Testing event in Austria

How economic, social and environmental decisions are interconnected and why it is important to look at them in a global dimension was tested by students of the Hertha Firnberg Schools for Business and Tourism in 1220 Vienna last Wednesday. They were able to take a look into the future up to 2050, put themselves in a fictitious world and experience the challenges of sustainable development from the perspective of different countries and roles.

Testing event in Austria

The pilot version of the online simulation was developed as part of the Erasmus+ education project FutureSIM: Making Europe’s Future Sustainable! For three hours, around 27 students took on the roles of environmental, social and economic ministers and tried to steer the fate of their country in the best possible sustainable way in a globally networked world.

Testing event in Austria

In 3 rounds of play, they experienced how different the effects of their decisions can be and how difficult it is to conduct negotiations against the backdrop of limited resources and urgent problems such as food sovereignty or increasing environmental pollution. They would have liked to see their ideas and development plans implemented in another round, but that will have to wait until the next test run in early summer 2023. First, the feedback from the two classes will be incorporated into the further development of the game.

The ÖFSE team would like to thank all students, Prof. Josef Loibelsberger and Director Maria Ettl for the great commitment, the exciting morning and is looking forward to further cooperation in the Erasmus+ project FutureSIM: Making Europe’s Future Sustainable!