Lake Elinor is an interactive serious game that introduces students to the concept of the commons and the challenges associated with managing shared resources. Inspired by the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom, the game demonstrates how collective governance can provide sustainable alternatives to the widely known “Tragedy of the Commons.”

In the game, a lake represents a shared resource that all participants must collectively maintain. At the same time, each player takes on an individual role with specific objectives and interests. This creates tensions between personal and collective goals, requiring players to negotiate, cooperate and jointly develop rules that ensure the long-term sustainability of the shared resource.

By combining gameplay, reflection and collaborative decision-making, Lake Elinor enables participants to explore concepts such as sustainable governance, collective action and democratic participation in an engaging and accessible way. The game provides a practical learning environment where complex sustainability challenges can be experienced, discussed and better understood.