AIS hosts game-based event on climate change and disaster risks

Last 20 February 2026, the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability (AIS) hosted its first-ever board games day, an event titled, “Ready, Set, Resilience!” held at the Manila Observatory.

Organized under the Climate and Disaster Resilience (CDR) Program, the one-day event gathered students, faculty, and non-teaching staff from the Basic Education, Higher Education, and Central Administration clusters. The event “gamified” climate and disaster education through interactive activities, teaching participants concepts such as climate change and its related phenomena, disasters and disaster response protocols, sustainable development, and community and ecosystem resilience. 

The event featured four different board-, card-,and computer-based games from different developers, introducing participants to climate and disaster risks and resilience, while building upon practical knowledge and skills on mitigation, adaptation, and community resilience.

Resilience: Survive and Thrive, by the UP Marine Science Institute and designed by Balangay Entertainment, was facilitated by Mr Daniel C Ratilla, Program Head for CDR, and Ms Giannina Nicole R Feliciano of the Department of Environmental Science. The game placed participants in scenarios where every community decision has its impacts and consequences. This game navigates the tensions in the definitions of sustainability, resilience, and what it truly means to achieve ‘development’.

The second game, Master of Disaster (MOD), was developed by Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST). It introduced the determinants of disaster risks, and challenged participants on how to prepare for and respond to different forms of disasters, including geohazards, climate hazards, and health hazards. The game was facilitated by Mr Emmanuel B Lacadin of the Department of Environmental Science, together with CDR interns, Mr Rolen Jan Muaña, and Ms Elisha Juliana Razon.

Meanwhile, Climate Fresk–a session on mapping out the interconnections of variables related to climate change–was conducted for two different cohorts. For Grades 5 to 6 students of the Ateneo Grade School, Climate Fresk for Kids was facilitated by Ms Nisha Alicer and Mr Sven Romberg of Climate Fresk Philippines and Ms Justine Ysabelle Barrion and Ms Tanja Zsofia Escalona, interns of CDR. At the same time, Higher Education students and non-teaching staff joined Climate Fresk for Adults, facilitated by Ms Ivy Geraldine Ferrer, Program Officer for CDR. Both cohorts worked together in identifying connections of human activities, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate impacts.

The fourth activity is the computer-based game, “For People and Planet: An SDG Adventure” developed by AIS and the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS) in 2021. It featured chapters for participants to see how the Sustainable Development Goals may become part of daily life. The game was facilitated by Mr Enzo Magdato of ALLS.

Overall, the event reflects a developing perspective of disaster education through gamification. Situation-based games can significantly improve awareness and preparedness by allowing learners to experience disaster scenarios in an interactive manner (Kankanamge et al., 2022). By bringing together diverse participants of Ateneo de Manila, the session emphasized that sustainability and resilience is a collective, shared responsibility. Ultimately, it highlights the importance of a whole-of-community approach in addressing climate and disaster risks.

^Reference/s:

^{Kankanamge, N., Yigitcanlar, T., & Goonetilleke, A. (2022). Gamifying community education for enhanced disaster resilience: An effectiveness testing study from Australia. Future Internet, 14(6), Article 179. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi14060179}