Planetary plate puzzle: a serious game for deliberating sufficient future diets

Abstract

The debate around dietary change, particularly the importance of culturally acceptable changes, has become highly polarised, hindering societal transitions towards sustainability. Serious games have been used as effective deliberation tools fostering safe spaces for co-creation and respectful participation. We designed a serious game, the Planetary Plate Puzzle, aimed at investigating ecologically and culturally sufficient diets in 2050 in Finland. Dietary sufficiency was defined as a reduction in carbon emissions and land use of an average Finnish diet to remain within planetary boundaries while being nutritious. This method paper introduces the design, intent, and rules of this serious game. We conducted focus groups across Finland to test the game as a deliberation tool centred around ecologically and culturally sufficient diets. The analysis of the feedback and deliberation process confirmed that the game fosters open dialogue, allowing participants from diverse backgrounds to engage in discussing complexities of dietary issues within a safe, respectful environment. We suggest further development and use of the game in various contexts. We present a novel method for stakeholder engagement that allows for hands-on exploration and deliberation around sufficient dietary changes as a means towards sustainable future food systems.