About Us

Cozy River Valley was created by the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University as part of the Secure Water Future project led by University of California, Merced. The game builds conceptual understanding of water use in agriculture and the interconnectedness of surface water, groundwater, and precipitation/climate.

Desired Future Work

Cozy River Valley is a fully playable prototype, and is planning for expansion. Additional plans include more engaging gameplay elements, such as animations, more sound, additional graphics and introductory play scenes. The team also plans to:

• Conduct research on the impact of the game with different audiences;
• Prepare educational support materials for use of the game in different environments;
• Expand content to include other gameplay elements such as modeling increased evapo-transpiration demands at higher temperatures, different types of irrigation systems (such as hybrid drip-flood irrigation), expanded benefits of nitrogen-fixing forages.