The Megawatt Game

Build, swap and scheme with Megawatt; a race to build the world’s most robust grid. Be the player to build a grid with the largest power output and the lowest environmental impact, whilst dodging environmental catastrophes and manoeuvring socio-political events to win the game.

  • Event Cards

    Technology Cards

    Play technology cards to build your up your grid. With 7 diferent technologies to play, it’s on you to balance cost, environmental impact and power output to build the best grid possible!

  • Upgrade Cards

    Upgrade Cards

    Bolster and augment your grid using Upgrade cards. These cards introduce opportunities to invest in future Technologies that can multiply your power output, reduce your environmental impact, or earn you other benefts...

  • Action Cards

    Action Cards

    Action cards introduce ways for players to interact with one another, positively or negatively, and add a further strategic element to the game.

  • Event Cards

    Event Cards

    Each of these represents a potential real-world event that can afect how we generate electricity. They educate players on the advantages and disadvantages of diferent technologies and demonstrate the importance

Why MegaWatt?

Watch our video to see the workshops in action, and visit the link below to view all the available resources.

Megawatt Game FAQs

A considerable amount of research has gone into the development of the Megawatt game and accompanying resources. The game uses real-world data on energy resources from sources such as the IPCC, IEA and the World Bank.

Megawatt started out covering a far wider range of concepts and technologies. Through an iterative approach, these concepts were simplified and refined to maintain the key teaching aspects, while keeping it fun for our target audience. Early prototypes were tested with colleagues, followed by teachers, and then in classrooms. The version you see today is a result of many, many playtests with a wide range of people.

You can find a detailed methodology on how the game was developed here.

 

There are a number of different resources provided along with the game to teach you how to play. These include written instructions and a detailed instructional video for those who prefer to learn by following along.

We also offer a set of interactive instructions as part of the Megawatt package which enables facilitators to teach a large group of players how to play Megawatt simultaneously.

We’ve developed a parallel set of resources to support younger audiences using the Megawatt package, and that includes playing the game. It is readily adaptable for younger or less able students by removing the Upgrade and Action cards from the game. We provide lesson plans and instructions to support both the standard and simplified version of Megawatt.

Megawatt is available for purchase by schools and businesses as part of our Megawatt Energy package. It is currently not available to be purchased as an individual item.

The Megawatt Resources

In collaboration with the Association for Science Education, we have developed a library of resources that support delivery of Megawatt in the classroom. These are designed to encourage thinking about the broader implications of our quest for energy, and all of this through group interaction.

Different materials can be selected to suit a wide range of age groups, from the higher years in primary, through to GCSE, and even to those entering post-16 education. Each set of lesson materials contain or make reference to:

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    Technology Factsheets

    There are 10 technology factsheets covering all the main forms of energy generation. They explain how each energy resource works, their advantages & disadvantages, current use & future demand, and highlight some real-world examples

  • 2.0 Megawatt – Megawatt Workshops – Energy Mix

    Country Case Studies

    We've taken 10 of the world's most prominent countries and showcase how they use energy resources to meet their needs. We include the physical and human geography of the country, their current energy mix and rationale behind that energy mix

  • 2.0 Megawatt – Megawatt Workshops – National Grid

    Slides and worksheets

    Specific presentations and worksheets lead students through each lesson, with various question-and-answer sessions, guidance for the main group-based activity, and closing questions to be considered.

  • Lesson Plan PDF website

    Lesson Plans

    These notes are to support teachers or ambassadors in the delivery of the resources detailed above, and provide the basis for a great lesson.

The Lessons

The Megawatt Game and Megawatt Resources listed above are used as the basis for a number of stimulating, group-based lessons and activities:

  • Discover Energy Resources

    Students are tasked with asking questions, reporting back and presenting on the material covered in the Technology Factsheets

  • Energy Around The World

    Students use the Country Case Studies, and consider the idea of the energy mix. This leads on to a rating of the various countries for their particular mix. At Standard level, students consider whether diferent countries should be evaluated diferently for the mix that they have.

  • Build Your Own Energy Mix

    Here students are introduced to the concept of energy security, and devise an energy mix for the specifc circumstances of a real-world island (Jeju, of the coast of South Korea – referred to in our video). At Standard level, there is work on data transfer across media.

  • Design Your Own Grid

    Having followed a PowerPoint presentation to look at the National Grid in the UK, students compete to create an ideal grid for Jeju (as referred to above).

  • Play Megawatt

    Students practise being an energy planner by playing Megawatt, competing against fellow students and win the game by building the best grid!

  • Careers In Energy

    These sessions relate what students have learnt to what they might consider doing in the future.

Megawatt game art

Megawatt Resources FAQs

The Megawatt Resources were developed in collaboration with the Association for Science Education and have been and evaluated and accredited by them as an excellent set of educational resources for the classroom. We worked closely with science and geography teachers who tested the resources throughout their development.

The resources are regularly kept up to date with the latest data on energy resources and the energy mix of different countries.

As part of our Megawatt Energy package, we offer extensive training for either teachers or Ambassadors on how to use Megawatt in the classroom. We take quality of delivery very seriously as we want our workshops to have the biggest impact possible.

We offer the Megawatt Resources alongside the Megawatt Game as part of the Megawatt Energy Package to both schools and businesses. Get in touch to find out more.

Get Started With Megawatt

Interested in hosting a MegaWatt workshop? Contact us below and the MegaWatt team will be in touch.
Technology Cards 1(1)