Abstract for: The Unusual Suspects: A Gamified approach to Bathtub Dynamics

Misperceptions of Stock and Flow dynamics – bathtub dynamics – remain a fundamental barrier to effectively navigate systemic uncertainty in today´s challenges. This workshop introduces an innovative, game-based pedagogical framework designed to cultivate intuitive mental models of accumulations within social systems. Through different activities participants will engage in a simulation environment featuring novel interactive physical controls that change inflows and outflows of a digital bathtub interface. The interface lowers the cognitive load required to grasp accumulation logic and facilitates a deeper understanding of how stakeholder decision-making processes in flows define stock behavior. Activities are designed to address different aspects of Stock and Flow dynamics, such as the correlation heuristic, counter-intuitive behaviors of stocks, operational thinking and stakeholder identification. This workshop is designed for having fun while learning System Dynamics concepts!