A role-playing game in irrigated system negotiation:: between play and reality

Associations of multi-agent systems and role-playing games (RPG) have shown their relevance to tackle complex and dynamic social systems sharing common resources. Now, some are used in participatory processes as group decision support tools to promote information exchange of between stakeholders. In a RPG, stakeholders are placed in a virtual world where roles are allotted and rules are defined. In this approach, a question arises: do they adhere to the rules given by the game or do they use parts of their own reality? This article focuses on the link between play and reality in negotiation processes. The research was conducted in irrigated systems of the Senegal River valley. A methodology is proposed to test how reality is brought into the game. Qualitative interviews about negotiation processes in reality and in the game allowed us to analyze interactions and behaviors of participants. Results showed in the case presented that (1) stakeholders have accepted the schematic representation of their reality, (2) the social background of players interferes with roles playing in the game, (3) the game reveals to observers social relationships between players.