The Flood of 1927 on the Mississippi River had a transformative impact on the river, its management, and people who live, work, play, hunt, and rely on that River. The GRP will commemorate the flood’s 100th anniversary in 2027, and this serious game is the first GRP activity leading up to that centennial; its objective is to explore potential futures for the Mississippi River over the next 100 years.

The GRP will appoint a committee to work with a consultant to design one or more serious games that explore long-term challenges and opportunities related to the importance of the Mississippi River in different contexts such as energy, agriculture, trade, biodiversity, or national security. These scenario-based activities will serve as a creative platform for participants to generate new ideas, foster collaboration across disciplines, and deepen collective understanding of the river’s future over the next century. Specifically, the committee will design a 2-3 day in-person event featuring interactive serious gaming exercises designed to:

• Envision how management and use of the Mississippi River may evolve over the next 100 years related to energy, agriculture, trade/commerce, biodiversity, national security, or other key economic drivers.
• Articulate a shared vision of the river’s future and use scenarios to identify actions, opportunities, and means to overcome challenges in pursuit of that vision; and
• Build and energize a diverse community of stakeholders dedicated to achieving this shared vision of the Mississippi River.

A workshop proceedings will be issued following the event.