The AMR Knowledge Space Game: participatory modeling to address the complexity of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent and complex global health threat, widely recognized as a silent pandemic that erodes the effectiveness of existing countermeasures and exacerbates vulnerabilities across systems. This study presents the development and piloting of the AMR Knowledge Space Game, a novel serious game designed to foster transdisciplinary collaboration, support knowledge collection and structuring, and inform policy development. Serious games are primarily designed for purposes beyond mere entertainment, such as learning or operational analysis. This game engages diverse audiences-including experts and non-experts-through a collaborative experience that incentivizes knowledge sharing and consensus-building. Players construct and refine shared mental models of challenges associated with AMR, which are then modeled semi-quantitatively (e.g., using fuzzy cognitive mapping). Pilot sessions conducted in multiple countries showed the game's potential to surface new insights, integrate siloed knowledge, and model complex relationships within the AMR landscape. By enabling scenario analysis and capturing both individual and group-level reasoning, the game serves as a scalable platform for participatory modeling. These findings suggest that serious games offer a powerful and underutilized approach to address complexity, engage stakeholders, and strengthen global preparedness against AMR.