September 29, 2017
The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) has announced the release of “Aquation: The Freshwater Access Game.” “Aquation” is a single-player digital-strategy game that enables students to study the science that guides the hydrosphere as it relates to the global availability of freshwater. It uses water resource data and gross domestic product data to identify, on a color-coded map, areas of excess water and areas of water scarcity. “Aquation” incorporates world events like droughts, fires and heavy rain to familiarize students with concepts of unequal distribution of resources, differences in location and research efforts into water conservation.
After playing “Aquation,” students will be able to describe specific scenarios and challenges in which a range of factors play a role in freshwater management and apply their scientific and engineering understanding of freshwater management to these real-world scenarios.
“The goal of ‘Aquation’ is to give students a simplified look into the complex problems of water scarcity and water equity on a global scale,” said Brian Mandell, SSEC’s division director of Curriculum and Communications. “‘Aquation’ is fun, timely and, just like the real world issues it’s supposed to be modeling, it’s complicated.”
“Aquation” was developed by SSEC and Filament Games. It is available for free on the Apple App Store, Google Play and online at scienceeducation.si.edu/aquation.