Abstract
Chapter 12 deals with the method of serious games, which is used as a tool to support social-ecological systems (SES) understanding and governance, often as part of the toolbox of participatory approaches. The chapter discusses how serious games can be used to explore the consequences of collective decisions and of external drivers. It discusses how games can give people understanding of system dynamics, and allow for developing a joint representation of an SES, collecting information on collective behaviour, education on the complexity of SES, crisis management training and institutional arrangement as major applications of serious games used in SES research. It goes on to discuss the types of SES problems and research questions commonly addressed by this set of methods, as well as their limitations, resource implications and new emerging research directions. The chapter also includes an in-depth case study showcasing the application of serious games, and suggested further readings on these methods.