Training to embrace uncertainties? The ‘Pathway Evolution Process’ serious game for assessing toxic waste program

This paper aims to evaluate the ‘Pathway Evolution Process’ (PEP) serious game method, developed by nuclear regulators and their technical support at the European level (SITEX network). This method aims to organize the exchange of experience and (non-)knowledge between nuclear waste experts, stakeholders, and the public on the safety and management of the long-term radioactive waste program, by placing uncertainty at the center of the evaluation process. Such interdisciplinary dialogue also promotes learning for both players and experts. This paper draws on feedback from its implementation in Belgium in 2021 with engineering and policy researchers, students, and representatives of Belgian Nuclear Regulatory Bodies. Considering this method as a hybrid forum, the paper highlights how the ‘game’ side allows participants to systematically evaluate and question all the ethical and socio-technical aspects of the program while leaving space for contrasting positions to emerge. It also emphasizes that experts can play different roles when interacting with different audiences. More generally, this article questions the value and limits of serious games for knowledge production on sensitive and complex policies.