Risk Horizon

2015 - 2016

A screenshot from the game Risk Horizon

The global view of risk management as an unaffordable cost, especially in developing countries. The game Risk Horizon allows participants to learn risk management through experiential gameplay. More than 5,000 government employees worldwide found it to be the most memorable part of the course, highlighting its potential to change perceptions of risk management as a development tool.

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About the Project

Problem Space

The global preconception of risk management is that it is a cost that is not always affordable, especially in developing countries. The World Bank's Report on Risk Management and the learning module built around it reframes risk management as a tool for healthy development.

Proposed Intervention

Players use the risk management tools of knowledge, protection, and insurance to guide the development of an alien world and survive increasingly powerful comet strikes. Risk Horizon was played during the MOOC's second week, which covered the most important tenets of risk management. The game's design goals were to reinforce these concepts and let users understand them in an experiential way while remaining accessible to a wide audience with a variety of learning styles.

Social Impact

More than 5,000 government employees from around the world played the game as part of a MOOC offered by the World Bank. Players were generally enthusiastic about the experience, describing it as the most memorable component of the course.

Logo image for The World Bank