I played Stop Disasters, a game created by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The game is about community preparation for natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, or wildfires, in areas predominantly plagued by such issues, such as the Caribbean, coastal Asian countries, and other areas. In the game, you play as a town planner who is preparing the town for its next natural disaster, building defenses, housing, and furnishing buildings such as the community center for evacuations and schools and hospitals. In my playthrough, I focused on preparing the Caribbean for hurricane season.
The game utilizes both narrative and challenge in its aesthetics of play. Narrative is derived from the premise of the community you’re in and protecting as the newest town planner. Challenge comes from the management of the limited resources of time and budget. During my play, I had a $40,000 budget to house 330 people, as well as build a hospital and a school while also protecting the seaport from destruction. After twenty minutes of preparation, the disaster begins, meaning the player must use everything at their disposal as effectively as possible. At the end a “final report” of your work as a town planner is generated, adding to the narrative thread throughout the game.
The game aims for an information outcome within the MDAO framework, as it focuses on teaching the player important disaster prevention skills as well as raising awareness for the work of disaster prevention on a community level. Real life tips, for example, unlock as you play the game, which both helps you to strategize for your imaginary town but additionally gives you information to use within your real community, or to use to judge the efficacy of your area’s disaster prevention plans.
Overall, I felt the game did well in demonstrating to the player the many conflicting needs, obstacles, and interests involved in disaster prevention planning. As I played I had to make difficult decisions, such as choosing between upgrading an existing, low-protection house or demolishing it and rebuilding at a higher elevation. Throughout the game I was constantly analyzing the cost-benefit of each action, wondering if it would be enough for my imaginary population. However, I found that the player’s actions aren’t as well connected to the final outcome of the game as I would have hoped. During my first game, for example, I was unaware you were able to (and that it was necessary to) upgrade the community center and hospitals to add more evacuation preparation education. When the hurricane came, no one sheltered correctly and I failed at my objectives.
However, in subsequent play I was more diligent, providing evacuation courses in schools and hospitals and adding early warning systems to the community center, as well as the other forms of protection and reinforcement of the islands. However, despite a change in the wording of the final report to acknowledge the early warning system, I still failed without a clear understanding of why. The animation during the disaster can be opaque, and it’s difficult to tell which of your prevention measures worked and which failed during the actual event. This can make it more difficult to attribute the outcome to the player’s choices, which feels counter to the point of the game. More clarity in these areas could help illustrate the intended outcome of the game more effectively.
