HORIBA’s fun board game to learn about the water cycle and sustainable town development is ready to play!

Water, an indispensable resource supporting our lives and society, is essential for the continued protection of nature and diverse ecosystems that inhabit our planet.
HORIBA Advanced Techno Co., Ltd., in charge of HORIBA Group’s water and liquid measurement business, has created a board game with a focus on the water cycle to convey to the world the importance of protecting water resources and water quality. The name of the game is the Water Cycle Game.*
The Water Cycle Game is a board game where three to five players work together towards a goal. The players learn the importance of limited water resources and the need for sustainable community development as they take turns rolling the dice to travel around the town.We had help from the well-established board game designer TANSAN Inc. (Kyoto) with the production of the game.
Employees enjoyed playing the board game as part of their new employee training program. These were their voices: "We had fun as a team, engaging in lively discussion about how to complete the game." "I was able to understand the structure where revitalizing a town has an impact on the environment."
Going forward, use of the Water Cycle Game will reach beyond HORIBA employee training, to outreach seminars for students and other activities.

Comments from members of the board game development team

After dedicating about five years to its development, we finally completed the game! In 2020, board game enthusiasts came together at the suggestion of an employee and started discussion on the creation of a board game that would focus on fun ways to learn about the water environment. Wanting to develop something that people of all ages could enjoy, whether they were elementary school students or grown adults, we went through many trial and error, sometimes even revising the entire structure of the board game. Professor Naoko Tokuchi of the Kyoto University Field Science Education and Research Center and students from her laboratory helped us with test plays, and we used their feedback to make improvements.
In fact, it was very rewarding to see the elementary school students smiling and obviously having fun playing the Water Cycle Game. We hope that this board game will encourage people to become interested in HORIBA and the water cycle, and to realize that each of our actions ultimately have an impact on our daily lives and the environment.
 

*The Water Cycle Game is available only in Japanese and is designed for upper elementary school students and older.
 

HORIBA Advanced Techno will continue to communicate the importance of limited water resources.　

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