What is Game of Fuels?
The original initiative was to produce an interactive game with the aim to help educate pupils about renewable energy, particularly biofuels, and the techniques and processes involved in developing them as well as introducing the concept of synthetic biology. The game can be used as a permanent outreach tool to play in schools, at science fairs and at home to educate secondary school pupils and adults as part of a stimulating and fun activity.
Curriculum links
The game complements sections of Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum, including:
- Cells and organisation material cycles and energy
- Cellular respiration
- DNA and genes
The game also gives pupils an introduction to microbes and microbiology.
Download the Game:
3_EASY-Board_game_questions-2020
How to play the game:
You will need a gaming di, 4 gaming pieces ideally lorries and a load (the feedstock)
- Each player chooses a game-piece consisting of a miniaturized pick-up truck containing a feedstock; they are given a fact card with information about their particular feedstock.
- Each player rolls a die and moves their vehicle ahead from the feedstock origins through the preparation and production processes to the final product.
- There are challenges along the road; if a player lands on a PPP (Politics, Publicity & People) space they will be given a fact which can either hinder or enhance their movement along the board.
- If a player lands on a normal road space, they will be required to correctly answer a question in order to continue. If a player lands on a ‘C’ space (Conference) this means they are at a scientific meeting and will need to say, out-loud, one sentence about their fuel from their fuel fact card and everyone playing gives them a round of applause.
- There are also STOP! Spaces: if a player lands on this space they must take a card, read out their disaster and go back the number of spaces as instructed.
- The players proceed through the necessary steps and required technologies for a sustainable fuel production. The game concludes when one of the players has developed their entire bio-industrial line production and has made their final product.
