a game for world leaders to play

‘a game for world leaders to play’ is a permanent vr escape room[1] which has been installed in an underground bunker in the hague. in collaboration with the hague institute for global justice, the escape room offers a period of radical professional development for world leaders to explore the consequences of their decision making, alongside the citizens who will be directly affected by it.

world leaders receive an exclusive invite which outlines major areas of concern in relation to their leadership style and policies.

part boot camp, part active problem solving, ‘a game for world leaders to play’ is an immersive social play experiment themed around 21st century survival. a small group of citizen players join one world leader for up to 24 hours. all global citizens are eligible to apply, then shortlisted to their leaders country and submitted into a sortition[2] process ensuring an equal spread of race, gender, social status and political ideology.

they put aside their personalnd political preferences in favour of collectively problem solving global catastrophic risks that threaten the existence of humanity. an expanded online audience can view their sessions via embedded media and can input their suggestions and strategies directly into a curated vr feed sent to all players. issues on the menu range from climate change, to terrorism, economic disparity, to rapid population growth. each vr experience transports players into a 3d environment to problem-solve. they are clothed in wearable vr ‘smart’ suits which constantly monitor their physical and mental welfare. players don their high-tech onesies and wireless glasses, enter each escape room door, and may find themselves on-board an overcrowded boat, inside a fully automated shipping warehouse, on the foreshore of a southeast asian sunken city, or at the foot of a mountain of gmo seeds.

each room posits a not-too-distant dilemma to solve based on the future trending forecasts from quantumrun[3] and demands a collective solution be reached democratically within a given time limit.

during the experience, world leaders get the opportunity to reconnect with their constituents as well as their own ethical compass. each citizen player is empowered to contribute ideas and solutions which could carve out a road map for a sustainable utopian future.

first world leader selected: oprah winfrey, the 46th president of the united states

first escape room session: nov 2028

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[1] an escape-room is a physical co-operative adventure game in which players are pulled into scenarios akin to a movie or computer game. they unravel carefully plotted puzzles using clues, hints and strategy with a limited time-frame to find their way out of the space.

[2] sortition, was a form of ancient athenian democracy whereby public representatives would be chosen by lottery as a means to avoid the corrupt practices used by oligarchs to buy their way into power.

[3] quantumrun.com researches and reports on the latest revolutions happening today in technology, science, health, and culture, but through a futurist’s perspective.