Who Wants to Terminate the Game?: The Role of Vested Interests and Metaplayers in the ATOLLGAME Experience

ATOLLGAME functions as a computer-assisted role-playing simulation designed to navigate the complex intersection of hydrogeological modeling and socio-political conflict on the Tarawa atoll in Kiribati. By integrating local knowledge with technical data regarding groundwater salinity and extraction sustainability, the initiative seeks to resolve disputes between landowners, settlers, and government agencies. The core thesis posits that while participatory gaming effectively fosters consensus and identifies interdependent solutions for water management, its long-term viability is frequently compromised by institutional resistance and the exclusion of critical decision-makers.

The simulation demonstrates that collective bargaining can successfully move stakeholders beyond bipolar confrontations toward collaborative, technical, and social management strategies. However, the research highlights a persistent disconnect between participatory outcomes and the deterministic, top-down agendas favored by political and financial entities. These external actors, characterized as meta-players, often prioritize rigid institutional goals over community-led road maps, leading to project stagnation and the alienation of local populations. The findings suggest that current management frameworks remain largely unsustainable under existing governance structures.

To address these systemic failures, the study advocates for a post-normal approach to resource management that shifts from mere consultation to the active integration of local communities into the knowledge-creation process. By prioritizing inclusive stakeholder involvement and participatory pumping management, the project aims to bridge the gap between scientific modeling and real-world policy implementation. Ultimately, the success of such interventions depends on the willingness of institutional stakeholders to abandon exclusionary practices in favor of collaborative, transparent, and adaptive governance models that reflect the lived realities of the atoll’s inhabitants.