Southwest Silicon

Game Objective
Today, the Colorado River is severely overused across hundreds of independent water markets encompassing states, tribes, cities and irrigation districts.
Even with a greater focus on irrigation efficiency, the expansion of farming has continued while a new set of water-demanding industries like chip fabs have sprouted up.
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Acknowledgements
This scenario was inspired by the books Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, by Marc Reisner, and The Future of the Suburban City: Lessons from Sustaining Phoenix, by Grady Gammage. The article, “What Will Become of American Civilization?: Conspiracism and hyper-partisanship in the nation’s fastest-growing city,” by George Packer and published in The Atlantic was also an inspiration.
The resources at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy and the Kyl Center for Water Policy were invaluable for research. The author also expresses their gratitude for the beta-testers from around the world whose curiosity about gaming, water and technology in the American West helped develop this game.
“Go West Young Man, and Grow Up with the Country.” – Horace Greeley
Credits
Game Designer: Ian Curtiss
Editor-in-Chief and Producer: Danny Crichton
Partner, Research: Laurence Pevsner
Editor: Katie Salam
Front Cover Illustration: Andreas Rocha
Production Designer: Justin Barber
Website Designer: James Clements