The Dutch Public Health Policy Game

Gruinen’s Droom is a Dutch immersive role-playing game designed specifically for public health professionals engaged in the field of health policy. This game provides a unique platform for players to delve into the complexities of stakeholder analysis and the dynamics of public policy-making within a fictional municipality: Gruinen.

Objective: The objective of Gruinen’s Droom is to simulate the power dynamics within a local societal context, encouraging participants to explore, empathize, and engage with the viewpoints, interests, and motivations of diverse stakeholders. The ultimate goal is to forge well-supported strategic alliances that align with a given policy initiative, represented in the game as a ‘trial balloon’.

Gameplay Mechanics: Using principles from role-playing games (RPGs), Gruinen’s Droom allows players to embody stakeholders who might be far removed from their real-life roles. Each player is assigned a unique role with specific objectives and hidden agendas, which they explore through a series of dream phases mixed with moments of lucidity. These moments allow players to document their observations in a game log, fostering a deeper understanding of the forces at play within the policy field.

Educational Objectives: The game is structured around Bloom’s Taxonomy, aiming to enhance skills in:

  • Analyzing: Identifying and interpreting stakeholders’ interests through targeted dialogues.
  • Evaluating: Comparing theoretical and real-life force field analyses to spot consistencies and discrepancies.
  • Reflecting: Recognizing and critically reflecting on how varied interests influence policy decisions.

Secondary Learning Outcomes: Players also:

  • Apply practical lessons in testing how their analyses can shift the stakeholder landscape.
  • Analyze movement within this landscape to uncover underlying dynamics.
  • Identify key actors and their influence on policy formulation.

Materials: The game includes a board depicting Gruinen, sets of round explanation and task cards, player pawns, role cards, role badges, and player logs for documenting the game experience.

 

Suitability: Aimed at professionals and trainees in public health and municipal governance, each game supports 8 to 15 players and takes approximately 5 hours to complete.

Game Structure: Gruinen’s Droom is divided into introductory and substantive rounds, each consisting of multiple phases that encourage interaction through task cards and narrative elements. The game progresses through cycles of action, documentation, and reflection, enhancing the learning experience by integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application.

Conclusion: Gruinen’s Droom not only serves as a dynamic educational tool but also fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and strategic planning among public health professionals. It challenges players to navigate and influence complex networks of interests within a controlled, game-based environment, making it an invaluable addition to training programs focused on public policy and health.

Gruinen’s Droom is designed and produced by Pandemos.
Game Concept:
Arnold Bosman and Willemijn Schellekens
Graphic Design:
Max Philippi and
Willemijn Schellekens
Manufacturing and Printing Services By:
AllPrint, Culemborg
KlaverOmega, Houten
Languages: Dutch only

More information about this game? Send us a request with the below form: