Daybreak is a cooperative board game that models technological, political and social responses to climate change. It was designed by Pandemic creator Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace. Throughout the game, the Earth’s temperature begins to rise. Simultaneously, players must contend with crisis events, such as droughts, wildfires, rising sea levels, each exacerbated by Earth’s rising temperature.
Players assume the role of national superpowers or coalitions (the United States, China, Europe, or the Global South), which each have their own needs as well as opportunities to combat the ecological circumstances. For example, the United States offer research and development and China has direct economic control. Players divide their investments between carbon emission mitigation and adapting their societies to environmental changes. Based on the game’s design, every country needs to contribute or players collectively lose.
While the game’s positive outlook on climate futures has been appreciated by many reviewers and players, a few review (e.g. https://www.polygon.com/23944065/daybreak-board-game-review) critiqued this stance as naive and/or take issue with the logic of technological improvement, of ‘outgrowing’ existing economic but also societal challenges over time.