game combines exploration, observation, collaboration and competition between teams.
All materials will soon be available on the project website: https://saveandplay-project.eu/
