Learning About Energy Through Play
How do we build a reliable energy system when resources are limited, infrastructure is vulnerable and every decision has consequences?
This is the challenge behind CoreProtocol, a serious game developed by Femmy Priscillya Antolinez, Audrey Avogadro and Job Stephane Nyemeck, three students from TECFA at the University of Geneva, in collaboration with EAPOSYS.
Created as part of the MALTT (Master of Science in Learning and Teaching Technologies) program, the game uses an immersive strategy experience to introduce players to the complexity of energy systems and the potential contribution of deep geothermal.
Welcome to 2125: Energy Is Survival
Set in a beautifully imagined post-apocalyptic world inspired by the Swiss Alps, CoreProtocol places players in charge of supplying energy to a bunker sheltering 847 survivors.
Over 10 turns, players must make strategic choices between solar, wind and geothermal energy while balancing four critical indicators: energy availability, equipment, personnel and supply stability.
Unexpected events from equipment failures and storms to seismic activity challenge each decision, forcing players to adapt their energy strategy as circumstances evolve.
Through experimentation, players discover the strengths, limitations and trade-offs of different energy technologies, including why geothermal’s continuous energy supply can contribute to greater system resilience.
Understanding the Bigger Energy Picture
For EAPOSYS, the project goes beyond promoting geothermal technology.
We believe that understanding the material and resource intensity of our energy systems is essential to addressing today’s environmental and societal challenges.
Energy choices cannot be reduced to installed capacity or production costs alone. They involve infrastructure, resources, reliability, environmental impacts and the ability to respond to unexpected events.
By making these interactions tangible, CoreProtocol offers an accessible way to explore the complexity of the energy transition — and the role that deep geothermal could play alongside other renewable technologies.
A First Version, and an Invitation to Play
CoreProtocol is currently available in French as a first playable version. We hope to continue developing the concept with new scenarios, richer gameplay and additional educational dimensions.
A big thank you to Priscillya, Audrey and Stephane for their creativity, dedication and impressive work in bringing this world to life, and to Sophie Varone for her valuable guidance and coaching throughout the project.
We would love your feedback!
Try the game and tell us what you enjoyed, what could be improved and which new energy challenges you would like to explore.
