Players of the popular board game Catan may think they have enough to worry about when trying to rapidly develop their settlements and cities in order to achieve victory over their friends and family.
But now, along with not being able to get enough wheat, players of Catan: New Energies have to worry about a very real-world problem: environmental destruction.
“It feels to us as if how we fuel our homes, cars, how we make electricity, it’s something which we all need to be aware of,” Benjamin Teuber, who developed the new game with his late father, Klaus Teuber, told Day 6 host Brent Bambury.
“Of course, there is a story in the game, and it’s about which energy do you want to use in the end. But you’re free to choose.”
The game is similar to that of the original Catan. Players must develop their towns and cities by collecting resources and building quickly to earn victory points.
Catan involves collecting resources to build settlements and cities. Its new version makes you consider how you build and expand. (Shannah-Lee Vidal/CBC)
In the new game, there’s a catch. Players can choose to build with fossil fuels, which is easier but comes with risks. Or they can choose to build with clean energy, which takes more resources, but won’t harm their production of resources down the road.
Teuber says they worked with scientists to back up the science within the game.
“The game is, of course, simplified. That has to be the case for games. They always break down reality into a manageable system because reality is hyper-complex,” said Teuber.
“It’s such an important, relevant topic. But we also felt very strongly that a game must be fun.”
Games tackling social issues
Teuber says he and his father considered incorporating fossil fuels and renewable energies into Catan about a decade ago, and even tackled the benefits and drawbacks of discovering oil in the scenario expansion, Oil Springs. But the pair dusted off the idea and incorporated it more fully into the game during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catan: New Energies isn’t the first game to tackle climate change. In the board game Daybreak, released in 2023, players control world powers and work to reduce global emissions to a net-zero.
And it’s not just climate change — board games have tackled other social issues, too. In 2019, Hasbro released a game called Ms. Monopoly, which operated under the tagline, “The first game where women make more than men.”
Steven Edmonds, far right, plans on getting a copy of Catan: New Energies for his board game café, The Bard and Bear in Hamilton. (Submitted by Steven Edmonds)
Steven Edmonds, co-owner of The Bard and Bear board game cafe in Hamilton, Ont., says people like to know game companies are willing to tackle social issues.
But, he says, that doesn’t make them big hits.
“There’s definitely been people who are like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to design this game and it’s going to talk about these issues, and this type of stuff.’ But very few of them have been super successful,” said Edmonds.
Mechanics over theme
He says that while there aren’t many games tackling climate change, themes around enjoying nature, like in games such as Parks and Wingspan, are popular and have done well in recent years.
He says these games, and Catan, are considered Euro-style games, which put game mechanics over theme and aim to be simple and easy to play.
But some games, considered American-style games, start with a theme and then need many rules to fit that theme.
Edmonds says while a game’s theme can be what gets people to pull a game off the shelf, at the end of the day, it’s a game’s mechanics and enjoyableness that keep people coming back to play.
“Nine times out of 10, the reason people will pick up a game is because it’s fun. That’s the point of the game is to be fun, right?” said Edmonds.
“If the game comes with a good message, that’s great. But one of the most successful games in the last couple decades was Cards Against Humanity, which did not have a good message.”
Edmonds saw Catan: New Energies demoed at a trade show recently. He says he plans on buying a copy so people can give it a try at The Bard and Bear.
Teuber hopes people can find the fun in the new version of Catan. He says that at the end of the day, people can choose how they want to play Catan: New Energies. What they take from it is up to them.
“It’s not giving you the ethics that you play with, but you will decide that when you play it,” said Teuber.
MONTREAL – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. says it is conducting a review of its business and operations including talks relating to a range of potential strategic alternatives.
The Montreal-based payments technology company made the comments after reports concerning a potential transaction involving the company.
Lightspeed says it periodically undertakes a review of its business and operations with a view of realizing its full potential.
A strategic review is often seen by investors as a prelude to a sale by a company.
Lightspeed says its board of directors is committed to acting in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Company founder Dax Dasilva returned to the role of chief executive officer earlier this year and has been working to return the company to profitability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
OTTAWA – Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says there is a lot of uncertainty around how artificial intelligence could affect the economy moving forward, including the labour market and price growth.
In a speech in Toronto at the Economics of Artificial Intelligence Conference, the governor said Friday that the central bank is approaching the issue cautiously to get a better understanding of how AI could affect its job of keeping inflation low and stable.
“Be wary of anyone who claims to know where AI will take us. There is too much uncertainty to be confident,” Macklem said in prepared remarks.
“We don’t know how quickly AI will continue to advance. And we don’t know the timing and extent of its economic and social impacts.”
The governor said AI has the potential of increasing labour productivity, which would raise living standards and grow the economy without boosting inflation.
In the short-term, he said investment in AI is adding to demand and could be inflationary.
However, Macklem also highlighted more pessimistic scenarios, where AI could destroy more jobs than it creates or lead to less competition rather than more.
The governor called on academics and businesses to work together to shed more light on the potential effects of AI on the economy.
“When you enter a dark room, you don’t go charging in. You cautiously feel your way around. And you try to find the light switch. That is what we are doing. What we central bankers need is more light,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
