Serious games, so-called because they are designed primarily for purposes other than pure entertainment, provide an excellent opportunity for professionals in different fields, including planning, to explore and respond to simulations of real life situations.

A new serious game from IBM, CityOne, is designed to help business leaders, city planners, and government agencies make policy decisions in response to specific problems in the sectors of water, energy, banking, and retail. U.S. EPA collaborated with IBM to provide content and resources.

Players are given the opportunity to explore more than 100 different scenarios to "transform cities through technologies that reduce traffic congestion, save water, streamline supply chains and tap alternative energy sources"; for instance, they may be challenged to combine wind-power and electric vehicles to address climate change, or to institute a smarter grid to ensure that carbon-emitting diesel-run generators do not kick on during peak load conditions.

Once the player has chosen a course of action from among three different policy solutions, points are awarded based on how effective the choice was.

CityOne, which has been touted in publications ranging from Fast Company to Popular Science, is an innovative approach to helping planners equip themselves for problems posed by rapidly growing urban populations.

Access CityOne for free on IBM’s website

Registration is required.