Water Foresight Podcast

The Future of Water Awareness Game

Host: Dr. Matthew Klein Season 4 Episode 6

Amber Desprets joins us to unveil her groundbreaking creation: the Future of Water Awareness Game. This isn't your typical board game - it's a powerful tool designed to shift how we think about our water future using speculative design principles.

Through a deck of 112 insight cards and a five-step process, Amber's game takes participants on a journey from questioning our present water reality to creating tangible "artifacts from the future" that might solve emerging challenges. The game surfaces fascinating signals of change that extend far beyond familiar concerns like rising sea levels. According to Amber: Did you know companies are already freezing coral reefs for preservation? Or that fish are losing nutritional value due to climate change? That icebergs are being harvested to address water shortages? These lesser-known developments form the foundation for imaginative scenario-building that ultimately leads to creative problem-solving.

What makes this approach particularly valuable is its accessibility. While suitable for professional workshops, the game is equally designed for dinnertime conversations with family, democratizing futures thinking about our most precious resource. Recognizing that less than 20% of the global population speaks English yet over 90% of climate change documents are English-only, Amber is having the game translated into seven additional languages to extend water literacy to billions previously excluded from these critical conversations. Looking ahead, she envisions creating a version specifically focused on preparing for a potential "waterless world" – challenging us to confront how our colonial mindsets continue to shape water commodification and exploitation rather than preservation.

Ready to play your way to better water futures? Download the game at futureawarenessgame.wordpress.com or connect with Amber Desprets on LinkedIn to join the growing community of forward-thinkers using games to reimagine our relationship with water.

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