Tipping Point
December 26, 2020
Tipping Point is like SimCity with cards. Players build cities while trying to survive extreme weather disasters that become more and more common as carbon dioxide accumulates in the air. It's a family-friendly game perfect fit for casual and strategic gamers. It's also a great choice for teachers looking for a visual way of introducing their students to climate change.
How does the game work?
The goal of the game is to grow, sustain and protect a large population. Players take turns pulling new citizen cards and purchasing new development cards to add to their city.
Each citizen has his or her own special interests, including the construction worker who can help you build your city, the educator who can teach your workers to use advanced technologies, and the solider who can help protect your city from outside attack.
One of the best parts of Tipping Point is that players can use their imaginations to build the type of city they want. There are dozens of different development cards to choose from, including oil wells which earn more money, hospitals which protect citizens from extreme weather, or power plants which are needed to power buildings. But this growth and development comes at a cost: the release of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (CO2).
The end of the game is triggered when 1 player reaches a population of at least 9 citizens. Therefore, it is possible (but very difficult!) for all players to win.
Go big? Or go green?
A difficult decision players will have to make is whether they choose to build 'green' infrastructure, like forests, wetlands, and parks. This helps lower the global CO2 level, but doesn't always help the player grow their economy. Also, lowering your carbon footprint is great for everyone; are you sure you want to sacrifice your own growth and prosperity to help protect other players from the impacts of climate change?
Are you ready for more extreme weather?
Just when you thought the game was too easy... after each player has a turn developing, it's time for weather! Weather is always random, but the more CO2 in the atmosphere the higher the likelihood of severe weather. Severe weather events may target one player, or all of the players at once. Don't get caught in a lightning storm without a fire station!
Tipping Point is for strategic gamers
As CO2 levels climb, severe weather begins to disrupt daily life. Severe weather and limited food resources will force players to make strategic decisions: do they work together to ensure global victory? Or selfishly try for individual victory?
Tipping Point is for educators
Looking for a fun, interactive way of teaching your students about climate change? There are many real-world lessons that can be gained by playing this game, including:
Why a climate change game?
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, period. It's time for a new kind of climate change game, one that teaches us about the dangers of runaway global warming while at the same time gets us thinking creatively about solutions. But more importantly, a game that isn't super complicated and is fun to play again and again!
This is another interesting game that is likely too involved for classroom use. The components are lovely but unlikely to survive a class without some small pieces being lost (speaking from sad experience).
I can see Tipping Point being used as part of a class project, where the whole class plays a single game divided into teams and moderated by the instructor. (This would also let the instructor handle all the fiddly rules, freeing students to concentrate on strategic decisions.)
Linked in the grade 10 climate unit.
How does the game work?
The goal of the game is to grow, sustain and protect a large population. Players take turns pulling new citizen cards and purchasing new development cards to add to their city.
Each citizen has his or her own special interests, including the construction worker who can help you build your city, the educator who can teach your workers to use advanced technologies, and the solider who can help protect your city from outside attack.
One of the best parts of Tipping Point is that players can use their imaginations to build the type of city they want. There are dozens of different development cards to choose from, including oil wells which earn more money, hospitals which protect citizens from extreme weather, or power plants which are needed to power buildings. But this growth and development comes at a cost: the release of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (CO2).
The end of the game is triggered when 1 player reaches a population of at least 9 citizens. Therefore, it is possible (but very difficult!) for all players to win.
Go big? Or go green?
A difficult decision players will have to make is whether they choose to build 'green' infrastructure, like forests, wetlands, and parks. This helps lower the global CO2 level, but doesn't always help the player grow their economy. Also, lowering your carbon footprint is great for everyone; are you sure you want to sacrifice your own growth and prosperity to help protect other players from the impacts of climate change?
Are you ready for more extreme weather?
Just when you thought the game was too easy... after each player has a turn developing, it's time for weather! Weather is always random, but the more CO2 in the atmosphere the higher the likelihood of severe weather. Severe weather events may target one player, or all of the players at once. Don't get caught in a lightning storm without a fire station!
Tipping Point is for strategic gamers
As CO2 levels climb, severe weather begins to disrupt daily life. Severe weather and limited food resources will force players to make strategic decisions: do they work together to ensure global victory? Or selfishly try for individual victory?
Tipping Point is for educators
Looking for a fun, interactive way of teaching your students about climate change? There are many real-world lessons that can be gained by playing this game, including:
- what is the difference between climate and weather?
- what are fossil fuels? How does burning them lead to global warming?
- how does a changing climate impact people, the planet, and the economy?
Why a climate change game?
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, period. It's time for a new kind of climate change game, one that teaches us about the dangers of runaway global warming while at the same time gets us thinking creatively about solutions. But more importantly, a game that isn't super complicated and is fun to play again and again!
This is another interesting game that is likely too involved for classroom use. The components are lovely but unlikely to survive a class without some small pieces being lost (speaking from sad experience).
I can see Tipping Point being used as part of a class project, where the whole class plays a single game divided into teams and moderated by the instructor. (This would also let the instructor handle all the fiddly rules, freeing students to concentrate on strategic decisions.)
Linked in the grade 10 climate unit.
Teaching Science