A Grassroots Gaming Simulation: The Case of “Crossroad”

摘要

The author introduces a game, “Crossroad”, which was originally designed as a tabletop exercise to teach disaster preparedness (Kikkawa et al., 2004) and that has been used in an increasing number of fields. In this paper, the author describes the history of the expanding application of this game, focussing especially on the evolution of its rules and content as a result of input from ordinary people who have participated in the game. Through this process, it has become a kind of grassroots gaming simulation tool for the general public. Examination of the development of the game reveals that its simple rules and structure as a frame game have led to its increasing popularity. Indeed, the game is still evolving.