A video game to inspire the agro-ecological transition
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Agro-ecological transition and field crops: InVivo and the Grand Est region put their support in video games
The Grand Est region and InVivo have shared their expertise with Gamabilis to develop a storyline about field crops for the Roots of Tomorrow video game, which is available free of charge. This new storyline has been available on all platforms since Friday, 20 January.
A video game to inspire the agro-ecological transition
Independent French studio Gamabilis has created Roots of Tomorrow, a strategy game about agricultural professions. Players can choose a storyline about a particular type of farm, and then become responsible for managing every aspect of it — financial, societal and environmental.
Through this game, Gamabilis wants to raise awareness among the general public about the daily life and challenges faced by farmers today, as well as giving farmers on the ground the tools they need to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
"To illustrate the plurality of agro-ecological transitions, we chose the management/strategy game approach. You can therefore model the financial, environmental and social consequences of decisions made on a farm," said Marianne Tostivint, Partner & Game Director at Gamabilis.
Several storylines already exist, including one about polyculture combined with pig, sheep and cattle farming (meat and milk). The game has been supported by numerous partners in the agricultural sector and is scientifically backed by INRAE.
However, a storyline was missing — one dedicated to field crops. This encompasses the production of cereals (wheat, maize, barley, rye), protein crops and beets, for example.
Today, cereal crops, also known as field crops because of their large agricultural land base and their productivity, are of particular interest as a result of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, raising fears about a global food crisis.
InVivo, the leading agricultural cooperative group and the Grand Est region, who are both partners in the Roots of Tomorrow game, shared their expertise to help create and write the storyline for field crops.
Thierry Blandinières, CEO of InVivo commented, "We chose to support Gamabilis because its simulation and strategy game Roots of Tomorrow helps foster an understanding of the farming profession and the challenges it faces in a very realistic way. Agrosolutions, our agro-environment consulting firm, worked on the content of the game so that it would match the reality of the agricultural world as closely as possible."
Franck Leroy, President of the Grand Est Region, stressed that "The Grand Est is a large agricultural region and is seen as the leading cereal region in France. It was therefore perfectly natural for the region to support the creation of Roots of Tomorrow, an initiative aimed at promoting all aspects of agriculture and innovations in the sector, not only to improve sustainability, but also with the aim of raising awareness among farmers and young people about the challenges of tomorrow."
Special features of the field crops storyline
The game starts with beginning a farming career in the Grand Est region, taking over a farm specialising in cereal crops. The objective is to progress the farm towards an agro-ecological system over a ten-year period. There are many ways to achieve this goal, all of which rest on various choices.
Creating a truly sustainable farm requires balancing economic, environmental and social scores.
The field crop scenario has many features, such as:
- Developing your farm
- Growing seedlings
- Improving buildings
- Investing in research
- Unlocking sustainable farming techniques
- Welcoming tourists
- Exploring the solutions offered by agro-ecology
The game is available to download from various platforms:
In addition:
- The illustrations are available for download.
- A keycode for options is available on request. Simply send an email to Gamabilis at contact@gamabilis.com.
