Keep Cool

Keep Cool Mobile

Keep Cool Mobile is an international environmental game - the online and mobile version of Keep Cool.

In Keep Cool Mobile, up to 50 city mayors try to find a balance between economic growth, climate protection and the wishes of their citizens to win the game. It’s digital and multilingual. This means you can invite anybody to play!!

Try out the game and help us in developing it!

Why should you play?

You will get to know a new game, which still can be improved with your feedback
You might want to use the game in your work or your free time
You will play with many Keep Cool friends from different parts of the world and can get in touch with them before, during or after the game
And in the end, of course, you will learn something about climate change

How to play?

How to play Keep Cool online? It is somewhat similar to a board game, but it also different ... first of all, you need a device (computer, tablet, phone - it is more convenient with a large screen), Internet access and a link that we will provide. Oh yes, the online version isn't permanently active - someone has to create a game, give access to the others and start it. Usually this is done by national coordonators. The games are then announced via email and via facebook in the group "Keep Cool" in Eastern Europe. Those who would like to play receive an access link before every game.

The link should be opened in the browser, then you select your language, enter the game code (which you are also given) - and play.

What else might be useful to know:

Same as in the board game, the action takes place on the planet with a changing climate, but from year 2000 to 2100. The game ends either in 2100 (if the average temperature has not reached 2C - then everyone survives and you can see which city / player is in which place) ... or when the average global temperature rises by more than two degrees and everyone dies.
Unlike the board game, which involves six groups of countries, in the online version each player is the mayor of a large city - at the beginning of the game you choose the city, your name and your avatar. To win, you build factories and get bonus points.
Each player / city has citizens who express their demands - they can be fulfilled or rejected (then the citizens are upset... but you still remain the mayor). If you do, then you get bonus points - but citizens do not always ask for reasonable things.
Same as in the board game, your city suffers from various catastrophes.
Same as in the board game, you can build / destroy factories, as well as buy protective measures. You can also make innovations - decide what exactly you want to invest in, and invite other cities.
Same as in the board game, you can borrow money from each other.
There are conferences where you can vote for a particular decision that will influence the world. You can also decide the topics of the conferences.
There is also a global chat, chats for certain groups of cities, or you can write to someone directly to discuss something.
And, compared to the board game, here you can really plant (and also cut) forests!

How can I start a game?

Write an email at least 3 days before the event to KeepCool@ecovisio.org with the information: Day and Time of your game.
You will receive a link and the name of your game - now you can promote it. You can invite anybody (friends, family, neighbours etc.) but you can also use the facebook group and the country coordinator will help you by announcing your event to other registered players.

Any other questions?

Write us: keepcool@ecovisio.org

Or even better: join the facebook group "Keep Cool" in Eastern Europe and post your question there.

Keep Cool Mobile is a project financed by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), run by Ecovisio and Humboldt University in Berlin.

Keep Cool Board Game

The “Keep Cool!” board game was created by Klaus Eisenack and Gerhard Petschel-Held of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and published by the German company Spieltrieb in November 2004. In ”Keep Cool”, from three to six players representing the world's countries compete to balance their own economic interests and the world's climate in a game of negotiation. The goal of the game as stated by the authors is to "promote the general knowledge on climate change and the understanding of difficulties and obstacles", and "to make it available for a board game and still retain the major elements and processes".

Since 2013, EcoVisio is using the game during its educational activities. Together with our partners from Germany, Romania and Ukraine, we are creating a network of Keep Cool players in Eastern Europe. If you would like to be a part of it, join our Facebook group: "Keep Cool" in Eastern Europe.

Current project: ”Keep Cool” in Eastern Europe (2018-2019)

Together with our partners from Germany - the German Federal Environmental Foundation (orig. Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU) and the Humboldt University Berlin (orig. Humboldt-Universität Berlin) we are working towards having a big group of people who use the game in their work in schools, universities, during trainings or elsewhere. Everybody from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine is welcome to join and to contact us.

February to June 2018: Working on and trying out a concept for a training on multipliers in Moldova
May 2018 to June 2019: Training of multipliers in Moldova, Romania and Ukraine
June 2018 to December 2019: Keep Cool events in Moldova, Romania, Ukraine - enlarging the network of players
January - December 2019: International Keep Cool games through Keep Cool Mobile

In parallel, we work on the mobile version of the Keep Cool game - translation and updates for existing German-only game
www.keep-cool-mobil.de

Our partners: Mioritics, Society for Responsible Consumption and Mai Bine (Romania), and Zelena Hvylya and Ekodia (Ukraine).

In 2016-2017, a new edition of the game was printed in the framework of project ”Dialogue for Change” - 40 more games in Russian-English version for our partner non-formal education programs in other countries.

In 2015-2016, the game was adopted and translated, with permission from the authors, by an international team of German, Ukrainian and Moldovan activEco program alumni and members of “EcoVisio” Association, Moldova, with support from MitOst Association and British Council, Ukraine. After having played the original game many, many times, the team decided to change some numbers and rules in order for the game to be more up-to-date and exciting.
Besides, initially, there was only German-English version of the game. Since 2016, it is available in the following versions:
Russian & Romanian, English & Romanian, English & Russian, Ukrainian & Russian, Ukrainian & English.