Discussions on psychological resilience
In our final discussions, we noticed that the four groups were largely satisfied with the choices they had made before knowing about the crisis, and all were able to decide on which places to visit for guidance. In addition, some members pointed out that, in a real situation, they would likely not leave their homes in the event of a short-term crisis. The first gathering places included the church (island community), the community centre (rural village), the library (small town), and the school (large city).
Throughout the game, smaller communities relied more on social ties and informal organisations, while the groups in more urban settings expected more from formal institutions and faced more challenges in coordinating their actions. People playing in the large city setting had more initial uncertainty before deciding on where to go, possibly due to the more scattered geography of an urban setting and the broader variety of choice. In smaller places, the prevailing sentiment was that it would be relatively easy to find where the more knowledgeable members of the community were. Similarly, a notable difference between the urban setting and the most rural setting was the formality of support sought: in the city, the group was drawn towards various actors representing the public sector (the library, town hall, or hospital) whereas in the rural setting, the group agreed that there would be a trusted community member who would informally take on the responsibility of organising activities and informing others.
The role of traditional first responders such as hospitals and the police was relatively small during the game. The groups discussed seeking advice from these authorities (for example in the case of contaminated drinking water) but also viewed that, in a less acute situation, it would be better to seek help from a place that could handle large groups of people. In other words, the public places were selected not because of their crisis-response roles but because of their role as social infrastructure and community event organisers (such as libraries, community centres, and schools). The group that selected the church as their gathering place (the island community) did so mostly for practical reasons: the church bell could be rung to gather people together. At a later stage in the game, the players were asked to search for the possible distribution of emergency supplies. Sports centres and schools were preferred as spaces to wait out the crisis together due to their size equipped for handling larger logistics.
As new tasks were introduced, people from smaller and assumedly more tight-knit communities experienced less need to review their choices, as they were more likely to trust that the information would find its way to them if they remained in one well-known, central location. During the rebuilding stage, some groups wanted to address the situation of not having any specific preparedness-related actors in their settings, investing in resources such as the Red Cross or stronger communication links. Some groups also decided to invest in building a stronger community for people living there by building a new school in the area.
In all scenarios, the group members reported that they believed they would feel safe waiting for supplies or relying on their neighbours, even if it were a real-life scenario.