Problem: how do you communicate the complex personal reality of infectious diseases? Lectures tend to clean diseases up and make them abstract, and pluck them out of
their social and economic context.

Solution: The Curse of South Spratly Island, a game which we developed expressly for Base Camp Earth's Expedition 3. "Curse" puts students squarely at the intersection where animals meet humans and commerce meets risk. As the students make decisions about profits and gather clues about the island's curse, they learn for themselves about acceptable risks, acceptable costs and their impact on human welfare.

The simulation is set on South Spratly Island, a fictitious island in the South China Sea. Participants role-play the village leaders on the island and the manager of a newly renovated hotel. As they buy, raise and sell animals to feed the tourist trade, the "curse" operates secretly in the background, waiting for its chance to emerge.

"Curse" can be scaled for larger groups or classrooms to play. The rules for play will be included on this website.