How did the idea for Ecosfera Baltica come about?
Jannica: We had just finalised the third holistic assessment of the status of the Baltic Sea and were trying to figure out how the ecology and dynamics of the Baltic Sea could be communicated to a wider audience.
I’d heard about the original Ecosfera game, and when discussing it with Owen, he jokingly suggested it could be a great way to illustrate how the Baltic Sea ecosystem functions and how humans impact it. We then approached Albert at Julibert Games, the creator of Ecosfera, to see what he thought of the idea.
Owen: When a call for proposals from the Nessling Foundation came up, we decided to go for it. We developed a plan for a game that would be fun to play while embedding information and messages aimed at the public and educational organizations around the Baltic Sea. Fortunately, the Nessling Foundation recognised the potential in our concept!
How did you go about developing and testing the game?
Owen: First, we had to play a lot of the original Ecosfera game to understand its dynamics, intricacies and variations. From there, we discussed how to adjust the gameplay to fit the Baltic Sea, identify the key species and habitats to include and make it more educational.
Jannica: One of the biggest challenges has been balancing the simplification of the complex the Baltic Sea ecosystem while maintaining the ecological relevance. But it’s amazing how well the ecological and social processes we work with daily translated into a card-game!
Owen: The level of interest and excitement about the game has been incredible – not just from the HELCOM Secretariat staff but also from members of HELCOM Expert and Working Groups. They have given us valuable feedback on habitat and species lists as well as the game logic.
Jannica: We launched the first prototypes of the game at SPIEL, the world’s largest boardgame fair in Germany. Over four days, nearly 350 people tested the game! We have also conducted multiple testing rounds with topic experts to resolve inconsistencies and fix imbalances.
Owen: We also took the game to a primary school in Helsinki for kids to test-play. They had a lot of fun, and their feedback gave us some useful insights on marketing the game to suitable age groups.
What do you personally like most about the game?
Owen: The artwork is really striking, but my main hope is that the game makes our work more accessible and helps inspire the change in mindset we so desperately need.
Jannica: I love how the game requires the players to work together to solve problems! This collaboration is a good reflection of reality. The game mimics a real socio-ecological system, albeit a highly simplified one. I also really like how it explores our relationship with the environment.
What can we expect to learn from the game?
Owen: Players will discover that the Baltic Sea is a fascinating ecosystem full of interesting species, and that us humans are part of this ecosystem. While we can cause harm, we also have the power to provide solutions or prevent damage in the first place. The educational aspects are built subtly into the gameplay. Additional details will be available for those who want to dig deeper, but players can also pick this information up naturally as they play.
Who should play the game?
Jannica: Anyone aged 8 and up! The game includes several levels of difficulty and two levels of complexity, allowing for diverse gameplay experiences. The basic version is language-independent using images, symbols and scientific names. While the included rulebook is in English, we plan to provide translations in all Baltic Sea languages as free online downloads.
Owen: We have also teamed up with Reaktor to digitalize the boardgame, making it accessible to a wider audience.
Ecosfera Baltica is due to launch early 2025. To ensure your copy of Ecosfera Baltica once it is ready, you can sign up for the Ecosfera Baltica Kickstarter campaign. The campaign is set to launch on 1 March 2025, and games will be delivered by June 2025.
See more
Ecosfera Baltica: A game to save the Baltic Sea
Ecosfera Baltica Kickstarter campaign
Contact
Eeva Nyyssönen
Communication Secretary, HELCOM
eeva.nyyssonen@helcom.fi
+358 40 6473996
